The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, October 11, 1901, Image 6
THE MYSTERY OF
AGATHA WEBB.
By Anna Katharine Green,
Jivtlu i <>.) "7Lc LaivcuwMh Cu-e,"
"Dixt Mun'x Lr,vr," "Hand
and Iliim," Htc., Lie.
OOPYIMOHT, l'.»lO,
m ANN V KATMAKISEORKrW.
i
*f rar. down tin* hill recltlessl}’. 1
on my oituiuI and not at all
iS.ezhl of tin* dark. When 1 readied
|>nrt of the road where the streets
:iiich olT, 1 heard footsteps in front
rf Die. 1 had overtaken some one.
•'4s»rltenlns my pace so that 1 should
rpass this person, whom 1 instinc-
t~~-ry-ty kiH*w to be a man. 1 followed
'.mi till 1 eame to a hit'll hoard fence. ,
rxrj; that surrounding Agatha Webb’s
t uai.Mte. and when 1 saw it 1 could not
AiWy comu'cting the rather stealthy
of the man in front of me with a i
«.>.»?• had lately heard of the large
of money she was known to have !
w to-*T bouse. Whether this was before
jr tfij r this person disappeared round ;
■ Tv corner 1 cannot say. but no sooner |
. icni s become certain that he was bent
x|}4^n entering this house than my im-
, wiY.*' to follow him became greater
'.him my precaution, and, turning aside
Y- ; |pf WA.
17, il; 1 !
%L
t, ,i f I ■ ; >\x 1 1 '. N
=<4^
.1 &mccr rvorn by yen at the Ounce teas j
tound near tUitxy'x nhlrtH.”
he direct path to the Zabels’, 1 i
jnu-iiisl down High street Just in time !
:a •«'** the man enter Mrs. Webb’s front
-rgaf cxvay.
was a late hour for visiting; but,
■:.* ti.’.e house had lights In both its low- ]
-<'-raivl upper stories. 1 should by good 1
-hrh's have taken it for granted that he |
f'wx* •m expected guest and gone my '
vati way to the Zabels’. Hut 1 did not. I
r*v softness with which this person |
<rr jvp-.'d and the skulking way in which
•i>- beaitnted at the front gate aroused
i >v*, worst fears, and after he had open- |
*G5 Tliat gate and slid in 1 was so pur- 1
=r*;w<} liy tin* idea that he was there for i
Jtr thii; i supped inside the gate
and took my stand in the deep
Wa ji/W cast by the old pear tree on
'jo? riglit hand side of the walk. Did
.-me speak?”
T3'. re was u unanimous denial from
live gentlemen before her, yet she I
ii?. not look satisl’n d. •
"1 thought 1 heaid some one make r. !
rv»y»jfi\rk.” she said and paused again •
* .(.g a half mlinue. during which her
•ssYie was a study. It was so cold and
-ueh startling eontrast to the vivid
fSurmrs she threw everywhere except
■el., id her on the landing where Fred- 1
■ -* .*■’/. stood listening to her every word.
•We are very much interested.” re-
r'ctrWed Mr. Courtney. •’Fray go on.”
i 'rawing her left hand from the hal-
UiOr ole where i had rested, she looked
of her lingers with an odd buck-
TTwrvl gesture.
'i will,” she said, and her tone was
and tin* awning. “Five minutes,
jix longer, passed when 1 was startled
. ry a loud and terrible cry from the
-•oms *. and, looking up at the second
-•2s> y window, from which the sound
; .'-vw- eded. 1 saw a woman’s figure
Auaging out in a seemingly pulseless
•mulii ion. Too terrilied to move, I
g. trembling, to the tree, hearing
aan! not hearing the shouts and laugh-
* ii.'r of a dozen or more men who at that
xiiume passed by the corner on their
3vi> to the wharfs. I was dazed, i
■ choking, and only came to myself
vfMm sooner or later. I do not know
soon or how late, a fresh horror
uaypened. The woman whom I had
- r 3s4 seen fall almost from the window
vt?A a serving woman, but when 1
j.Arm'd another sen am I knew that the
■r. -i.vss of the house was being at-
wi? v»i*<l, and, riveting my eyes on those
vivdows, I beheld the shade of one of
thrown hack and a hand appear.
