The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-03-12

Her dark, questioning, dreading eyes
looked up into his with an expression
he was never to forget. 1t combined
dread, horror, doubt and smoldering
anger that seemed to overcast all
other emotions that lay revealed to
him.
"This is a-what Is commonly called
a road house'?" she asked DULY, her
eyes narrowing suddenly as If in pain.
"It is an inn during the winter, Mrs.
! Wrandall, and a road house in the
summer, If that makes it plain to you.
1 viii say, however, that Burton has
always kept well within the law.
This is the first = er = real bit OF
trouble he's had, and 1 won't say it's
his fault. Keep quiet, Burton. No one
is accusing you Of anything wrong.
Don't whine about it"
"But my place is ruined" groaned
the doleful one. 'It's got black eye
now. Not that blame you, madam
but you. can see how"
He quailed before the steady look
in her eyes, and turned away mum
bling.
There is. a. fire in the reception
room, madam" said the coroner; "and
the proprietor's wife to look out for
you if you should require anything.
VIII you go in there and compose
yourself before going upstairs? Or,
If you would prefer waiting until
morning, I shall not insist. on the
er-ordeal tonight"
"I prefer going up there tonight" !"
said she steadily.
The men looked at each other, and
the sheriff spoke. "Mr. Drake is quite
confident the-the man is your hus-
band. It's an ugly affair, Mrs. Wran-
dali. We had no means Of identifying
him until Drake came in this evening,
ont of curiosity you might say. For
your sake, / hope he is. mistaken. ~
Would you mind telling me some
thing about it before go upstairs? l
am quite calm. am prepared for any
thing. You need not hesitate"
"As you wish, madam. You will go
into the reception room, if you please.
Burton, is Mrs. Wrandall's room quite
ready for herr"
"I shall not stay here tonight" in
terpcsed Mrs. Wrandall. 'You need
not keep the room for me-"
"But, my dear Mrs. Wrandall-
81 shall wait in the railway station
until morning II necessary. But not
here"
The coroner led the way to the cosy
little room of the Office. She followed
with the sheriff. The men looked worn
and haggard in the. bright light that
met them, as If they had not known
sleep or rest for many hours.
"The assistant district attorney was
here until eleven, but went home to
get little rest. It's been a hard case
for all of us-a nasty one" explained
the eheriff, as he placed a chair in
front OF the fire for her. She sank into
it Imply.
| Go on, please" she murmured, and
shook her head at the nervous little
woman who hustled up and inquired if
She could do anything to make her
more comfortable.
| The sheriff cleared his throat. well,
it happened last night. All day long
we've been trying to find out who he
| is, and ever since eight o'clock this
morning we've been searching for the
woman who came here with him. She
has disappeared as completely as If
swallowed by the earth. Not sign
| Of cleW-not shred. There's moth
| ing to show when she left the inn or
by what means. All we know is that
| the door to that room UP there was
bstanding half open when Burton
passed by it. at seven o'clock this
morning-that is to say, yesterday
morning, for this is now Wednesday,
II is quite clear, from this, that she
NEGLECTED to close the door tightly
when she came out, probably through
haste or fear, and the draft in the hall
blew it wider open during the night
Burton says the inn was closed for
the night at half-past ten. He went
to bed. She must have slipped out
after everyone was sound asleep.
There were no other guests on that
floor. Burton and his wife sleep on
this floor, and the servants are at the
top of the house and in wing. No
one heard a sound. We have not the
remotest idea when the thing hap.
pened, or when she left the place. DR.,
Sheet says the man had been dead six
or eight hours when he first saw him,
and that was very soon after Burton's
discovery. Burton, on finding the door
open, naturally suspected that his
guests had skipped out during the
night to avoid paying the bill, and lost
no time in entering the room.
He found the man lying on the bed,
sprawled out, face upward and as
dead as a mack should say, quite
dead. He was partly dressed. His
coat and vest hung over the back Of
a chair. A small service carving
knife, belonging to the inn, had been
driven squarely into his heart and was
found sticking there. Burton says
that the man, on their arrival at the
inn, about nine o'clock at night, or,
dered supper sent up to the room
The tray Of dishes, with most of the
food untouched, and an empty cham.
pagne bottle, was found on the service
table near the bed. One Of the chairs
was overturned. The servant who took
, the meal to the room says that the
woman was sitting at the window
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I foliage. She is poised on tip-toes and