The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-10-03
The Mazaroff Mystery
81 did!" remarked Maythorne.

was one of two which Mr.. Elphinstone
had bought, years ago, in Scotland,
and given to her. She had never worn
either, as they were cumbrous and
heavy: she still had one, but she had
given the other away. some time be-
fore"
"Aye, and to whom?" asked May
thorne, eagerly.
ITO Alison Murdoch" replied
Sheila. giving us all swift, envelop-
ing glance. And of course, as soon
as l heard that, l saw through the
whole sordid business. Alison Muir
dOch was the guilty person! She had
murdered and robbed MazarOff; she
had dropped that brooch at Reiver's
den: she had thrown the will into the
library at the tower-the one fatal
mistake she made for her own chances
and l told my mother my
conclusions. And then l fetched ALI
son Murdoch in, and accused her
pointblank -
There was murmur that seemed to
denote a mixture of interest and of
admiration from the two policemen !;
Corkerdale, who sat twiddling his
thumbs and watching Sheila intently,
smiled broadly.
"You pumped her with it, miss?-
straight out! he exclaimed. yes
yes?"
straight out there and then," as
scented Sheila. 'But let me tell you
why-in addition to what I've already
told. During the last few minutes
of my talk with my mother I'd been
thinking, harder and quicker than I'd
ever thought in my life. Now, re-
membered something about Alison
Murdoch and about her family. AL
though my mother rarely mentioned
such matters to me, knew more about
Marrasdale and my fathers connec-
ton with it than she had any idea of
Il had picked up lot Of knowledge
and gossip from the old people round
about us. And knew that my father,
Andrew Merchison, was well known
in those parts before his marriage,
and that his people had been folk of
some consequence there. | knew, too,
that Alison Murdoch's family had been
there a long time, too, and that be-
tween it and my fathers people there
was q deadly enmity, arising out Of"
Land" interrupted Mr.. Elphin-
stone. Land The Merchison lot did
the Murdochs out of bit of land
some years ago. Piece of oppression
and chicanery-but it was done. Un-
forgiveable, of course-in the minds
of these Border people. Feud! Land
feud! Such things are remembered
for ever"
"They rankle," said Sheila. There
was blood shed over it at the time
a Merchison shot a Murdoch; though
not fatally. All that's we'll known
Mr.. Elphinstone knows all about it"
Countryside gossip to this day."
agreed Mr.. Elphinstone. There are
men and women there in Marrasdale
who remember it"
We'll" continued Sbeila, ''it struck
me that Alison Murdoch, who is a
silent, grim, reserved, determined
woman, probably not only remembered
it, but was the very sort of person,
who, if she got the chance of revenge,
would take it without hesitation.
figured it all out this way. Alison
Murdoch, when Mazaroff, who, of
course, was really Andrew Merchison,
came to the Woodcock, was helping
there: helping with the cooking and so
on. She saw him, and recognized
him. She no doubt got acquainted with
his habits and knew that he strolled
out on the moors, after dark. Now,
she didn't live at the Woodcock-she
way to Birnside. | came to the con-
clusion that having made up her mind
| to revenge the old fued on Andrew
| Merchison, she watched for her OPP
| portunity. On the night of the murder
| she saw him go out and take the path
| towards Reiver's den. She distracted
| Musgrave's gun from the parlor and
followed him-and shot him. And"
"a moment !" interrupted Maythorne.
He glanced at the two policemen.
| "Corkerdale and Manners will under
] stand the meaning of a question
want to put to you," he continued.
Its this-dOes this woman, Alison
Murdoch, at all resemble your mother,
Mrs. Elphinstone?"
"Very clOsely!' answered Sheila.
They're of the same height and build.
anyway-very similar in figure and not
at all unlike in general appearance"
"One could easily be mistaken for
the other in. the dark, eh?" asked May
thorne.
Il should say, very easily asserted
Sheila. 'In fact, l have so mistaken
them, myself"
Maythorne turned to the policemen.
"That accounts for what Eccleshare
and Parslave saw-or believed they
saw" he remarked in an undertOne.
"Eh?
Seems soto me-" answered Man
ners. "Yes-I should say it did,"
| COrkerdale, however, said nothing
he was still watching Sheila. "You
were saying, miss" he suggested.
"Well-I was going to say that that
seemed to me good ground for sus-
pecting her, taking other things into
consideration" continued Sheila. but
l had another ground. 1t was well
known-it had already got talked
about. He was careless about dis
playing his wealth. myself heard
as people do hear things in villages
that he left large sums of money and
even diamonds lying about on his
dining table. Now, knew that Alison
Murdoch is covetous, avaricious,
grasping woman; miserly to the last
degree. If she murdered Andrew
Merchison out of revenge, she was
just the sort of woman to rob his
dead body of everything on it out OF
sheer greed! She is, say that
-apt