THE FILIGREE BALL.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 52, 26 May 1910, Page 2

THE FILIGREE BALL.

(Copyright.)

BY ANNA KATHERINE GREEN,

luthor of "The Leavenworth Case."

PART 3.

. "I must go over at once,** Tie tr'cjd, leaping again to his feet and •'ooking about for bis hat. "It is xiy duty to make him feci at home; in short, to to put the house at '.heir disposal." Here he found his *at and placed it on hla head. "The property ia mine now, you know," V>o politely explained, turning, with i Keen jight in his gray eye, full up*>n me and overwhelming mo with the jinnd air of a man who has come vnexpoctodly into hi 3 own. "Mrs. ■Jenrey'ss father was my younger brother —the sit.ory Is an old and long mo—and the property, which in all •ustico should havo been divided between us, went entirely to him. But \e was a good fellow in the main \nd saw the injustice of his father's as clsnrly as I did, and years Igo made one On his own account bequeathing- me the whole estate in jaso ihe 10/t no issue, or that issue died. Veronica was his only >child; Veronica has died; therefore the-old house is mine and all that goes with % all that goes with It." There waa tbc miser's gloating in . this 'repetition of a phrase sufficiently expressive in itself, or rather tho gloating of a man who sees himself suddenly rich after a life of poverty. There was likewise a callousness as .rogarded his niece's surprising death which I considered myself to have nomo excuse for noticing. "You accept her death very calmly," I remarked. "Probably you knew her to bo possessed of an erratic mind."

He was about to bestow an admonitory kick on his dog, who had been indiscroet enough to rise at his master's first move, but his foot stopped in mid air, in his anxiety to concentrate all his attention on his answer.

"I am a man of few sentimentalities," ho coldly averred. "I have loved but one person in my whole

life. Why then should I be expecte'd

to mourn over a niece who did not care enough for mo to invite me to

her wedding? It would be an affecta-

tion unworthy the man who has at last come to fill his rightful position in this community as the owner of the great Moore estate. For great it

shall be," he emphatically continued. "Iu three years you will not know

the house over yonder. Despite its fancied ghosts and death-like fireplace, it will stand A Number One in Washington. I. David Moore, promIhu you this; and I am not a man to utter fatuous prophecies. But I must be missed over there." Here he 1 gav# the mastiff the long-delayed kick, "Rudge, stay here! The vostiLula opposite is icy. Besides, your t howls are riot wanted in those old walls to-night even if you would go with me, which I doubt. He has nev-

•r been willing to cross to that side of the street," the old gentleman went on to complain, with his first *how of irritation. "But he'll have lo overcome, that prejudice soon, evin if I have to tear up the old hearth-stone and reconstruct the walls. I can't live without Rudge, and I will not live in any other place than in the old home of my ancestors." I was by this time following him frut.

"You have failed to answer the juggestion I made you a minute Hince," I hazarded. "Will you pardon me i.f I put it now as a question? Your niece, Mrs. Jeffrey, seem*d to have everything in the world to make her happy, yet she took her life. Was thore a taint of insanity In her blood, or was her nature so impulsive that her astonishing death In so revolting a place should awaken in you so little wonder?" • A gleam of what had made him more or loss feared by the very urchins who dogged his steps and made jport of him at a respectful distance shot from his eye as he glowered

hack at me from tho open door. But "he hastily suppressed this sign of displeasure and replied with the faintest tinge of sarcasm: "There! you are expecting from Sie feelings which belong to youth or to men of much more hoart than understanding . I tell you that 1 have *o feelings. My niece may have developed insanity or she may simply iave drunk her cup of pleasure dry jit twenty-two and come to its dregs prematurely. I do not know and I Jo not care. What concerns me is that the responsibility of a large fortune has fallen upon me most un-

expectedly and that I have pride enough to wish to show myself cap r 'able of sustaining the-burden. Besides, they may be tempted to do tome mischief to the walls or floors »ver there. The police respect no

man's property. But lam determin-j «d they shall respect mine. No rip- ( pings up or tearings down will I allow unless I stand by to supervise, the Job. I am master of the old homestead now and I mean to show 5t." And with a last glance at the [ dog, who uttered the most mournful of protests in reply, he shut the j front door and betook himself to the pther side of the street. ! i As I noticed his assured bearing as | lie disappeared within the forbidding *ortal which, according to his own j Story, had for so long" a time been %hut against him, I asked myself if &he candle which I had noticed lying j on his mantel-shelf was of the same . make and size as those I had found •In my late investigations in the Jmum he was then entering.

