New Britain herald., 1918-10-10
REVELATIONS
OF A WIFE
How Madge Cleyerly Managed to
Bctray the Hiding Place of the
False Rice Paper.


ruminatively while / struggled to pre-
serve my pOise under the startling an
nouncement that Mrs. Allis was act
ually in the house, engaged as a maid
"Of course, the woman is exceptional
ly we'll disguised, I'll have to slip it
to her for that, her wig is perfect, and
whoever made her up is a cracker
jack. If L hadn't been expecting them
to bite when ] inserted the ADVERTISE
ment she might have fooled me for
little while. But as it is, I recognized
her the minute ] set eyes on her"
She paused glanced at me shraWdly,
then went on rapidly:
You don't need to have a minutes
uneaSin esS, Madge. You're not going
to set eyes on her nor she on you"
81 don't want to be shielded" l pro-
tested II must have my share in this
work and danger as we'll as the rest"
"You must be shielded all can
mahag e," Lillian returned, looking at
me significantly. II won't be SO
cruel as to shut YOU out OF the final
roundup, and l shall need you there.
But for the next few days you'll obey
my requests, won't you?'
"Of course" I answered cheerfully.
'Well. then" with a flash of APP
prevail in her eyes, you're not to stir
from the second floor except when
you're personally conducted to your
fathers next door. This Allis fiend is
the one uncertain factor in this bust
ness. OF course, she is working under
Grace Diapers directions; they want
someone inside the house at night, for
they know I<ato sleeps next door.
And while I am sure that Draper has
sent Altis here primarily to put you
permanently out of the way, yet she
has no doubt instructed her to wait
until the last minute to do it, SO not
to interfere with the plans for getting
that paper. But Allis is too full of
dope and hatred for you to risk letting
her added brain become inf1amed by
the sight of you. And, of course, shes
not going to be out of sight of either
your mother-in-law or me for one
minute.
Keeping Mrs. AlIis Busy.
L explained to her very seriously
and plausibly," she went on, that
there are invalids in the house. and
that the elder Mrs. Graham and [
prepared the meals ourselves. L put
her to work cleaning and busting, and
your mother-in-law will keep her busy
when I'm not there. And, of course,
we're going to give her and Kato
plenty of time for conferences. But
she'll not be allowed upstairs, and
don't you come down.
You'll have plenty to do, for
Mother Graham is going to take care
of Katie, leaving Agatha free to snoop
to her hearts content. I want you to
divide your time between your
mother-in-law'S room, where the
Chinese vase is and your own, and
watch the Asiatic and Agatha. Of
course, don't let them actually get the
paper, but if they don't find out where
it is before night give them a bunch
without letting them know you're
doing it. And now, look out for your
self I'm overdue downstairs to break
in the new maid
She flashed me a merry, confident
smile as she went out of the room,
and I enyied her sureness. With her
to plan thing was to accomplish it.
And the task she had outlined for me
to betray the hiding place we had SO
carefully guarded in manner that
would appear plausible, was one I
infinitely dreaded-doubted my ability
to perform.
1t was Agatha on whose knowledge
of the house I counted, who gave me
the opportunity [ wished. Agatha,
whom Lillian had given full oppor-
tunity for sly watchfulness because
we both had seen that Kato had in
tuitively realized Agatha's peculiar
! genius and was himself following her.
The house III which we live was
! built originally for a physician, and
! my mother-in-law occupies the bed
| room which was his. From an alcove
adjoining it spiral stairway leads to
! the library below--in the physlc1ans
| time, his office-with a little hallway
| and outside door. 1t is a room which
neither Dicky nor I would have liked,
! but my mother-in-law chose it, per-
| versely enough, for she never dares to
! climb up or down the twisting, narrow
| stairway.
The doors to the stairway at the
! top and bottom are always kept
! locked, and since the Chinese vase was
/ removed to my mother-in-laW's room
| ] have always kept the keys. The first
| step in my little plot was carelessly
dropping the keys when L was sure
! Agatha was watching me- The next.
| after satisfying myself that she had
| thenl-and warning Lillian of this
| fact SO that she could keep Mrs. Allis
| away from the library beloW-was to
| go into my mother-in-laWs room with
| an apparently perturbed manner,
| locking the door ostentatiously behind
| me.
| Pooling the Asiatic.
There are heavy curtains between
| my mother laws bedroom and the
| alcove, and I hadn't been in the room
| long--every minute of which I spent
| standing before the table upon which
| stood the Chinese vase-until my
| sharpened ears heard the slightest
| perceptible rustic, which I would
! never have heard unless I'd been
watching for it, and l knew that
Cousin Agatha'H sharp eyes were