LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2633, 14 September 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A FLASK OF TEA: A DETECTIVE'S

STORY.

(Concluded,)

There wa3 no answer. Maria Bobbed quietly for aome moments, and, indeed, I was not sure that she had heard all I said. Then a new thought struok tie, and I added rather abruptly—'D-> you know atiy'hiag of a woman, old and sallow skinned, -called Jane Jeffrey T ' A swift, scared look of mute surprise and wonder was ber answer. I had seen such a look hundreds off times before on other faces, guilty and innocent, and to me it seemed to say, • What a wonderful man you are 5 how cunning and deep-searching ; you seam to know everything! * * I see you do know the woman,' I gently continued;; ' have you any objection to admit that you employed her to procure the poison-P ' ' I won't admit that. I won't, though I should be hanged and burnt alive for it!' ehe vehemently answered ; ' I can't admit a lie. But I'll tell the truth ; yes, I deserve to be exposed and laughed at for my silliness; Til tell you the truth.* But the moment these promising words were out of her mouth she started and drow baok.

' I forgot about that!' she slowly artioulated, speaking more to herself than to me ; ' no, I cannot, dare not tell'! lam bound to it.'

'By some foolish promise, or perhaps a wicked oath ! ' I suggested, acutely enough, as it turned out, < if there is another worse

than you whom that oath screons or protects, oast it aside without a thought. The crime is a diabolical one, and does not deserve to go unpunished." ' You are right. I have thought that ever sinoe it happened, but oould not think of any way of telling the truth without damning my own soul to all eternity, as these were the words I used with my hands on the Bible, when I promised to keep the seoret.' 1 1 dare say. I have heard of such blasphemy before,' I shortly answered. ' But Harry was good and kind, and did not deserve to suffer as he has done,' she pursued with her eyes now flashing fiercely and her cheeks glowing with indignation, ' yes, it was a oruel and deliberate plot to torture or kill him, and it must be right to expose it, even though I suffer for it for ever.' ' I don't know how it began that I took asore notice of Harry than of other men,' ehe purtued, after a pause to think, and blushing painfully as ehe did so, ' I think it was after him one day saying before all In the workshop, while scolding one of the workers for dirtiness, "I tell you MarU Lees is the tidiest girl in the mill. Take a look at her, and then at yourself, you dirty trollop.'' I had never thought of him before as anything but our foreman, or of any man as a sweetheart, my aunt is so striot with me, and would have lifted the poker or a stick to my baok If I had even hinted at suoh a thing. But, somehow after that, I began to think of him more than anybody, and to notice how handsome he It, and how kind to them that do well; and then, when our annual trip came off he happened to aik me out into the ring—me, and nobody else when they were playing'jing-a-rlng, and after he kissed me I oould not get him out of my head. I used to dream of him night and day, and to watoh him when he did not know, but all the time he never onoe spoke to me or looked at me, but to direct me like an ordinary worker. And although I knew he didn't care for me, or think of me or look at me, I got to be so wrapped up in him that I could not bear to see him laughing or joking, or larking with any of the girla In the mill. It was that fueling that first let me know that I was in love with him ; and I was as angry with my se.f at the discovery as if I had committed a crime.' ' And all that time he never spoke to you of love, or looked at you, or even flirted with you ?' I interposed, with deep interest in the simple and truthful heart-record being opened out so unreservedly before my eyes.

' Never, never; and I see what you are hinting at,' ahe quickly replied ; ' bat though he had, and had then quarrelled with me or cast me off, I could never have thought of doing him an iojary. No, though he had killed me, or tried it, I should have loved him just aa strong aa ever. I couldn't help it. Well, after dreaming through long, long months about bim, it came near St Valentine's day, and I saw a number of the glrla getting ready valentines to send to him. I thought it would be ao nice to see him wearing something I had made, and I got worsted and knitted him a pair of soft woollen mittens. I was very particular to da them well, and as I couldn't do them when any one saw me, I sat up in the night. 'J hey were very pretty, with his name worked in red ; but they're up in that little box, for I nev r had courage to send them. A strange trembling oame over me whenever I tried to put them up, and I was sure that the next time he looked in my faoe he would see me turn red, and guess who had sent the mittens, ao I thought best to put them away. I bonght a valentine too , but the word "love" was on it, and it seemed so to burn In my heart th*t I put it Into the fire and never thought of another Sometimes, when our eyes met in the mill, I trembled so that I thought I would drop, and was always In a dreadial fear less he should guess that I oared for him, and tried to avoid looking ai him, or speaking to him, or appearing to notice that he was in the place. But about that time I happened to hear one of the girls say that Jen Jeffrey, who had been put away from the mill for drinking, was a wise woman, and could tell by only looking Into a tea-oup what kind of a man one was to marry, and whether they were to be happy or no.' • A wiae woman P ' I contemptuously eohoed, ' a wise fiddleitiok! But go on, please.' ' I pretended not to hear them say it, though they gave an instance in which Jen told ovorything that was to happen weeks before the things took place, but all the time I waa saying to myself, "It she oan tell me who I am to get I will know whether to dream or think more of Harry." After studying the thing for a while, I went one dark night to Jen's houie and told her I wanted to know what my sweetheart was to be like, and sure enough she described Harry as my sweetheart as correct as if he had been standing before her. Then she said that he did not love me, nor never would, unlets I got a love-oharm to change his heart and make it turn towards mine.'