CHAPTER VI.

Xert morning the city was In a fc!a*e of excitement. All the burning queoiionf of the hour—the rapid mobjUzatloa of the army and the prosit of a epeedy advance on Cuba were forgotten in the one engrossing JopAr af F*o»€ "ra. Jeffrey's death »«4 tha awful clrcumatancee •urwm«Hi| it. Nothing elae waa in »•? owt'e aaouth and but little elae (h'mT «m'i hart. Her youth, he* in mpiaanrn, her uaten with a ana of **>» m+rk*4 aiimrtleaa aa Mr. Jel**t, tM trmaWy ww»-tad wWI hat a»«rr«aff«. tb«,w» w» lata eaufe* ty «»• •nan «n**» tengaO «<h»rh n*d •• tawWhaafcerf hat •^•.^: : f*' # !•/•» *** ••

interest which for those nrst twenty lour hours did not call for any fur- \ ther heightening by a premature suggestion of murder. | Though I was the hero of the houi and, as such, subjected to an infinit« number of questions, I followed the lead of my superiors in this regard and carefully refrained from advancing my theories beyond the obvious one of suicide. The moment for selfexploitation was not ripe; I did not stand high enough in the confidence of the major, or, I may say, of th« lieutenant of my own precinct, to risk the triumph I anticipated ultimately by a premature expression of opinion. I had an enemy at headquarters ; or, rather, one of the men there had 1 , always appeared peculiarly intcrest- ' ed in showing mo up in the worst "light. The name of this man was I Durbin, and it. was he who had uttered something like a slighting remark I when on that first night I endeavorI ed to call the captain's attention to j some of the small matters which had offered themselves to me in the light of clues. Perhaps it was the prospect of surprising him some day which made me so wary now as well as so alert to fill my mind with all known facts concerning the Jeffreys. I One of my first acts was to turn ovler the files of the Star and reread i the following account of the great I wedding. As it is a sensational dc-: I scription of a sensational event, I ! shall make no apology for the headlines which startled all Washington th» night they appeared, •STARTLING TERMINATION OF THE FEFFREY-MOORE WEDDING. THE TRADITIONAL DOOM FOLLOWS T*IE OPENING OF THE OLD HOUSE ON j WAVERLEY AVENUE. ..__—... — , , m '-4MHIW { I ONE OF THE GUESTS FOUND LYING DEAD ON THE LIBRARY HEARTHSTONE. LETTERS IN HIS POCKET SHOW HIM TO HAVB BEEN ONE W. PFEIFFER, OF DENVER. NO INTERRUPTION TO THE CEREMONY FOLLOWS THE GHASTLY DISCOVERY. "The festivities attendant upon the | wedding of Miss Veronica Moore to i Mr. Francis Jeffrey of this city met j with a startling check to-day. As most of our readers know, the long- j closed house oo Waverley Avenue, which for nearly a century has been in possession of the bride's family, was opened for the occasion at the [ express wish of the bride. For a | week the preparations for this great function have been going on. When j at an early hour this morning a line of carriages drew up in front of the : historic, mansion and the bridal par- j ty entered under its once gloomy but now seemingly ' triumphant portal, the crowds, which blocked the streets ! from curb to curb, testified to tho | interest felt by the citizens of Washington in this daring attempt to j brave the traditions which have marked this house out as solitary, I and by a scone of joyous festivity I make the past forgotten and rcstoro again to usefulness the decayed gran- ! deurs of an earlier time. As Miss : Moore is one of Washington's iharming women, and as this romantic effort naturally lent an extraord- i inary interest to the ceremony of her marriage, a large number of our representative people assembled to witness it, and by high noon tho j scene was one of unusual brilliancy. "Halls which had moldered away in an unbroken silence for years echoed again with laughter and palpitated to tho choicest strains of tho Marine Band. All doors were open save those of tho library—an exception which added a pleasing excitement to , the occasion—and when by chance , some of the more youthful guests | wore caught peering behind the two Corinthian pillars guarding these j forbidden precincts the ''memories thus evoked were momentary and tho shadow soon passed.

