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

Crest Of It's clean enough, barrin'
the dust" said Rosahe lie Grange,
land those spots Is water, not dirt
water on starched stuff always looks
that way-7tust crinkiy--like It needed
ironing"
Martin MCGEE considered.
That's easy" said he. They
opened the window. 1t was raining,
wasn't it2 Well, the rain came In
and stained It."
81 suppose So" said Rosalie. But
she made q minute examination. Let
US violate for . second the privacy OF
her mind. Dear old dope!" 1t was
saying, he hasn't thought to look into
the weather that night. He don't
know 1t had cleared UP and stopped
raining for good when I came into
the house; and saw them open the
windows myself" Ht
WELL" she said aloud, that's all
for the bed. Now let's see the furni-
ture an his clothes an everything"
It was half an hour before Rosalie
finished her search of the rim. She
went over Il inch by inch. her lips
pursed, her hands making quick fiut-
tiers of disgust over the dirt and dis
order. She spoke little, and then as
though to herself. Inspector MCGEE.
finally, gave up following her swift
movements, mental ana physical, and
rested himself in Morris chair. His
was a life Of grim hard things; these
surroundings. depressing even to Rosa
lie, were to him part Of tho days
work. And SO he fell to watching not
the search for evidence but the figure
OF Resale LIE Grange. Martin McGea
untutored in esthetics did not know
that there Is one beauty OF youth and
another of maturity; that there Is one
glory Of ruddy young skin, bright with
new blood, and another Of faded skin;
that the soul which shines out through
mature flesh may be more disturbing
to the thoughts Of man than young
flesh itself. Had you asked him, he
would have limited all beauty In WON
en- to the twenties, or at least to the
early thirties. He was unaccustomed
to self-analysis, to psychological mus
ings of any kind; and the mood which
blew In upon him was strange to his
nature.
There was something pleasing, and
more than pleasing. about this wom'
an here. He remembered how she
had appeared to him ten years ago.
when she began flashing In and out OF
his life. He had been sitting in an.
other house Of murder, and he had
seen her cross the street. He had
marked her then as "a peach"-a lit
tie too plump for his idea of beauty.
but pretty nevertheless. She had
brown hair then; she had neat fig
ure, smooth pleasing face, ard those
big gray eyes. The eyes remained
as they were, but there WAS a foam OF
white across her hair. The face had
fallen into delicate ridge here and
there, though massage had taken care
Of the wrinkles, which showed not as
lyet. Her figure had broadened little
yet she still bore \ 1t wonderfully
The skin Of her long plump hands had
begun to gather about the knuckles
And sti!l-she appealed to MIN as she
had never appealed in those first
days. He had no great amount o.
Imagination: but what he had scared
and took flight. Suppose-then-
when thew were both young n
The flight stopped there: the bird o.
ina gination futtered to earth. killed
! by an arrow Of memory. This was
had always been-a medium, pro
fessional faker. In their early acquaint
and she had duped even him. She
was next door to a crook: and ne
dwelt SO close to crooks ms to have his
tolerations, but also his prejudices. No
she wasn't the kind for a man. But
LIT wss pity. The broad, sturdy police
bosom Of Martin MCGEE heaved with
a sigh. A pity! How pretty she was
there, knitting her brows and letting
her dimples play soberly with bel
thought as she turned and returned az
old coat! And what a mind she had
Lord what a mind!
The sigh did not escape Resale LIZ
Grange: little in her surroundings ever
escaped her. She appeared to come
out Of her thoughtful mood, and hel
dimples flashed.
getting tired?" she asked.
mo" he said. And then suddenly:
Rose, why did you ever start 1T?
Being a medium, you mean?
Eyes" The word was out Of his
lips before wonder entered his mind
"Now, how did you get that-what
I was thinking Of? You make me
wonder If there amt something in YOU
mediumship."
"Well," said Rosalie, 'reachin' out
and gettin' thgings that way is on the
edge Of the spirit, guess. Told yor
before, the more you know about this
thing the more you don't know" She
mounted chair to peer along the
closet shelf. I'm this case; when 6
gentleman sits still lookin' at lady
like he really saw her, he's thinkin
Of the past among other things. An
when he sighs. like that, it's probably
because she amt what he'd like her t
be-if he's got any respect for her
which l hope you have, Inspector Mar
tin McGee!"
eyes, have that" responded the
Inspector.
Il kinder guessed You had" repliet
Rosalie, smelling of two old bottle1
which she had found on the shelf
"How did come to take it up? Well
when you're left an orphan at twelve
there amt much choice. Professor
Vango adopted me-my mother was II
his circle. Old fake! But he hat
/ q