Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-22


than the guilty. 1t is the workings Of con-
science | want to see, not the anguish OF in
nocence unjustly accused"
Yet not all his wide experience prepared
him for the incidents he was destined to wit
ness that night. If not uniquc,-because
stranger things have happened,- they were
new to Clancy, and he would scarce have
credited the story if it came to him only by
hearsay.
THE watchers had not long to wait.
Though the boat had gone straight to
the Rosery, the cab that brought Mrs. Della
mar and the servants from the ferry had
soon covered the tortuOus road that skirted
the scattered buildings of Absecon, and then
descended again to the waters edge.
The vehicle stopped at the gate. They
heard it drive off, steps sounded on the car
riageway, key ratified, and soon lamp
was lighted in the dining room.
An angular, hard Featured woman drew
the blinds.
"That's Mary Mallow, the housekeeper,"
whispered the policeman.
"A dark night suits her style of beauty"
said Clancy, and the other man chuckled;
for this bit of sarcasm was intended to come
within his comprehension.
Soon light glimmered in the 1arder, and
it was reasonable to suppose that meal was
being improvised. Mrs. Delamar had evil
IDENTIFY gone straight to her bedroom; for a
candle threw mild beam through its win
dows into the darkness. The watchers could
see her head and shoulders as she passed to
and fro while removing her hat and wraps.
Then she went down stairs again, undoubt-
edly to the dining room but, to make sure,
Clancy stole across the lawn, and screwed
an eye through chink in the blind.
Fortunately, Mrs. Delamar had seated
herself in front of the best available opening.
She was in profile; but her face was lighted
by the lamp, and it was easy to sec that
Black Care was her vis-a-vis in a per-
functory feast. She tried to eat breast
of chicken and some dainty slices of ham.
The fare looked appetizing enough; but
soon she pushed away the plate, and nibbled
a crust of bread while slipping some claret.
Taking letter from her pocket, she read
it, evidently not for the first time, and she
was thinking so deeply that some of her
really remarkable beauty fled, and left her
cold, calculating, almost repelcnt.
At last, abandoning the pretense of eating,
she rose, crumpled up the: letter in one hand,
and carried the lamp in the other into the
drawing room. She went to a writing table,
and was seemingly far too intent on her
present purpose to bother about the blinds,
SO that small area of. the lawn was family
illuminated through three. French windows
that opened on veranda. CLANCY thought
it advisable to rejoin his companion, which
he succeeded in doing by making detour.
Again there were some nervous rustlings and
futterings high up in. the trees The birds
perched there probably saw him, and they
surely heard him. e..~s. +-esr
Mrs. Delamar wrote and wrote. She COW
cred page after page of note paper, often con-
sulting the letter produced in the. dining
room, and beginning again after bordering
some new passage. Mary MalloW came in;
but was promptly sent off. At last, after
writing for nearly an hour, Mrs. Delamar
addressed an envelop, and, picking up the
eight or nine sheets of, the letter, began to
read what she had written, thereby proving
herself a more careful correspondent than
the majority of her SEX -. ~.
At that moment a tug snorted its way
down the channel, and the policeman, who
wondered what motive could inspire this
queer little New York detective to watch
woman writing letter, joggled Clancy's
arm.
otis shallow wather hereabouts, an the
tide will be fallin' bit, Sorr," he muttered.
Il had betther go and pay out the painter,