"The wedding had been set for high noon, and as the clock in the drawing-room struck the hour every head was craned to catch the first glimpse of the bride coming down the old-fashioned staircase. But five minutes, ten minutes, a half-hour, passed without this expectation being gratified. The crowd above and below was growing restless, when suddenly a cry was heard from beyond the gilded pillars framing the library door, an;l»a young lady was seen rushing from the forbidden quarter, trembling with dismay and white with horror. It was Miss Abbott of Stratford Circle, who in tho interim of waiting had allowed her curiosity to master her dread, and by one peep into the room, which seemed to exercise over her the fascination of a Bluebeard's chamber, discovered the outstretched form of a man lying senseless and apparently dead on the edge of the heartstone. The terror which instantly spread amongst tho guests shows the hold which superstition has upon all classes of humanity. Happily, howover, an unseemly panic was averted, by the necessity which all felt of preserving some sort of aomposuro till the ceremony for which they had assembled had been performed. For simultaneously with this discovery of death in the library there had come from above the sound of the approaching bridal procession, and cries were hushed, and beating hearts restrained, as Miss Moore's charming face and exquisite figure appeared between the rows of flowering plants with which the staircase was lined. No need for the murmur to go about, 'Spare tho bride! Let nothing but cheer surround her till she is Jeffrey's wife!' The look of joy which irradiated her countenance, and gave a fairy-like aspect to her whole exquisite person would have deterred the most careless and self-centered person there from casting a shadow across her pathway one minute sooner than necessity demanded. The richness, of the ancestral veil which covered her features and the natural timidity which prevents a bride from lifting her eyes from the floor she traverses saved her from observing the strange looks by which her presence was hailed. She was consequently enabled to go through the ceremony . in happy unconsciousness : of the forced restraint which held that surging mass together. "But the bridesmaids were not so happy. Miss Tuttle especially held heraelf upright simply by the. exercise of her will; and though resplendent in beauty, euflhrod eo much in her aaxfcty for the brJfle that it w*e a tastier of «n**« ewrpriae wh*>n »He taivUMl at tha ce***n«*B«i «»* t*" ? * r *" oon*.

"Mr. Jeffrey showed more composure, but the inward excitement under, which he was laboring made him trip more than once in his responses, as many there noted whose minds not fixed too strongly on flight. "Only Doctor Auchincloss was quite himself, and by means of the solemnity with which he invested his words kept the hubbub down, which was already making itself heard on the outskirts of the crowd. But even his influence did not prevail beyond the moment devoted to the benediction. Once the sacred words were said, such a stampede followed that the bride showed much alarm, and it her the cause of this astonishing conwas left for Mr. Jeffrey to explain to duct on the part of her guests. She bore the disclosure well, all things considered, and once she was fully assured that the unhappy man whose sudden death had thus interrupted the festivities was an intruder on the scene, and quite unknown, not only 'to herself but to her newlymade husband, she brightened perceptibly, though, like every one around her, she seemed anxious to leave the house, and, indeed, did "so as sopn as Miss Tuttle's condition warranted it.

"The fact that the bride went through the ceremony without ht-r bridal bouquet is looked upon by many as an unfavorable omen. In her anxiety not to impose any longer upon the patience of her guests, she had descended without it. "As to the deceased, but little is known of him. Letters found on his person prove his name to be W. Pfeiffer, and his residence Denver. His presence in Miss Moore's house at a time so inopportune is unexplained. No such name is on the list of wedding guests, nor was he recognized as one of Miss Moore's friends either by Mr. Jeffrey or by such of her relatives and acquaintances lis had the courage to onter the library to see him. "With the exception of the discolored mark on his temple, showing where his head had come in contact with the hearthstone, his body presents an appearance of natural robustness, which makes his sudden end seem all the more shocking. "His name has been found registered at the National Hotel." Turning over the files, I next came upon the following despatch from Denver:

"The sudden death in Washington of Wallace Pfeiffer, one of our best known and most respected citizens, is deeply deplored by all who knew him and his unfortunate mother. He is the last of her three sons, all of whom have died within the year. The demise of Wallace leaves her entirely unprovided for. It was not known that Mr. Pfeiffer intended to visit Washington. He was supposed to go in quite the opposite direction, having said to more than one that he had business in San Francesco. His intrusion into the house of Miss Moore during the celebration of a marriage in which ho could have taken no personal interest is explainDd in the following inannqr by such Ets knew his mental peculiarities : Though a merchant by trade and latterly a miner in the Klondike, ho had great interest in the occult and was a strong believer in all kinds of supernatural manifestations, lie may have heard of the unhappy reputation attaching to the Moore house in Washington and, fascinated by the mystery involved, embraced the opportunity afforded by open doors and the general confusuon incident to bo large a gathering to enter the interesting old place and investigate for himself the fatal library. The fact of his having been found secluded in this very room, at a*moment when every other person in the house was pushing forward to see tho bride,, lends color to this supposition; and his suddeo death under circumstances tending to rouse the imagination shows the extreme sensitiveness of his nature. "He will be buried here."