Trsgiwg out something which fell iu
'In*' grass on the opposite side of the
f m'wn. Then the shade fell again, and.
scaring nothing further. I ran to where
object flung out had fallen and.
* cerJtng for It, found and picked up an
•iti fashioned dagger, dripping with
Ami]. Ilorritied beyond all expression.
liropped the weapon and drew hack.
fl*Aai>llng, Into my former place of con-
■wsfcmont.
"ii&ut I was not satisfied to remain
Here. A curiosity, a determination
•w*. to see the man who had eommlt-
this dastardly deed attacked me
•w’tk such force that I was Induced to
<r*rt*»«r my hiding place and even to ch
at I be house where In all probability
ttus counting the gains he bad Just
*ata!t>ed at the price of such precious
v<•»«*]. The door, which he had not
i»rfi***tly closed behind him, seemed
«j ilnrlte me In, and lm*fore I had real-
r*n} my own temerity I was standing
w rh«* hall of this 111 fated house.”
TJw* interest which up to this moment
m»l lh*en breathless now expressed It-
#*f in hurried ejaculation* and broken
mini*, and Mr. Sutherland, who had
'•Coned like or e n a dream, exclnltned
Msptrfy and In a tone which proveil
. *Vu»t tie for the moment at least be-
Aiotod this more than Improbable tale;
’"Tijen_ yop cau tell us If, IMii!ein«*n
was in the little room at the moment
when you entered the house?”
As every one there present realized
the Importance of this question, a
general movement took place, and each
and all dr*w nearer as she met their
eyes and answered placidly;
“Yes; Mr. Webb was sitting In a
chair asleep. He was the only person
I saw.”
“Oh. I know he never committed this
crime.” gasped bis old friend, in a re
lief so great that one and all seemed
to share it.
“Now I have courage for the rest
On on. Miss Page.”
Hut Miss Page paused again to look
at her Huger and give that sidewise
toss to her head that seemed so un
called for by the situation to any who
did not know of the compact between
herself and the listening man below.
”1 hate to go back to that moment."
said she. “for when I saw the candles
burning on the table and the husband
of the woman above sitting there in
unconscious apathy I felt something
ri?" in my throat that made me death
ly sick for a moment. Then I went
right in where he was and was about
to shake his arm and wake him when l
detected a spot of blood on my finger
from the dagger I had handled. That
gave me another turn and led me to
wipe off my Huger on his sleeve."
“It’s a pity you did not wipe off your
slippers, too,” murmured Sweetwater.
Again she looked at him; again her
eyes opened in terror upon tl** face of
this man. once so plain and insignifi
cant in her eyes, but now so filled with
menace she inwardly quaked before it.
for all her apparent scorn.
“Slippers,” she murmured.
“Did not your feet pass through that
blood in the grass, as well as your
hands?”
She did not answer. She held him
possibly in too much scorn.
“I have accounted for the blood on
my hand." she said, not looking at
him. but at Mr. Courtney. "If there is
any on my slippers, it can be account
ed for in tbc same way.” And she
rapidly renewed her narrative. “I had
no sooner made my little Huger clean—
I never thought of any one suspecting
the old gentleman—when I heard steps
on the stairs ami knew that the mur
derer was coming down and in an
other instant would pass the open door
before which I stood.
“Though 1 had been courageous
enough up to that minute, I was seized
by a sudden panic at the prospect of
meeting face to face one whose hands
were perhaps dripping with the blood
of his victim. To confront him there
and then might mean death to me, and
I did not want to die. but to live, for I
am young, sirs, and not without a
prospect of happiness before me. So
I sprang back. and. seeing no other
place of concealment In the whole bare
room, crouched down in the shadow
of the man you call Philemon. For
one. two minutes. 1 knelt there In a
state of mortal terror, while the feet
descended, paused, started to enter
the room v. here 1 was. hesitated, turn
ed and finally left the house.”
“Miss Page, wait, wait.” put in the
coroner. “You saw him. You can tell
who this man was?"
