University of South Carolina Libraries
THE I fcvGATT * " A 5T0RY Of ?MY5TCRY. INVOLVING STARTLING <OHPLtCATt(^ 6- ADVCNTUI by ANNA KATHCRINC CRM AUTHOR O?* ij?Ave?wc?tm cwe^ mmimo cloj Bust" Mr. Ramom had risen it sxcHement. "Nothing can fact that my bride left ma on weddlag-d'y. It only ramaina to show that aha lid it under an which robbed her of her own an influence from which aha while succumbing to It her no feme tor Kindness, I am not afraid of the result I perfect confidence In her inte -he hesitated, then added with eon-fiction?"an I la her lore." i detective hid hi a surprise. He not understand this confidence, hen ho knew nothing of the moms which lay back ol It. ] well" he said. "You still see to find her. I will do my sir; but first cannot you help ana wtth a suggestion or two?" gm nr ^ ?There must be come clew to so ssssMen a freA on the part of a young %mmt beautiful woman, who, 1 hare tak ssa sodas to learn, baa not only a clean but a reputation for good The Fulton* caanot supply It lived a seemingly open and life in their house, and the M aa great to them sa to . But you, aa her lover and bow has band, must have been favored eoofldoncos not given to others, you recall one likely to put an on the right track? Borne fact to the events of to-day. 1 mean; met connected with her peat before she went to live with the "Ma Yet let me tiink; let me Mr. Ransom dropped his face aiit hands and aat for a moment When he looked up again, the perceived that the affair waa so far as he waa concerned, le repeated, this time with un asMaJtable emphasis, "uhe hag always buoyant and untrammeled, thou I have only known her six Tell me her history so far aa you It What do yo'i know of her Mfis pro vie us to your meeting he*-?" %\ waa a very aim pie one. She had en Sanaa ti'j bringing up. having been asnru km a small village In Connecticut fame sang one of throe children and the one who has survived; her sis wlo was her twin, died when aha i a em all child, sad a brother five sears ago. Hsr fortune was her. as I have already told you, %T ? great-uncle. It is entirely In tear own hands. Left so orphan early ease lived f rst with ber brother; then he died, wtth one relative after till lastly sh? settled down with the r Alfons. I know of no secret in her Ufo, no entanglement not even sat any prt>r engagements. Yet that snsm wtth the Jwlsted Jew was not un Bsnewe to her. and It he Is a lelatlve, est she said, you should have tao dlffl smKy In locating him." **I have a man on bla tract," per repUtd. "And one on the girl's I mean, of couree. Bells Burton's, will report here up to twelve to-ulght It la now half-past eleven. We should hear from or the other soon.'* my wlfer f?' description of the clothing she has gone out We may hear It But I doubt If we do to-night ehe has rejoined her tnsid or rfth s scsr. Qomehow I she will join the girl. But it's to tell yet" Mr, Ransom could hardly control his lence "And 1 must sit helpless be exclaimed. "I who have luch at stake!" detective evidently thorght the Ms called for whatever comfort ist was In his power to bestow. "Tee." said he. "For It IS lere she will seek you If nhe takes a, notion to return But wotukh Is an uncertain itity. ' ha dryly added. Voices here rose In the hall, and a was ushered In. *vhona Oerrldge ?mediately Introduced as Mr. Sims. ? runner and with news! Mr. icon, summoning up his courage, waited for the Inevitable question and reply. They came quickly enough. -A "Have you found the man?" "What have you got? Have you found the man?" "Tee. And the lady's been to see him; that Is. if the description of her was correct" "Ho mean! Mrs. Ransom," ex? plained Gerrldge. Then, as ho mark? ed his client's struggle for composure, he quietly asked. "A lady in a dark green suit with yellowish furs and a bins rsil over her hat?" "That's the ticket!" "The clothes worn by the woman who went out of the baaemer t door, Mr. Ransom." The latter turned sharp!' sai ls. The shams of the thing was becoming in? tolerable. "And this woman wearing those yel? low furs and the blue veil vieked the man of the broken jaw?" Inquired Gerrldge. "Tea. sir." "When?" I "about six this afternoon." "And where ?" "At the hotel St. Denis, a hero I have sines tracked him." "How long did sha stay?" "About an hour." "In the parlor or?m "To the parlor. They had a great deal to say. Mora than one noticed them, but no one heard anything. They talked very low but they meant business." "Where is this man now?" "At the same place. Ho has en? gaged a room there." "The man with the twisted Jaw?" "Tea." "Under what naina?" "Hugh Porter. "Ah, it was Hasan only five hours ago." muttered Ransom. "Porter, did you say? 1*11 have a talk with this Porter at once." "I think not to-night," put in the dstsctivs. with the mingled authority and deference natural to one of his kind. "To-morrow, perhaps, out to? night it would only provoke scandal." Thla was certainly true, but Mr. Ransom waa not an easy man to domi? nate. - "1 must aee him before I sleep," he insisted. "A single word may solve thla mystery. He baa the