The next paragraph was short. Fresher events were already crowding this three-days-old wonder to the wall.

"Verdict in the case of Wallace Pfeiffer, found lying dead on the hearthstone of the old Moore house library. "Concussion of the brain, preceded by mental shock or heart failure. "Tho body went on to Denver today." And below, separated by the narrowest of. spaces: "Mr. and Mrs. Francis Jeffrey have decided to give up the wedding tour and spend their honeymoon in Washington. They will occupy the Ransome house on K Street." The last paragraph brought me back to the question then troubling my mind. Was it in the household of this newly married pair and in tho possible secret passions underlying their union that one should look for the cause of the murderous crime I secretly imagined to be hidden behind this seeming suicide? Or were these parties innocent and old David Moore tho one motive power in precipitating a tragedy, the result of which had been to enrich him and impoverish them? Certainly, a most serious and important question, and one which any man might be pardoned for attempting to answer, especially if that man was a young detective lamenting his obscurity and dreaming of a recognition which would yield him fame and the whore-1 withal to marry a certain clever butj mischievous little minx of whom you] are destined to hear more. !

But how was that same young detective, hampered as he was, and hold in thrall by a fear of ridicule and a total lack of record, to get the chance to push an inquiry requiring opportmiities which could only come by special favor? This was what I continually asked myself, and always without result. True, 1 might approach the captain or the major with my story o/ the tell-tale marks I had discovered in the dust covering the southwest chamber mantel-sheM, and, if fortunate enough to find that these had been passed over by the other detectives, seek to gain a hearing thereby and secure for myself the privileges I so earnestly desired. But my egotism was such that I wished to be sure of the hand which had made these marks before I parted with a secret which, once told, would make or mar me. Yet to obtain the slight concession of an interview with any of the principals connected with this crimo would be difficult without the aid of one or both of my superiors. Even to enter the house again where but a few hours before I had made myself so thoroughly at home would require a certain amount of pluck; for Durbin had been installed there, mad Dart»tt "«»%• &JZ»*Jjb-dQg, whose

bite as well as his bark I regarded with considerable respect. Yet into that house I must sooner or later go', if only to determine whether or not I had been alone in my recognition of certain clues pointing plainly toward murder. Should I trust my lucky star and remain for the nonce quiescent? This seemed a wise suggestion and I decided to adopt it, comforting myself with the thought that if after a day or two of modest waiting I failed in obtaining what I wished, I could then appeal to the lioutenant of my own precinct. He, I had sometimes felt assured, did not regard me with an altogether unfavorable eye. Meantime I spent all my avail-

able time in loitering around newspaper offices and picking up such

stray bits of gossip as were offered. As no question had yet been raised of any more serious crime than suicide, these mostly related to the idiosyncrasies of the Moore family and the solitary position into which Hiss Tuttle had been plunged by this sudden death of her only relative. As this beautiful and distinguished young woman had been and still was a great belle in her special circle, her present homeless, if not penniless, position led to many, surmises. Would she marry, and. if so, to which of tho many wealthy or prominent men who had openly courted her would she accord her

hand? In the present egotistic state

of my mind I secretly flattered myself that I was right in concluding

that she would say yr>s to no man's entreaty till a certain newly-made widower's year of nidurning had expired. But this opinion received some-

thing of a check when in a quiet talk

with a reporter I learned lhat it was openly stated by those who had courage to speak that the tie which had certainly existed at one time between Mr. Jeffrey and the handsome Miss Tuttle had been entirely of her own weaving, and that the person of Veronica Moore, rather than the large income she commanded, had been the attractive power which had led him away from the older sister. This seemed improbable; for the charms of tho poor little bride were not to be compared with those of her maturer sister. Yet, as we all know, there are other attractions than those offered by beauty. I have since heard it broadly stated that the peculiar twitch of the lip observable in all the Moores had proved an irresistible charm in the unfortunate Yero'nica, making her a radiant image when she laughed. This was by no means a rare occurrence, so they said, before the fanay took her to be married in tho ill-starred homo of her ancestors.

