Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-09-13

fumbled with the catch Of the south
window. He rose heavily to help her.
mo, thank youl" she said. No.
thank you. I want to look over this
Are escape I'm that old can't 80 up
notes.-the. It's enough to have the
stenographers rubberin' from those
windows, without you."
However, she managed with surpass.
ing Nghtness the step from the window
to the iron stairway, with astonishing
grace the ascent. She threaded 1t to
it's top, viewing 1t all in general way.
Then she stopped, making picture of
herself az she balanced on the land
Ing, and pulled out a wire hairpin.
This universal implement of the sex
she twisted to suit her purpose. and
began q slow descent, picking at the
interstices Of the iron. Nothing but
dust, with here and there straw, q
bit OF cloth, or a scrape Of paper blown
thither by the wind.
'Unpromisin'." she said to herself
soto voce, ''but I'll try eyerythin'-
ugh! it's q sweeper's lob"
So she worked downward nearly
one fight before she came to a cake
of dirt In Z corner Of the iron steps.
She brushed it away and discovered .
little irreguiarity In the metal. She
picked at this with her twisted hairpin.
It proved to DO loop OF steel, some
what spotted, but still bright She
hooked the pin into the loop, and
pulled. Something gave way. Out
OF very small hollow in the iron
step, which seemed like a bubble left
in the process Of casting, came little
hard ball. She rubbed 1t with her
hands, and polished It with her hand
kerchief.
It was a red shoe button.
Rosalie fingered 1t, and glanced up
ward, musing. Above. the iron stair
way ran straight to the windows of the
lumber room. And that was the only
window from which it could have fall
len TN such fashion as to strike the
fire escape. She knew from Mrs.
Moore that this room had been used
for storage during all Of the last year.
II q previous tenant dropped 1t. the
lacquer would be gone or furnished by
now. The other windows on the fourth
floor were cut of from view of the fire
escape by an irregularity of the wall.
From those windows, one could scarce
ly have thrown the button and hit that
spot on the fire escape-"let alone
droppin' IT," thought Rosalie.
Rosalie wrapped the button in her
handkerchief and continued her
search. Nothing heavier than straws
and scraps OF paper.
well, you never can tell" she said
to herself as she strengthened up on
the landing before Captain Hanska' s
window; lets see-who in my house
ever wears"
She stopped all motion here; and
since there was no need for conceal
ment, her face showed the shock which
she felt. Her eyes widened; her jaw
dropped.
"Um-hum!" she buzzed with the tone
Of one who gathers the straws of sus.
picion into a sheaf of fact. Um-hum."
And just then the voice Of Inspector
MCGEE doomed from within.
Pretty near through he asked
Much as want" replied Rosalie
voice and face falling at once into In
difference. rs there a place to wash
IN this house? Water amt turned OF
yet? All right No. never mind
I'm still young enough to crawl
through window by myself When
| get home, II don't scrub myself
off! This'll do for one day"
When, ten minutes later, she re-
freshened In appearance. the inspector
awaited her in the lower hall.
II may be wanting to come again,
she said. win you let the cops
know?"
well, how do I stack today asked
Martin MCGEE, smart or stupid?"
"Kind of between" jabbed Rosalie
"but edgin' toward stupid STILL" She
smiled again over her shoulder; dim
pie played and then another; lock
CT hair fell from it's fastening over her
cheek.
And suddenly something happened
something which Martin MCGEE, blush
ing over it later tn silence and secrecy
could not himself account for. With
the motion of dancing bear, Sc
awkward was 1t and yet so quick, he
had caught her in his arms and kissed
her heavily on the face.
Rosalie did not seem to struggle
yet somehow, without haste, without
disarranging herself in one little item
she was free of him. The surge in
Martin MCGEE receded as rapidly as
it had risen. He stood blank, his color
thickening.
Martin McGee," said Rosalie LIE
Grange, you jest cut that out"
When Rosalie returned to her house
late that afternoon, murmur Of
voices greeted her from the front par
lor. Ordinarily, the house did not
wake up until s o'clock, when Miss
Harding and Miss Jones brought a
pair of high-pitched voices into Its
quiet. Rosahe parted the portiers
and looked In.
Twilight had come. Constance sat
at one end Of the room, reading.
Rosalie's quick glance noted that al
though she held her book upright hel
eyes had lifted from its pages, had set
tied across the room. Betsy-Barbara
and Tommy North were sitting togeth
er in the low, much-draped, much
cushioned seat Of the coy corner. Be
fore them was little table, furnished
with a pad Of paper, two pencils
sharpened to needle-point fineness, and
the catalogue of a furniture store
Over the table glimmered two blobs Of