word. I'd be a fool to let the night go by?Ah! what's that?" The telephone bell had rung again. A meaaage from the office this time. A note had Just bean handed in for Mr. Ransom; ahould they aend it up? Gerrldge waa at the 'phono. "Instantly," he shouted down, "and be sure you hold the messenger. It may be from your lady." he remarked to Mr. Raneom. "Stranger things than that have happened." Kir. Ransom reeled to the door, opened it and stood waiting. The two detectives exchanged glances. What might not that note contain! Mr. Ransom opened it in the hall. When he came back into the room, his hand was soaking and his face looked drawn and pale. But he show? ed no further disposition to go out. Instead, he sank into a chair, with a motion, of dismissal to the two de? tectives. "Question the boy who brought this," ssld he. "It is from Mrs. fLn som; written, as you see. at the St. Denis. She bids me farewell for a time, but does not favor tue w th any explanations. She cannot do differ? ently, she says, and asks me to trust her and wait. Not very enco traglng to sleep on; but It's something. She has not entirely forsaken me.1 Gerrldge wltb u shrug turned sharp? ly to'.va.ds the door. "I take it that you wouldn't objeot to knowing all the messenger can te'l youf" "No, no. Question him. Pnd out whether sho garo this to him with her own hand." Gerrldgf? obeyed this injunction, but Was told in reply that the note had been given him to deliver by a clerk in the hotel lobby. He could tell nothing about the lady. This was unsatisfactory enough; but the man who had Influenced her to this stop* had boon placed under surveillance. To-morrow thej" woul? ? question him; the mystery was not | without a promise of solution. So Gerrldge felt; but not Mr. Ransom; for at the end of the lines whose pur? port he had Juat communkated to the detective were those few, significant words: "Mako no move to find me. If you love me well enough to wait In silence for developments, hap p!nc8j may yet be ours." CHAPTER IV. Mr. Ransom Waits. G'-IRRIDGB rose early, primed, as he said to himself, tor *JTY"""7 h in. I hit to h ? ? .t i ? "J disappointment hi found Mr. Ransom In a frame Of Blind which precluded action. Indeed, that gen? tleii.an looked greatly changed. He not only gave srldsneo ol ? ilospU is night but ahowgd sons of Ihe spirit of the pravionf evening, and besitat- j ?d Sjuiti painfully when Qarrldge ask- ! sd Bin II bo did not Intend to go ahe.-d aith the Interview they had promll ad themselves. That as it nay be." S/f s the BOB! tatlng reply, "I hardly think that I shall flsJt the man you mean this morning. Me Interests uio an 1 I bopo that Bong Of his movements will es I cape you. Hut I'm not ready to talk to him. I prefer to wait a little; to give my wife a chance. I should feel better, and have less to forget." "Just as you say," returned the de? tective Stiffly. "He's under our thumb at present. I can't tell when he may wriggie out." "Not while your eye's on him. And your eye won't leave him as long as you have confidence in the reward I've promised you." "Perhaps not; but you take the lifo out of me. Last night you were too hot; this morning you are too cold. But it's not for me to complain. You know where to find me when you want me." And without more ado the de? tective went out Mr. Ransom remained alone and in no enviable frame of mind. He was distrustful of himself, distrustful of the man who had made al this trou? ble, and distrustful of her, though he would not acknowledge it. Every baser instinct in him drove him to the meeting he declined. To see the seemed the only rational thing to do. Hut the final words of his wife's let? ter stood in his way. She had ad? vised patience. Yes, he would give her a day. That was time enough for a man suffering on the rack of such an intolerable suspense?one day. But even that day did not pass without' breaks in his mood and more than one walk In the direction of the St. Denis Hotel. In the evening it was the same, b it the next morning he re? mained steadfastly at his hotel. He had laid out his future course in these words: "I will extend the time to three days; then If I do not hear from her I will get that wry-necked fellow by tie throat and twist an ex? planation from him." But the three days passed and he found the situa? tion unchanged. Then he set as his limit the end of the week, but before the full time had elapsed he was ad? vised by Gerrldge that he himself was being followed in his turn by a couple of private letectives; and while still under the agitation of thi? discovery was further disconcerted by having the following communication thrust into his har d In the open street by a young woman who succeeded in los? ing herself in the crowd before ho had got so much as a good look at her. You can judge of his amazement as he read the few lines it contained. Read the papers to-night and forget the stranger at the St. . Denis. That was all. But the writing was hers. The hours passed slowly till the papers were cried in the street What Mr. Ransom read in them in? creased