Tho few lines of attempted explanation which she had left behind for her husband seemed to impose on no one. To those who knew the young couple well it was an open proof of her insanity; to those who knew them' slightly, as well as to the public at large, it was a woman's way of expressing the disappointment she felt in her husband.

That I might the more readily determine which of these two theories had the firmest basis in fact, I took advantage of an afternoon off and slipped away to Alexandria, where, I had been told, Jeffrey had courted his bride. • I -wariteH a taste of local gossip, you see, and I got it. The air was fully charged with it, and being careful not to rouse antagonism by announcing myself a detective, I readily picked up many small facts. Brought into shape and arranged in the form of a narrative, the result was as follows* John Judson Moore, tho father of Veronica, had fewer oddities than the other members of this eccentric family. It was thought, however, that he had shown some strain of the peculiar independence of his race when, in selecting a wife, he let his choice fall on a widow who was not only incumbered with a child, but who was generally regarded as the plainest woman in Virginia—he who might haye had the pick of Southern beaufry] But when in the course of time this despised woman proved to be the possessor of those virtues and social graces which eminently fitted her to conduct the large establishment of which she had been made mistress, ho was forgiven his lack of taste. Little more was said of his peculiarities until, his wife having died and his child proved weakly,, he made the will in his brother's favor which has since given that gentleman such deep satisfaction. Why this proceeding should have been so displeasing to their friends report says not; but that it was so, Is evident from tho fact that great rejoicing took place on all sides when Veronica suddenly developed into a healthy child and the probability of David Moore's inheriting the coveted estate decreased to a minimum. It was not a long rejoicing, however, for John Judson followed his wife to the grave before Veronica had reached her tenth year, leaving her and her half-sister, Cora, to the guardianship of a crabbed old bachelor who had been his father's lawyer. This lawyer was morose and peevish, but he was never positively unkind. For two years the sisters seemed happy enough when, suddenly and somewhat peremptorily, they were separated, Veronica being sent to a western school, where she remained, seemingly without a single visit east, till she was seventeen. During this long absence Miss Tuttle resided in Washington, developing under i masters into an accomplished wo- | man. Veronica's guardian, severe in his treatment of the youthful owner of the fortune of which he had been made sole executor, was unex- j pectedly generous to the penniless sister, hopinh, perhaps, in his close, peevish old heart, that the charms and acquired graces of this lovely woman would soon win for her a husband in tho brilliant set in which she naturally found herself.. But j Cora Tuttle was not easy to please, j and the first men of Washington . came and went before her eyes without awakening in her any special in- j terest till she met Francis Jeffrey, who stole her heart with a look.

Those who remember her that winter say that under his influence sha developed from a" handsome woman into a lovely one. Vet no engagement was announced, and society was wondering what held Francis Jeffrey back from so great a prize, when Veronica Moore came home, and the question was forever answered.

Veronica was now nearly eighteen, and during her absence had bloomed into womanhood. She was not as beautiful as her but she had a bright and / pledsing expression with enough in her temperament to rob her girUftb features pj

insipidity and make her conversation witty, if not brilliant. Yet when Francis Jeffrey turned his attentions from Miss Tuttle and fixed them without reserve, or seeming shame, upon this pretty butterfly, but one term could be found to characterize the proceeding, and that was, for-tune-hunting. Of small but settled income, he had hitherto shown a certain contentment with his condition calculated to inspire respect and make his attentions to Miss Tuttle seem both consistent and appropriate. But no sooner did Veronica's bright eyes appear than he fell at the young heiress' feet and pressed his suit so close and fast that in two months they were engaged and at the end of the half-year, married—with the disastrous consequences just made known.

So much for the general gossip of the town. Now for the special.