'A love-oharm?—and pray what is that ?' ' That was just what I asked her, but she would not tell me, but said it could only be got at rare times, and would oost a deal of money.* ' Ay, of course, that generally comes in.' ' Nothing less than a piece of gold would do, she said, so as I had ten shillings saved I got it ohanged for half a sovereign, and then gave it to her for the love charm.' * The poison P Oh, you fool I' ' Yes, I know that now, but I didn't then/ teaifally answered Maria; 'she told me I must get him to drink the powder, or swallow it in some way, and that then he would turn to love me, and marry me before the year was ont. I hadn't thought of marriage, only I did want him to love me, so I oarried the paper with the powder in my pocket for some days, till the machinery went wrong, when 1 got out of the workshop and slipped .nto the little room where Harry's coat hung, and put it all into the flask of tea.'

' And you say that this Jen Jeffery was turned out of the mill for drinking. Had Harry anything to do with her being thus discharged V 'Oh, yes; I didn't think of that before. It was Harry who put her off.' 'Humph ! I think I begin to understand the matter now,' wai my wrathful remark. ' Ah, but remember. Jen did not know the name of the man I wished to love me ; she told me so herself more than once,' quickly returned the simple girl; ' she said that waa not revealed.*

' Yes. and a drinker is generally a liar, so yoa will know what weight to put upon that statement,' I sharply rejoined ; ' I dare say the same sort of inspiration which prompted her to give his portrait would also suggest his name. And you say she extracted a fear* fnl oath from you not to reveal who gave yoa the love-charm 1' The girl shuddered and paled at the reoolleotion.

'Yea; a fearful oath—that's the word—a fearful oath.'

'Then the sooner Jen Jeffery and my bracelets are acquainted the better for the community at large and the ends of justice. generally,' was my concluding remark t and with that X cloned the investigation for that evening.

Directing Maria to put on her things, and explaining as gently as possible the nature cf the oharge to her aunt, who appeared as we were about to leave, I got her to lead me straight to Jen's abode. The old judo winoed a little when she saw who Btcod before her, and most loudly and emphatically denied the charge and Utah's statement from beginning to end, and in the end retisted so stoutly both with claws and screaming outcries that I was forced to summon a couple of policemen to carry her down the stairs to the cab I had sent for. Even then I could soaroely keep her from springing upon her dupe and scratching Maria's eyes out, and was thankful to get her into a coll, and out of harm's way before her spiteful fury could vent itself upon the suffering and tearful girl. In a day or two Harry Gibson was suffi clently recovered to be able to ippear as a witness, and both Maria and old Jen were formally remitted to the Sheriff's Court on a charge of administering a prisonous drug with intent. But aa we had a weak oase against Jen without Maria's evidence, she was allowed to appear as a witness, when she created aoms laughter and rmusement by saying In open court, and In hearing of Harry himself, in answer to a question from the Sheriff on thi Bench—

' It was beoanee I loved him. and he didn't care for me, and she said that the charm would turn his heart towards mine.'

Harry heard the words, and langhed heartily with the rest at her naviete and charming confusion; but the admission and, perhaps, a predilection for the girl combined, appeared to set him a thinking. Jen was eentenoed to a year's imprisonment, while Maria was discharged ; while Harry, though be had bo narrowly escaped death through her, seemed to look rather at the object in view than the deed itself, for he drew oloser and cbaar to his prisoner, ar.d aotually, as had been predicted, married her within the year. Wasn't Jen a wise woman after all, hey ? and didn't she deserve a monument of solid silver instead of a year's oakum picking ? What a oruel, ungrateful world this is to be sure 1