Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1919-02-13

though a little scared.
And you deny it?" went on
Scofield to Mrs. rockingham.
81 most certainly do! How abb
snrd for me to be over here, and
how more than absurd for me to
deny it if ! were!"
This seemed sensible. Why
should she deny it? And mightn't
the blttaer be mistaken9 Or de
~liberately falsitying?"
If there were collision or Grim
inal assistance by any of the serv-
auts, surely the word of all of
them must be ~mistrustcd unless
proven.
And, too, what could have
brought Mrs. rockingham to the
veranda of a home where she was
not an accepted guest? Or, could
she have been spying on the
Count
For it had slowly entered the
coroner's not very alert mind that
perhaps the volatile widow had
her own plans for the Count flu
ture, and Miss Darlington did not
figure in them. The manner of
the witness bore out this theory.
She was self conscious and at
times confused. She frequently
looked at the Count and then
quickly averted her gaze. She
blushed and stammered when
speaking his name or referring to
him. In a word, she acted as a
woman might act in regard to a
man Of whom she was jealous.
And the situation bore it out. If
Mrs. rockingham had matrimo-
NAL designs on her distinguished
guest, would she not naturally re-
sent his visits to a rich neighbour?
Mrs: rockingham was not rich,
and she may we'll have been
afraid of Miss Carrington's charm
of gold, which could cause many
a man to overlook anything else
thaI might DE lacking.
Coroner Scofield was getting
more and more tangled in the
mazes Of this extraordinary case
He was practically at his wits
end. At last he blurted out: cit
is impossible, it seems, to get a
coherent, or even plausible, story
from a woman! Is there any man
present who knows any of the de-
tails of the happenings of Tues
day evening and night"
There was q moment 8 silence at
this rather petulant speech, and
then Stephen Illsley rose, and,
speaking very gravely, said:
ut SENS to be my unpleasant
duty to tell what little | know of
these matters"
The relieved coroner heard this
with satisfaction. Accepting his
good fortune, he prepared to listen
to Illsley's testimony.
II was spending the evening
here" the witness began, "and
during my visit l was in the var
ious rooms. At a late hour, per-
haps something after IL, l was
crossing the hall, and l saw Miss
rockingham on the stairway"
"On the stairway!" exclaimed
the coroner in amazement.
eyes," returned Illsley, his
grave eyes resting on the face of
the widow, who stared at him as
lif stricken dumb. eyes, | saw her
distinctly. She was evidently COM
ing downstairs, one hand rested
on the banister, and she was look
ing upward at the ceiling"
"Did she see youi"
~ think not. If so, she made
no sign. But she was not looking
my way, and l went on into the
reception room, where / was 60
ing in search Of a scarf Miss Stu
art had left there. When 1 re-
crossed the hall the lady had dis
appeared"
did not this seem to You a
strange circumstance
II had no right to any opinion
on the mbject. 1t was not my
affair what guests were at the
house / was visiting, or what they
might be doing"
"But Mrs. rockingham as
serts she was not an acquaintance
.of Miss Darlington"