Year: 1879

When the police constable told all
these things to the farmer, neither knew
Ruth was listening. Poor child, she
had recognized the button in moment.
1t was one of the set she herself had
given David.


But she never for moment believed
him guilty. There was some mystery,
and beyond that she would not CO.
She neither tainted nor lost her presence
of mind. She knew it was no time for
sentiment. Her conscience told her she
must be up and doing.


Let us go to him." she heard her
father say. "Perhaps he has done it for
a joke, Summers. We will suppose he
did it in fun and, if he gives US the
notes back, no harm will be done. Let
us go to him."


Summers nodded; and after putting
the waistcoat and boots in a cupboard,
the two men started for the Cousins
farm.


There was no time to be lost - that
Ruth knew. She went to the cupboard,
took out the accusing articles of cloth
ing, and pondered.


Now this is certain-that in habits of
watchfulness of small things women are
far more accurate than men.


Ina moment Ruth Hartley thought,
as she examined the waistcoat


"If the button was torn off when the
thief was climbing in at the window,
how did it happen that it came from
almost from under the collar of the
waistcoat ?''


She examined the thread that had
fastened the button to the cloth, and
she found that it had not loosened, but
that the different stitches had all been
broken through, so that great force must
have been used. 1t had not dropped off,
it had been torn away and yet the waist
coat showed no sign of having been in
jured.


Then she went out and compared the
footprints in the front and back gar
den.


She saw that the distance between the
footsteps in the front garden was greater
than that between the marks in the
ground at the back of the house, while
the prints farthest apart were deepest.


So she reached this conclusion:


"There is no doubt that the same
boots made the marks in both the front
and back garden, but they must have
been worn by different persons. He who
made the marks in the back ground"
(those effected by the burglary being
the lighter man, so the less depression of
the ground and the shorter man, hence
the shorter distance between the foot
steps in the back ground"


In moment she knew she had a clue
= his cousin Josiah, who was both
lighter in weight and shorter than
David.


In mere second she was morally con-
WINGED that Josiah Thomas had torn the
button from the waistcoat in question
to clench the accusation of the boot.
marks.


But what could be his motive? He
was evidently attached to his relative
and while nothing was to be gained by
the act of treachery, much was to be
lost, while his own name would be in.
volved in shame.


How could she accuse him /? He
was equally respected with the Other
cousin, and it was against the elder
the condemnatory proofs were to bt
found.


His motive - what could be his mo
tive!


Again, how bring his guilt home by
signs as palpable as those which menac
ed the other?


1t is astonishing how a woman will
banker after the hidden when it effects
her happiness. She could only breath,
easily when she stood at the open win
dow, by means of which entrance to the
house had been effected.


Pondering, watching, listening, ma
n9uvering-and suddenly success.


There was, in the window, box o
mignonette-her planting-and which
she had made the more pretty by tip
ping, between the, sprigs of swee
scented flowers, with layer of yellow
powdered bog turf, much used in tina
district as fuel.


Then, in moment, she found NOR
condemnatory proofs against tn
youngest cousin than had, so far, beer
brought against the elder.


There was the mark of resting