A certain gentleman, whom it is unnecessary to name, had been present at one critical instant in the lives of these three persons. He was not a scandal-monger, and if everything had gone on happily—if Veronica had lived and Cora settled down into matrimony—he would never have mentioned what he heard and saw one night in the great drawing-room of a hotel in Atlantic City.

it was at the time when the engagement was first announced betwi'i'i Jeffrey and the young heiress. This and his previous attentions to Cora had made much talk, both in Washington and elsewhere, and there .were not lacking those who had openly twitted him for his seeming inconstantcy. This had been over 1h « cuns of course, and Jeffrey had borne it well enough from his socalled friends and intimates. But , when, on a certain evening in the ' parlor of one of the large hotels in : Atlantic City, a fellow whom nobody knew and nobody liked accused him of knowing on which side his bread was buttered, and that ccrI tninly it was not on the side of beauty and superior attainments, Jeffrey got angry. Heedless of who might be within hearing, he spoke up very plainly in these words: "You are all of a kind, rank money-wor-shipers and self-seekers, or you would not be so ready to see greed in my admiration for Miss Moore. Disagreeable as I find it to air my sentiments in this public manner, yet since you provoke me to it, I will say once and for all, that I am deeply in love with Miss Moore, and that it is for this reason only I am going to marry her, Were she the penniless girl her sister is, and Miss Tuttle the proud possessor of the wealth which, in your eyes, confers such distinction upon Miss Moore, you would still see me at the hitter's feet, and at hers only. Miss Tuttle's charms are not potent enough to hold the heart which has once been fixed by her sister's smile." This was pointed enough, certainly, but when at the conclusion of his words a tall figure rose from a near corner and Cora Tuttle passed the amazed group with a bow, I dare warrant that not one of the men composing it but wished himself a hundred miles away.

Jeffrey himself was chagrined, and made a move to follow the woman he had so publicly scorned, but the look, she cast back at him was one to remember, and he hesitated. What was there left for him to say, or even do? The avowal had been made in all its bald frankness and nothing could aler it. As for her, she behaved beautifully, and by no word or look, so far as the world know, ever showed that her woman's pride, if not her heart, had been cut to the quick, by the one man she- adored.

With this incident filling my mind, I returned to Washington. I had acquainted myself with the open facts of this family's history; but what of its inner life? Who knew it? Did any one? Even.the man who confided to me the contretemps in the hotel parlor could not be sure what underlay Mr. Jeffrey's warm advocacy of the woman he had elected to marry. He could not even be certain that he had really understood the feeling shown by Cora Tuttle when she heard the man, who had once lavished attentions on her, express in this public manner a preference for her sister. A woman has greater aptness In concealing a mortal hurt, and, from what I had seen of this one, I thought it highly improbable that all was quiet in her passionate breast because she had turned an impassive front to the world. I was becoming confused In the maze of my own imaginings. To escape the results of this confusion, I determined to drop theory'and confine myself to facts. And thus passed the first few days succeeding the tragic discovery in the Moore house. CHAPTER VII. i The next morning my duty led mo , directly in the way of that little ' friend of mine whom I have already mentioned. It is strange how often my duty did lead me in her way. i

She is a demure little creature, with wits as bright as her eyes, which is saying a great deal; and while, in the course of our long friendship, I had admired, without making use of the special abilities I saw in her, I felt that the time had

now come when they might prove of inestimable value to me.

Greeting her with pardonable abruptness, 1 expressed my wishes in these possibly alarming words: "Jinny, you can do something for me. Find out —I know you can, and that, too, without arousing suspicion or compromising either of us—whore Mr. Moore, of Waverly Avenue, buys his groceries, and when you have done that, whether or not he has lately resupplied himself with candles." I The surprise which she showed had a touch of naivete in it which was very encouraging. "Mr Moore?" she cried, "the uncle of her who—who—" "The very same," I responded, and waited for her questions without adding a single word in any way of eoxplanation. She gave me a look—oh, what a look! It was as encouraging to the detective as it was welcome to the lover: after which she nodded, once in doubt, once in question and once in frank and laughing consent, and darted off. I thanked Providence for such a self-contained little aide-de-camp and proceeded on my way, in a state of. great self-satisfaction. An hour later I came upon her again. It is really extraordinary how frequently the paths of some people cross.

"Well?" I asked. "Mr Moore de»ls with Simpkins,

just two blocks away from his nouse; and only a week ago he bought some candles there." I rewarded her with a smile which summoned into view the most exasperating of dimples.

