Hand and Ring

ce B

bin’d, cribbed,

doubts

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possessor of a large income. But his father dying, both means and expectations vanished into thin air, and at the age of twenty, young Horace found himself thrown upon the world with

forethought of certain relatives he was for a time spared all anxiety on their account, he soon found that some exertion on his part would be n

ising situation; and baffled in every wish, worn out with continued failures, he sank from one state of hope to another

cidedly hard-pushed young gentleman, seized upon him with an avidity that can only be explained by this detective’s long-cherished desire to ally to himself a man of real refinement and breeding; having, as he privately admitted more

nd after a week of uncertainty and fresh disappointment, he went manfully to his mother and told her of the offer that had been made him. Meeting with less discouragement than he had ex

d upon as a good-fellow and a truly valuable acquisition to the bureau. Indeed, he possessed more than the usual qualifications for his calling, strange as the fact appeared not only to himself but to the few friends acquainted with his secret. In the first place, he possessed much acuteness without betraying it. Of an easy bearing and a polished address, he was a man to please all and

paid deference, notwithstanding the frankness and candor of his own disposition, he found in this pursuit a nice ad

of livelihood, but the coming month would invariably bring a fresh case before his notice, and then it would be: “Well, after this matter is probed to t

t man when all the bad and naughty pe

and the superintendent was obliged to respond to the call by sending Mr. Byrd. He did not do it, however, without making the proviso that all public recognition of this officer, in his real capacity, was to be avoided. And so far the wishes of his superiors had been

e discovery of the mysterious case of murder which had so unexpectedly been presented to his notice. As a professional, he could not fail to experience that quick start of the blood which always foll

nnect this imposing woman with a revolting crime. Or so he fondly considered. But he had not spent five minutes at the railroad station, where, in pursuance to the commands of Mr. Ferris, he went to take the train for Monteith, before he saw reason to again change his mind. For, there among the passengers awaiting the New York express, he saw Miss Dare, with a travelling-bag upon her arm and a look on her face that, to say the least, was of most uncommon char

rbor in his mind. She looked so noble in her quiet aspect of solemn determination, so superior in her young, fresh beauty — a determination that, from the lofty look it imparted, must have its birth in generous emotion, even if her beauty wa

ention of speaking, than he felt an irresistible desire to hear what she would have to say, and, led by

words he h

pect to remain in B

h she r

ether I shall stay

cing train was heard, and the

f attending the opening of the inquest at Sibley, he did not experience the vivid disappointment which might have been expected, h

a lady step upon the platform whose appearance was so familiar that he stopped, disbelieving the evidence of his own senses. Miss Dare returned? Miss Dare, who but a few hours before had left this very depot for the purpose, as she said, of making a visit of more or less length in the distant city of Buf

g after his return to the village hotel. She was such a mystery, this woman, it might easily be that she had never intended to go to Buffalo; that she had only spoken of that place as the point of her destination under the stress of her companion’s importunities, and that the real place for which she was bound had been some spot very much nearer home. The fact, that her baggage had consisted on

used it, a fact which seemed at least to prove she was honest in the expression of her intentions

as heartily glad when, in a few moments after its c

; next, the murder of the day before; and lastly, the few facts which had been elicited

ing and swearing in a jury — a few witnesses had been examined and certain conclusions reached, which certainly added greatly to the impression already made upon the public mind,

ently been assaulted with a deliberate

forthcoming calculated to point with

en seen to leave the widow’s house without entering, and the latter having been proved beyond a question to have come into town o

ut if he was connected with the assault it must have been simply as an accomplice employed to distract public attention from the real criminal; and in a case like this, the interest naturally centres with the a

an enemy, but what enemy could such a person as she possess — a woman who always did her own work, attende

d, to whom as yet no knowledge had come

As it was, she was the most methodical person in her ways that I ever knew. At just such an hour she rose; at just such an hour put on her kettle, cooked her meal, washed her dishes, and sat herself down

that fragment of a letter he had read — a letter which certainly

ve been told she has a nephew somewhere — a sister’s son, for whom

d money

maybe. Reports differ

phew, where

ny one can. My remembrances in regard

d as no mean sum in a town like t

oom. Mr. Orcutt paid her something for his daily dinner, of course, but that could not have enabled her to put ten dollars in the bank as she has done every week fo

een shown him by the coroner, and thought to himself that th

te yesterday?” was his remark, however. “Do you remember a wizen, toothless old wretch, whose eye h

your description; and, now I think of it, she has a way of leering at you as you go by that is

that I don’t know any of these people, and that an especially vi

t. But I don’t believe she ever contemplated a murder, much less accomplished it. It would take

omewhat too quickly, perhaps, for it made Mr

not wonder. Even my old blood has been somewhat fired by its peculiar features. I

scent, if the coroner persists in demanding it?” in

ry,” was the p

d himself satisfi

ner left the room tha

ith no unnecessary

Byrd

raphed to New Y

difficulty about that. The superintendent is my friend,

ssayed the

mmens’ gate, must produce one individual, at least, who can swear to what I want. To be sure, all whom I have questioned so far say that they were either eating dinner at the time or were in the kitchen serving it up; but, for all that, there were plenty who saw the tramp, and two women, at least, who are ready to take their oath that they not only saw him, but watched him long enough to observe him go around to the Widow Clemmens’ kitchen door and turn about again and come away as if for some reason he had changed his mind about entering. Now, if there were two

absolutely necessary that the murderer should have advanced from the street? Is there no way he co

all its inconveniences; but I would scarcely expect it of one who — who chose such an hour for his assault,” the coroner explained, with a slight stammer of embarrassment that did not escape the detective’s notice. “Nor

ceived from him an intimation of the reason why

heard voices

A

t as the statement was volunteered, we

who lost a trifle of his fluency

t believe he would know a cultivated from an uncultivated voice, a gentleman

oroner earnestly in the face. But that gentleman was too absorbed in the train of thought raised by his own remark to notice the

med the coroner, after a moment. “Here is

York. Dr. Tredwell took it, and, after glancing at its contents with an annoyed look, folded up the paper he

of perplexed thought. “It seems that the superintendent is not

took it

y the midnight express.

ed to the det

ed, “I was right when I t

ey send may be very keen and very well-up in his business, but I doubt if he will mana

s right. I am not much accustomed to work for myself, and was none too eager to take the case in the first place, as you will do

lways felt from the possible developments which an earnest inquiry into the causes of this crime might educe. Yet, to be severed in this way from all professional interest in the pursuit cut him so deeply that, in despite of his