The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-15
White Cat. ].
Copyright. 1910. by Bobbs- ,
 Merrill Co.

erings had been thrown back, as IT It's occupants had risen hurriedly. The room itself was in state of confusion, a rocker lay on it's side. and Miss Jane's clothing, folded as she had talk. en it off, had slid off on to the floor Her shoes stood neatly at the foot of the bed, and bottle of toilet vinegar had been upset, pouring stream over the marble top of the dresser and down on to the floor. Over the high wooden mantel the Maitland who had been governor of the state years ago hung at a waggish angle, and clock had been pushed aside and stopped al half past 1.
 Margery picked up Miss lanes new lace cap from the floor. It was crum pied and spotted with blood.
 "She has been killed" Margery said in a choking voice.
 Margery had more presence of mind than l had.
 "Call Robert, the gardener" she said. "and have him help you searct the grounds and cellars. will take Bella and go through the house. Above everything, keep it from Aunt Letitia as long as possible
 It takes a short time to search an acre of lawn and shrubbery. There was no trace of the missing woman anywhere outside the house, and from Bella, as she sat at the foot of the front stairs with her apron over her head, learned in monosyllable that noth- ing had been found in the house. Mar gery was with Miss Letitia, and from the excited conversation knew she was telling her-not narrowing details, but that Miss Jane had disappeared during the night.
 The old lady was inclined to scoff at first.
 .'Look,in the fruit closet in the store room," I heard her say. She's let the spring lock shut on her twice. She was black, in the face the last time we found her.''
 'I did look; she's not therev' Margery screamed at her.
 "Then she's out looking for stump water to take that wart off her neck. She said yesterday she was going for some.'"
 But her clothes are all here," Mar gery persisted. we think some one must have got in the house"
 eff all her clothes are there she's been sleepwalking, Miss Letitia said calmly. we used to have to tie her by cord around her ankle and fasten it to the bedpost. When she tried to set up the cord would pull and wake her. " ! .I-sent for Hunter that morning, and he came at o'clock. I took him through the back entrance to avoid Miss Letitia. I think he had been skeptical until threw open the door and showed him the upset chair, the old lady's clothing and the blood stained lace cap. He took a crumpled sheet of note paper out of the waste basket and looked at it, then he stuffed it in his pocket.
 Before he left the room Hunter went been disturbed over the mantel What he saw made him get a chair and, standing on it, take the picture from it's naiL Thus exposed, the wall showed an opening about a foot square and perhaps eighteen inches deep. A metal door, opening in. was unfastened and ajar, and just inside was copy of recent sentimental novel and a bot tie of soine sort of complexion cream. Tn spite of myself I smiled; it was so typical of the dear old lady, with the heart of girl and skin that was los ing its roses. But there was something else in the receptacle, something that made Margery Fleming draw in her breath sharply and made Hunter raise his eyebrows little and glance at me. The something was scrap of unruled white paper and on 1t the figures eley. en twenty-two!
 Harry Wardrop came back from the city at 4 o'clock, while Hunter was in the midst of his investigation. I told him what had happened, and with this