Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-04

she snapped II am going to leave
them where they are, and watch. Who
ever took ten will be back for more,
mark my words"
81 don't advise it," I said decidedly.
,"You have most of them now, and you
might easily lose them all; not only
that, but it is not safe for you or your
sister,"
stuff and nonsense!" the old lady
said, with spirit. "As for Jane, she
doesn't even know they are gone. ]
know who did it. It was the new
housemaid, Belle Mackenzie. Nobody
else could get in. lock up the house
myself at night, and I'm in the habit
of doing a pretty thorough job of it.
They went in the last three weeks, for
I counted them Saturday three weeks
ago myself. The only persons in the
house in that time, except ourselves,
were Harry. Belle and Hepsibah,
who's been here for forty years and
wouldn't know a pearl from picked
onion
"Then-what do you want me to
do?" asked. Have Bella arrested
and her trunk searched!
felt myself shrinking in the old
lady's esteem every minute.
"Her trunk" she said scornfully.
II turned it inside out this morning,
pretending thought she was stealing
the laundry soap. Like as not she has
them buried in the vegetable garden.
What I want you to do is to stay here
for three or four nights, to be on hand.
When catch the thief. l want my
lawyer right by"
It ended by my consenting, of course.
Miss Letitia was seldom refused.
telephoned to Fred that l would not
be home, listened for voices and de-
cided Margery Fleming had gone TO
bed. Miss Jane lighted me to the door
of the guest room, and saw that every
thing was comfortable. Her thin gray
curls bobbed as she examined the
water pitcher, saw to the towels. and
felt the bed linen for dampness. At
the door she stopped and turned
around timidly.
"Has-has anything happened to
disturb my sister," she asked. "She
has been almost irritable all day.
Almost!
"She is worried about her colored
orphans" evaded. "She does not ap-
prove Of fireworks for them on the
fourth of July"
Miss Jane was satisfied. watched
her little, old black-robed figure go
lightly down the hall. Then / bolted
the door, opened all the windows, and
proceeded to surreptitious smoke.
CHAPTER w.
5 The windows being wide open, it
was not long before a great moth came
whirling in. He hurled himself at the
light and then, dazzled and singed,
began to beat with noisy thumps
against the barrier of the ceiling. Find
ing no egress there, he was back at the
lamp again, whirling in dizzy circles
until at last, worn out, he dropped to
the table, where he lay on his back,
kicking impotently.
The room began to fill with tiny
winged creatures that flung themselves
headlong to destruction, so put ont
the light and sat down near the Win
dow, with my cigar and by thoughts.
Miss Letitia's troubles dismissed
shortly. While it was odd that only
ten pearls should have been taken,
still--in every other way it bore the
marks Of an ordinary thief. The thief
might have thought that by leaving the
majority Of the gems he could postpone
discovery Indefinitely. But the Flem-
ing case was of different order.
Taken by itself, Flemings disappear
ance could have been easily accounted
for. There must be times in the lives
of all INSCRIPTIONS individuals when
they feel the need of retiring tempo
rarily from the public eye But the
intrusion into the Fleming home, the
ransacked desk and the broken money
drawer-most of all, the bit of paper
with eleven twenty-five on there was
hurdle my legal mind refused to take.
1 had finished my second cigar, and
was growing more and more wakeful,
when heard footstep on the path
around the house. 1t was black out
side; when I looked out, as did
cautiously, could not see even the
gray -white of the cement walk. The
steps had ceased, but there was
sound of funbling at. one of the shut
tiers below. The catch clicked twice.
as if some instrument was being Slip
ped underneath to raise it, and once
caught muttered exclamation.
I drew in my head and, putting my
cigar until it was glowing, managed by
its light to see, that it was quarter to
two. When listened again, the
house-breaker had moved to another
window, and was shaking it cautiously.
With Miss Letitia's story of the
pearls fresh in my mind, | felt at once
that the thief. finding his ten a prize,
had come back for more. My first i'm
pulse was to go to the head of my bed,
where I am accustomed to keep a
revolver. With the touch of the tall
corner post, however, remembered
that I was not at home, and that it
was not likely there was weapon in
the house.
Finally, after knocking over an
ornament that shattered on the hearth
and sounded like the crash of doom, l
found on the mantel heavy brass
candlestick, and with it in my hand
I stepped into the gloom of the hall
way and felt my way to the stairs.
There were no night lights; the
darkness was total. 4 found the stairs
before 7 eypected to. and came within