The eagerness of this appeal seemed
to excite her. A slight color appeared
In her cheeks and she took a step for
ward. but before the words for which
they so anxiously waited could leave
her lips, she gave a start and drew
hack with an ejaculation which left a
more or less sinister echo in the ears
of all who heard it.
Frederick had just shown himself at
the top of tin* staircase.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” said he,
advancing iuto their midst with an air
"For one, two minutes 1 knelt therein a
state o) mortal terror.”
whose unexpected manliness disguised
his inward agitation. “The few words
I have just heard Miss Page say are of
so important a nature I find it im
possible not to join you.”
Amabel, upon whose lips a faint com
placent smile had appeared as he step
pod by her, glanced up at these words
iu secret astonishment at the Indiffer
ence they showed aud then droppinl
her eyes to his hands with an intent
gaze which seemed to affeM him un
pleasantly, for he thrust them imme
diately lM*hiud him, though he did not
lower his head or lose Ids air of deter
mination.
"Is my presence here undesirable?”
be inquired with a glance toward his
father.
Sweetwater looked as If he thought.
It was. but he did not presume to say
anything, and. the others being too In-
terested iu tin* developments of Miss
Page’s story to waste any time on
lesser matters, Frederick remained,
greatly to Miss Page’s evident satis
faction.
"Did you see tills man’s face?" Mr.
Courtney now broke iu In urgent in
quiry.
Her answer came slowly after an
other long look iu Frederick's direc
tion.
"No, 1 did not dare to make the ef
fort. I was obliged to crouch too close
to tin* floor. 1 simply heard ids foot
steps."
“See now,” muttered Sweetwater t but
m so low a tone she did not hear turn.
“She condemns herself. There isu't a
woman living who would fail to look
up under those circumstances even at
the risk of her life."
Knapp seemed to agree with him, but
Mr. Courtney, following Ids one Idea,
pressed Ids former question, saying:
“Was It an old Man's step?”
"It was not an agile one.”
"And you did not catch the least
glimpse of the ma.i's face or figure?”
"Not a glimpse.”
“So you are in no position to Identify
him ?”
"If by any chance I should hear those
same footsteps coming down a flight of
stairs. I think I should he able to rec
ognize them," she alh wed iu the sweet
est tones of her command.
"She knows It is too late for liet to
hear those of the two dead Zabels.”
growled the man from Poston.
“We are no nearer the solution of
tills mystery than we were iu the be
ginning.” remarked the coronet.
“Gentlemen. I have not yet finished
my story.” Amabel sweetly intimated.
“Perhaps what 1 have yet to tell may
give you some clew as to who this man
was.”
“Ah. yes. Go on. go on. You have
not yet explained how you came to be
in possession of Agatha’s money.”
“Just so,” she answered, with an
other quick look at Frederick, the last
she gave him for some time. “As
soon. then, as I dared I ran out of the
house into the yard. The moon, which
had been under a cloud, was now shin
ing brightly, and by Its light 1 saw
that tiie space before me was empty
and that I might venture to enter the
street. But before doing so I looked
about for the dagger I bad thrown
from me before going in. But 1 could
not find it. It had been picked up by
the fugitive and carried away. An
noyed at the cowardice which had led
mo to lose such a valuable piece of evi
dence through a purely womanish emo
tion, I was about to leave the yard
when my eyes fell on the little bundle
of sandwiches which I had brought
down from the hill and which I had
let fail under the pear tree at the first
scream I had heard from the house. It
had burst open, and two or three of
the sandwiches lay broken on the
ground. But those that were Intact I
picked up. and. being more than ever
anxious to cover up by some ostensible
errand my absence from the party. I
rushed away toward the lonely road
where these brothers lived, meaning to
leave such fragments as remained on !
the old doorstep, beyond which I had
been told such suffering existed.
“It was now late, vety late, for a girl
like myself to be out. but under the
excitement of what I had just seen and
heard I became oblivious to fear and
rushed into those dismal shadows as
into transparent daylight. Perhaps tin*
shouts and stray sounds of laughter
that came up from the wharfs where
a ship was getting under way gave
me a certain sense of companionship.