"You had better patronize Simpkins yourself for a little while," I suggested; and by the arch glance with which my words were received, T perceived that my meaning was fully understood. Experiencing from this moment an increased confidence, not only in the powers of my little friend, but in the line of investigation thus happily

established, I cast about for means of settling the one great question which was a necessary preliminary to all future action: Whether the

! marks detected by me in the dust of i the mantel in the sothwest chamber had been made by the hand of him ; who had lately felt the need of can- • dies, albeit his house appeared to be ! fully lighted by gas? j The subterfuge by which, notwithstanding my many disadvantages, I wus finally enabled to obtain an unmistakable answer to this query was the fruit of much thought. Perhaps I was too proud of it. Perhaps I should have mistrusted myself more from the start. But I was a great egotist in those days, and reckoned I quite above their inherent worth any bright ideas which I could safely call my own. j The point aimed at was this: to obtain* without Mr. Moore's knowledge an accurate impression of his finger-tips. I The task presented difficulties, but these served only to increase my ardor. Confiding to the lieutenant of the pre j! net my great interest in the mysterious house with whose suggestive interior I had made myself acquainted under such tragic circumstances, I asked him as a personal favor to obtain for me an opportunity of spending anothor night there. He was evidently surprised by the request, not cherishing, as I suppose, any great longings himself in this direction; but recognizing that for some reason I sot great store on this questionable privilege—l do not think that he suspected in the least what that reason was—and being, as I have intimated, favorably disposed to me, he exerted himself to such good effect that I was formally detailed to assist in keeping watch over the premises that very night. I think that it was at this point I began to reckon on the success which, after many failures and some mischances, was yet to reward my efforts.

As I prepared to enter the old house at night-fall, I allowed myself one short glance across the way to see if my approach had been observed by the man whose secret, if secret he had, I was laying plans to surprise. I was met by a sight I had not expected. Pausing on the pavement in front of me stood a handsome elderly gentleman whose appearance was so fashionable and thoroughly up to date, that I should have failed to recognize him if my glance had not taken in at the same instant the figure of Rudge crouching obstinately on the edge of the curb where he had evidently posted himself in distinct refusal to come any farther. In vain his master for tho m»U-x*£e3jg3 P man before me was no less a personage than the whilom butt of all the boys between the Capitol and the Treasury building, signaled and commanded him to cross to his side; nothing could induce tho mastiff to budge from that quarter of the street where he felt himself safe.

Mr. Moore,, glorying in the prospect of unlimited wealth, presented a startling contrast in more ways than one to the poverty-stricken old man whose curious garb and lonely habits had made him an object of ridicule to half tho town. I own that I was half amused and half awed by the condescending bow with which he greeted my offhand nod nr.d the affable way in which ho remarked:

"You are making uso of your prerogatives as a member of the police, I see."

Tho words came as easily from h»s lips as if his practice in affability had been of the very longest. . "I wonder how the old place enjoys its present distinction," hs went on, running his eye over th* dilapidated walls under yshich we stood, with very evident pride in their vast proportions and the air of gloomy grandeur which signalled them. "If it partakes in the slightest degree of the feelings of its owner, I can vouch for its impatience at the free use which is made of its time-worn rooms and halls. Aro these intrusions necessary? Now that Mrs. Jeffrey's body has been removed, do you feci that the scene of her demise need hold tho attention of th« police any longer?" "That is a question to put to the superintendent and not to me," was my deprecatory reply. "Tho major has issued no orders for the watch to be taken off, so we men have no choice. I am sorry if it offendsr you. Doubtless a few days w;ll end the matter and tho keys w>il be given into your hand. I suppose you %re anxious to move in?"

He cast a glance behind him at h'» dog, gave a whistle which passed unheeded, and replied with digm'y, if but little heart:

"When a man has passed his seventh decade he is not apt to bo so patient with delay as when he has a prospect of many years before him. I am anxious to enter my own house, yes; I have much to do there." I came very near asking him what, but feared to seem too familiar, in case he was the cold but upright man he would fain appear, and too interested and inquiring if he were the whited sepulcher I secretly considered him. So with a nod a tri'fle more pronounced than if I had been unaffected by either hypothesis, I remounted the steps, carelessly re« marking:

"I'll soo you again after taking a turn through the house. If I discover anything—ghost marks or human marks which might be of interest to you—l'll let you know."