his astonishment. I might say his anxiety. It was a paragraph about his wife, an almost incredible one, running thus: A strange explanation is given of the disappearance of Mrs. Ransom on her wedding-day. As our readers will remember, she accoa. *>anled her husband to the hotel, but managed to slip away and leave the house while he still stood at the desk. This act, for which nothing In her previous conduct has in any .way prepared her friends, is now said to have been due to the shock of hearing, some time during her wedding day, that a sister whom she had supposed dead was really alive and in circumstances of almost de? grading poverty. As this sister had been her own twin the effect upon her mind was very serious. To find and rescue this sister she left her newly made husband in th.e surreptitious manner already recorded in the papers. That she is not fully herself is shown by her continued secrecy as to her whereabouts. All that she has been willing to admit to the two persons sbe has so far taken into her confidence ?her husband and the ugent who conduct her affairs ?Is that she ha9 found her sister nnd cannrt leave her. Why, sho does uot state. The case is cer? tainly a curious uuo and Mr. Ran? som has the sympathy of all his friends. Confuted, aid In a state of mind bordering on fnnzy, Mr. Ransom re? turned to V f hotel and sought refuge in his own room. He put no confi? dence in What he had Just rfead; he reffirded it as a newspaper story and a great fake; but she had bid him rc:?d it, and this fact in itself was very disturbing. For how could she have knOW!) about it if she had not been its author, and if she was its author. What purpose had she expect? ed it to serve? Ho was still debating this question when ho reached his own room, On the floor, n little way Crom the Bill, lay a letter. It had been thrus t under the door during his absence. Lifting it In tome trepidation, ho cast a glan e at Its inscription and sank itaggi rln3 into the nearest chair, asking hli self if ha had the courage to open and read it. For the handwriting. IiR* that of the note handed him in the Street, was Georgtan'a, and ha felt himself in a maze concerning her which made everything iu her connection seem dreamlike and unreal, it waa not long, hOWOVt before he had mash r ad itk contents. They were Strange enough, as this transcription of them will show, Yo i have i een what has happen* ad to me, but you cannot, under* stand how l feel. She looks ex? actly like me. H is thai whic h mal'.? a ihe a orld eddy al out me. 1 cunt;.>t Ket used to it. It Is like geelpg my own reflected Image step from the mlror and walk about doing things. Two of us, Roger, two! If you saw her you would ?all her Georgian. And ?he says thai she knows you, ad? mires you! and she says It In my roii el 1 try to shut my ears, but man?to force from I hear her saying It even wnen her Hps do not move. She is as ignor? ant as she is afflicted and I can? not leave her. She canot hear a Bound, though she can talk well enough about what is going on in her own mind, and she is so way? ward and uncertain of temper, owing to her ignorance and her difficulty in understanding me, that I don't know what she would do if once let out of my sight. I love you?I love you?but I must stay right here. "Your affectionate and most un? happy GEORGIAN. The signature was his wife's with? out doubt. He caught up the tele? phone receiver and called out Ger ridge's number. When the detective answered, he shouted back: "Have you read the evening papers? If you haven't, do so at once; then come directly to me. It's business now and no mistake; and our first visit shall be on the fellow at the St Denis." (To Be Continued.) IIIS GRADUATE DAUGHTER. From The Boston Herald. Our daughter's graduated An' we're feelln* quite elated, For she's coming home from college in a week or two, she's written; She has studied nil the lingoes ?V the Eskimos an' Mingoes, Ah in ologis an' classics she Is way up In heights. She hez tuuk a prize in spellln' An' In readin' so they're tellin'. She kin reason out an' argue like a statesman on the stump; She kin dance an' play planna In a most artistic manner, She hez got the facts an' flgers uv the ages in a lump. She kin pose, an' do Delsarte, An' get up a meal a lacarte, She can ?b the physic culture in a way to beat the band; She kin handle all the topics, Frum Alaska to the tropics, She kin bow an' "slam," her ma says, In a way that's truly grand. She's an actress an' a painter, An In fact, I guess there aln'ter Blessed thing in art or science she didn't know from A to Z, An I s'pose this raft uv knowledge. Is a boon fur ev'ry college, But jest how she'll use It farmin' 1? the thing that's gettin* me. That Settled It. The Commissioners In Lunacy were nonplused. The man on whose men? tal condition the courts had appoint? ed them to pass seemed perfectly sane, In spite of all testimony to the contrary. His every action, his every remark was rational. They were about to give up in despair when matters took an unexpected turn. "Oh, doctor, permit me to