Perhaps—but it is folly for me to di
late upon my feelings; it is my errand
you are interested in and what hap
peued when I came up to the Zabels'
dreary dwelling."
The look with which she paused, os
tensibly to take breath, hut iu reality
tu weigh aud criticise the looks of those
about her, was one of those wholly in
describable ones with which she was
accustomed to control the judgment of
men who allowed themselves to watch
too closely the ever changing expres
sion of her weird yet charming face.
Hut it fell upon meu steeled against
her fascinations, and. realizing her in
ability to move them, she proceeded
with her story before even the most
anxious of her hearers could request
her to do so.
“I had come,” said she, “very quietly
along the road, for my feet were light
ly shod, and the moonlight was too
bright for me to make a misstep. I^ut
as I cleared the trees and came into
the open place where the house stands
I stumbled with surprise at seeing a
figure crouching on the doorstep I had
anticipated finding as empty as the
road. It was an old man’s figure, and
as I paused in my embarrassment he
slowly aud with great feebleness rose
to liis feet and began to grope about
for the door. As in* did so I heard a
sharp, tinkling sound, as of something
metallic falling on the doorstoue. and.
taking a quick step forward, I looked
over his shoulder and saw iu the moon
light at his feet a dagger so like the
one I had lately handled iu Mrs.
Webb’s yard that I was overwhelmed
with astonishment aud surveyed the
aged and feeble form of t\ie man who
had dropped it with a sensation diffi
cult to describe. The next moment he
was stooping for the weapon with a
startled air that has impressed itself
distinctly upon my memory, aud when,
after many feeble attempts, he suc
ceeded iu grasping it he vanished into
the house so suddenly that I could not
be sure whether he had seen me stand
ing there or not.
This story will be continued in the
Friday edition of The Ledger until its
conclusion.
No InimMllHte Plana
A Ledger representative yesterday
asked Mr. Cal Parish if he intended
to rebuild his hotel at Yorkville.
and he replied that he bad not yet
bad time to determine what to do.
The blow was a sudden and severe
one for Mr. Parish His family,
however, have mov»-d into what was
known as the Three C’s hotel and are
i now doing a hotel business there
Nothing of any cansequeuce was
euved from the burned building by
Mr. Parish,
A Cnril of Ttittiik*.
Khitok Lkpokk :—Please allow m«
j ^pace in your paper to acknowledge
receipt of #1 00 for the Orphans from
Petit Jurors, of Cherokee county, and
to expres** thanks for same.
Yours truly,
A. T Jamison. Hup’t.
Connie Maxwell Orphanage.
(Ly.
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*
THIS IS THE RANGE
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That’s what all who
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Weren’t the biscuit
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mzzmnn.
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Look at these prices. We do not handle seconds. These
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25 yds good Calico for $1 00 or 4 c per yd
20 yds good Ginghams for 1 00 or 5 c per yd
16 yds good Canton Flannel for 1 00 or O.Vc per yd
20 yds good Cotton Checks for 1 00 or 5 c per yd
14 yds good Best Cheviots for 1 00 or 7 c per yd
18 yds good 4-4 Sheeting, Heavy, for 1 00 or 6 c per }’d
14 yds good -1-4 Bleaching . Baker Mills, for,. 1 00 or Tic per yd
20 yds good Outing, good quality, for 1 00 or 5 c per yd
We carry a full line All Wool Jeans. Also many makes of
All Wool Blankets fresh from the factory.
We al-o sell groceries in the same proportion that we sell
dry goods, notions and shoes. Here are a few prices ;
4lM» white sacks (100 lbs in sack) salt at GOc per sack.
12 lbs. good coffee at $1.00.
Flour, $1.75, $1.90, $2.00 and $2.25.
We invite everybody to come and see and examine our
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The Company Store.
R. 0. SAMS-Real Estate Agency.
;iu choice building lot!. In <!lffVi*«*nl purtn of thr rlty v
4 furtn* of 5n act vm each nour l.lnicttloue.
A trncu on Mi-tiil roitd.
A few of the ThouiNon lota not yet Mold. No better i>ulldln« Iota anywhere.