Something like a growl answered me. But whether rt came from master or dog, I did not stop to inquire. I had serious work before me; very serious, considering that it was to be done on my own responsibility and without the knowledge of my superiors. But I was sustained by the thought that no whisper of murder had as yet.been heard abroad or At headquarters, and that consequently I was interfering in no great case; merely trying to formulate one. It was necessary, for the success of my plan, that some time should elappe before T reapproached Mr. Moorat I therefore kept my word to

him and satisfied my own curiosity by taking a fresh tour through the house. Naturally, in doing mis, J visited the library. Here all wai dark. The faint, twilight still illuminating the streets failed to penetrate here. I was obliged to light tny lantern. My first glance was toward the ftreplace. Venturesome hands had been there. Not only had the fender been drawn out and the grate set aside, but the huge settle had been wrenched free from the mantel and dragged into the center of the room. Rathei pleased at this change, for with al! my apparent bravado l did not enjoy too close a proximity to tho cruel hearthstone, 1 stopped to give this settle a thorough investigation. The result was disappointing. To all appearance—and 1 did not spare it the experiment of many a thump and knock—it was a perfectly innocuous piece of furniture, clumsy of build, but solid and absolutely devoid of anything that could explain the tragedies which had occurred so near it. I oven sat down 'on its musty old cushion and shut my eyes, but was unrewarded by alarm' ing visions, or disturbance of anj sort. Nor did the floor where it had stood yield any better results to tha inquiring eye. Nothing was to bf seen there but the marks left by the removal of its base from the blackened boards.

Disgusted with myself, if not with this object of my present disappointment, I left that portion of the room in which it stood and crossed to where I had found tho little table on the night of Mrs. Jeffrey's death. It was no longer there. It had been set back against the wall where it properly belonged, and the candelabrum removed. Nor was the kitchen chair any longer to be seen near the book shelves. This fact, small as it was, caused me an instant of chagrin. I had intended to look again at the book which I had examined with such unsatisfactory results tho time before. A glance showed me that this book had been pushed back level with the others; but I remembered its title, and, had the means of reaching it" been at hand, I should certainly have stolen another peep at it.

Upstairs I found the same signs of police interference. 6 The shutter had been fastened in the southwest room, and the bouquet and wrap taken away from the bed. Tho handkerchief, also, was missing from tho mantel where I had left it, and when I opened the closet door, it was to find the floor bare and the second candelabrum and candle removed. "All gone," thought I; "each and every clue." But I was mistaken. In another moment I came upon the minute filings I had before observed scattered over a small stand. Concluding from this that they had been passed over by Durbin and his associates aa valueless, I swept them, together with the dust in which they lay, into an old envelope I happily found in my pocket. Then I crossed to tb* mantel and made a close inspection of its now empty shelf. The scratches which I had made there were visible enough, but the impressions for which they stood- had vanished in the handling which everything ia the

with great thankfulness th« renult of my own foresight, I made haste to leave tho room: I then proceeded to take my first steps in the ticklish experiment by which I hoped to determine whether* Uncle David had had any share in the fatal business which had rendered the two rooms I had just visited so memorable. First, satisfying myself by a p**p through the front drawing-room window that ho was positively at watcli behind thn vln«s, I went dirotly'to the -kitchen, procured a ch»ir and carried it into the library, wh>rr» 1 put it to a <i. t <* that, to an onJoolv w'.i eye, would have appeared wry peculiar. Plating it pquareJy on the hcoitnstoue.—not. "without t«omo ' s«rroi perturbation as to what th« ' remit* might to to myself,—l mount* I ed it and took down th* engraving which 1 hmo already deeterilwl aa j hanging over this manteipiw. I Setting it on end agnirst o*a ei [ tho jani.'-f; of the fireplace, 1 mounted I the chair once more and tr. rurally j sifted ovor the high sholf Ut* coo- | tents ol a littJo package tphich 1 had : brought wl'.h me lor tJ:i3 pur;.osc>. ! Ti,;n, leaving the chair \tfc<ra ;t j was,l lwtook myself out of the front door, ufi'.eotauousty wtopptag to lock it and to put tho key in my pocl<et. Crossing immediately to Mr. Moore's side of too btr.-wt, I cr.c metered him as I I<»d (impacted to do, at his own gateway. "Wei'., what n-w?" ho inquired, .with tho same exaggerated courtfcsj I had noticed in hi in on a previous occasion. "You have tho air of < man bringing nous. Has anything fresh happened in fie old house.''' I assunwi a frankness which seemed to impose on him. "Do you know," I informed him, "I have a wonderful interest in that old hearthstone: of rrther in thi seemingly innocent engraving hanging ovor it, of Benjamin >\'Anklin at the Court of Franco. I t«li you f''«nLly that I had no id<?« o' what vould be found behind Lfc« l)k,tLr»-'' rro be Continued.) 1194.