return the rmbrel a I borrowed from you last week," said the patient. And then, at the thought of earn? ing their fees with no qualms of con? science, the learned men decided that any one who would voluntarily return a bor-owed umbrella should be placed under restraint. This simply shows how trifles will ever mold our destinies.?New York Times. a -1 ? "Ruint." Senator R. L. Taylor of Tenesse.c WSJ speaking In the*' senate: "Our country had been decimated by war, humiliated by reconstruction and weighed down by the highest tariff taxation this world has ever known, : nd we were In bad plight. We were in the condition of the good old pray? ing member of the church who was afllictec. all at once. With every disease !n the catalogue. He had rheuma? tism and aneurism and curvature oi ihe Bp ne and was finally stricket v.ith paralysis; but after months of suffering he got better, and went shambling one evening to prayct meeting. The old preacher rose and <;iid: Now brethren, I want us to have a good time here tonight. I want cv ery one of you to get up and tell wha the Lord has done for you. There i I? rot her Jones, God bless him; he ha been alWlCted and hasn't been with U for many months. Brother Jones get up and tell us what the Lord ha done for you.' Brother Jones aroi and hobbled out in the aisle. am laid: "Well, he's about mint me.' ?enn^ ressional Record, Largo Pees. After Bejamln Harrison had retire as pn lideni and resumed the pra< tlce ol law, he found himself asi elated v\iih Mr. Knox, then, us nov of Ptthiburg, but carrying no politic* prestige. "And us to the fee," Inquired M Knox. "shail we divide It?" "Really, Mr. Knox, I n< ver dlvid fees," said the former president. "1 will make my own terms; you ar? range yours." The ease waa won. The two again met. "You v ill understand, Mr. Knox," said ii e former president rather lofI Hy, "why l did nol wii it to dh M< t he f< cs a hen i t?ii > ou thai my fee in that case was $25,000." "Ah. Indeed, most Interesting," re? plied tho Plttsburger. "Wt II. (U n. Harrison, my fee was $100,000."? i fartford Times. The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been in use for over 30 years, has borne the (Signature of ? and has been made under his per Bonal supervision since its infancy* f4 /^ccA4^i Allow no one to deceive you in this* All Counterfeits, Imitations and? Just-as-good"are but Experiments that trine with and endanger the health of Infants and Children?Experience against Experiment* What is CASTORIA Can tori a is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare? goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups* It is Pleasant. It contains neither Opium* Morphine nor other Narcotic substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and aldays Feverishness. It eures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep* The Children's Panacea?The Mother's Frieud* GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS Bears the Signature of Bears the Signature ox _ The Kind You Hare Always Bought In Use For Over 30 Years. TMB ??NYAUH COMPANY, TT MURRAY ?THCCT, NTOfOtM CITY. Birnie's Drug Store, 5 W. Liberty St. Eumter, S. C. Dealer In Pure Drugs and Medicines, CHOICE PERFUMES 'AND FINE TOILET ARTICLES, COMBS AND ' BRUSHES, PATENT MEDICINES AND DRUGGISTS' SUNDRIES, A FULL LINE OF CIGARS AND TOBACCO. :: :: :: :: :: OUR MOTTO: PURE AND RELIABLE GOODS. in Our stock is complete and we cheerfully solicit your patronage. :: :: :: EXCURSION TO VIA THE ATLANTIC COAST LINE Tuesday, July 20. At the Following Very Low Rates ? From Sumter to Washington and Return $9 Ticket? will be good to return to leave Washington or Norfolk up to anil including Sun da) July :?5, 1909. Norfolk and Return Stopovers will bo Allowed it BJohmood, going an.i retaining, ?w osgosll tag ticket witbTlekei Agenten arrival. Train ?cliedules. sleeping car reservations, ticket*, eus* Mar bs lmvurvd from M. F. Ouk?s. A. C. L. Ticket Agent. Sjmter. S. C. W. J. Craig. Pas. Traf. Mgr. T. C. White, Gen. Pas. Agt. WILMINGTON. N. C. \CCIPKNT WITH \ PISTOL. \?)w one Vegro In <?? Jail An' other nl Death's Poor. t<> warrant the taking of hil gate* mortem statement by iiu> coroni r yesterday morning. Judge will lie j lu Id at tin' county jail, pending Um 'harU i n July 13. A negro la-|reM)lt of >'"ls<?n's wound. borer named Vmoa Judge was com? mitted to jail yesterdaj mornina by Magistrate Strubs, of St Andrew's parish, "ii a charge of asaaall and battery ??1 an aggravated nature* la stated by the rural police of st. Km??. ew*/i Pariah, who effected Judge's arrest! that there had been no qaar* Bel between the two principals of the aflatr. It m ems that Judg 1 had play shooting a thirteen-year-old colored J fully pointed a revolver at the lad? boy n 1 med Samuel Nelson In the lefl 1 .ii. with ;' revolver Sunday evenlngi near ii<?i Top, Jusi across from the x, w Bridge. Tin? condition of the youth \\:>s considered lertoua enough when the weapon was accidentally discharged, the bu let taking offset in hi* loft tide and Inflicting what will probably Drove to he a fatal wound.