The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, July 21, 1909, Image 6
- A 5TORY Of
HY5TCRY. INVOLVING STARTUNC
C0HPUCATION5 &? ADVCNTU
by ANNA KATttCRlHt GRCI
^ %<r AUTHCIC ?**
11 UKAVUMX?llt CAlMrJ AKHtMO CUOS
CHAPTER V. j
la Corridor aad in Room.
quartan of an hour lat*
ar Mr. Raaaom and Oerridge
IHM flood la close conference
? before tha laat mentioned
The ford er was peremptory
it ho had to tay
*1 aiiesat a particle of confidence
ta this aewapaper ttory." ho declared.
~l ha runt much coafldaace la her lot*
ho?. It la this man who It working
m Ho baa a hold on her aad had
liar this cock aad ball story to
it sister! A twin ?Itter come to
litor fifteen rears of supposed
??t I ted the circumstance en
> loo romantic. Nor dees an ex
on of this nature fit the con
?ho was happy before aho
aim la the church. Bho lta't bar
alster 1 tall you the game la a
aad aha is the sufferer. Her
betray more tiiaa a disturbed
they betray a llsturbed brain.
la the causo and I mean to
als secret from him You art
anw* of hit being sUll la the house?"
I "He was oar!y thin morning. Ho
Mm ttrod a r*ry quiet lifo those laat
tew days, the Ufa of one waiting. Ho
mas not tren had visitors, after that
mm hstorrtow ho hold with your w fe.
1 hart kept tartful watch on aim.
a tnapected character, ho hat
tuaplclout while l'v*
my eye. If yon want
him In hit room, you shall."
Into time the detective counted
it hin hott Mr. Portor waa not
an ait room bat la one of tht hallt.
Ykary to countered him at they left
who elevator. Ho waa standing read
tec a newspaper. The disfigured Jaw
not ho mittahea They ttoppad
they ware and looked at him.
waa Intent, absorbed. Aa they
they taw hit handt clote
ejttjTuiaivtly on the sheet ha was
walla hla Hps mattered
worda that made the detective
hard at hit companion.
yon hoar?** ho cautiously la
aa Mr. Ransom stood hesitat
aot knowing whether to address
or not
?No; what did he say? Do you
ho It rending that para
i?"
"I haven't a doubt of It; and hit
were. 'Here't a damned lie!'?
inch like your own. sir."
-Ransom drew the detective a
tear steps dowa the corridor.
-Ho said that?"
?fTea. I heard him distinctly."
mTThen my theory it all wrong. Thlt
aaaa didn't provide her with thlt imag?
inary twin tlster."
"Evidently not"
"And to at lurpiised aa we are."
"Aad about as much put out Look
tat him? Nothing yellow there* We
aamll have to go easy with him."
i Mr. Raaaom looked and felt a recoil
than ordinary dislike for the
The latter had put the paper la
pocket aad waa coming tbelr way.
i face, oaco pottlbly handsome, for
eye* aad forehead were cons pic u
flne. thowod a distortion quit*
from that given by hit physical
iremsnt. He waa not simply aa
hut la a mental and moral rag*,
at tt made him n or* than hideous;
mad* him appalling. Yet he said
and moved along very quietly,
Ing. to all appearance, for hi*
Would he notlc* them a* h*
it by? It did not teem likely. In*
atlactlvely they had stepped to on*
and Mr. Ransom't face was la
thadow. To both It had teemed
not to acost him while he waa
this mood. They would see him
?Bu* this wat not to be. Some in
^ act. mad* him turn, and Mr. Ran?
som, recognizing hit opportunity,
stepped forward and addrested him
Vy tie name under wl Ich he had In?
troduced himself at the reception;
that of hit wife's family, Hazen.
Tht effect wat ttartllng. Instead of
Increasing hit anger at the detective
had naturally expected. It appeared to
aar* th* contrary effect, for every
eeettce of passion Immediately dis?
appeared from hit lace, leaving only
Its natural disfigurement -to plead
dint him. He t.pproached them.
Ransom, at lea-it. was consciout
of a revulsion of feeling In his favor,
then wat tuch restraint and yet tuch
loubted power In bit strange tnd
liar personality
"You know me?" said he, darting
ae?n and compretenslve look from
to o the oth*r.
"We should like a few word* with
?a," ventured Oerridg*. "Thlt gen*
tin thlnkt you ran give him very
?aluubl* Information about a perton
fas hi greatly Interested In." i
"He Is mlstaksta." Th* words'
sasno quick and decisive In a not un*'
aaoledlou* voice. "I am a stranger la
J**w York; a stranger In thlt coun?
try- I haes few. If aay. acqualnt
**You bar* on*."
sanft waa now Mr. Ransom's turn.
V* * man with no aequalntanc** doea
mat attend w*ddlngt; certainly not
wedding receptions. I have seen yon
at on*, my own. Do you not recog
d*. Mr. Hasan ?"
A twitch of surprise, not even Ran?
som could call It alarm, drew his
mouth still further towards his ear;
but his manner hardly altered and It
was In ths same affable tone that ha
replied: sj|
??You must pardon my shoit-slghtecP
nsas. I did not recognize you, Mr.
Ransom.'*
"Did not want to/' muttered Oer
ridge. satisfied in his own mind that
this man was only deterred by his
marked and unmistakable physiogno?
my from denying the acquaintance
skip Just advanced
"Your congratulations did not pro?
duce the desired effect," continued
Mr. Ransom. "My happiness was
short lived. Perhaps you knew Its
uncertain tenure when you wished me
joy. I remember that your tone lack?
ed sincerity."
It was a direct attack. Whether a
wise one or not remained to be seen.
Gerrldffe watched the unfolding drama
with Intsrest ^
"I have reason to think." proceeded1
Mr. Ransom, "that the unhappy termi?
nation of that day's felicities were In
a measure due to you. You seem to
know my bride very well; much too
well for her happiness or mine.**
"We will argue that question in my
room,** was ths unmoved reply. 'The
open hsll Is quits unsulted to a con?
versation of this nature. Now,** sr'd
he, turning upon them when they ware
in ths privacy of his small but not
uncomfortable apartment, "you will be
kind enough to rspsat what you just
said. 1 wish to thoroughly understand
you."
"You have ths right," returned Mr.
Ransom, controlling himself under the
detective's eye. "I said that your
presence at this wedding seemed to
disturb my wife, which fact, consider?
ing the after occurrences of the day,
strikes me as important enough for
discussion. Are you willing to discuss
It affably and fairly?"
"May I ask who your companion
Is?" inquired the other, with a slight
Inclination towards Gerridge.
"A friend; one who Is in my confi?
dence."
"Then I will answer you without
any further hesitation. My presence
may have disturbed your wife, it very
likely did, but I was not to blame for
that No man is to blame for the bad
effects of an unfortunate accident"
"Oh, I dont mean that," Mr. Ran?
som hastened to protest "The cause
of her very evident agitation was not
personal. It had a deeper root than that.
It led, or so I believe, to her flight
from a love shs cherished, at a mo?
ment when our mutual life seemed
about to begin."
The lmps8sive. I might almost sag
set features of this man of violent pas?
sions but remarkable self-restraint
failed to relax or give any token of
the feelings with which he listened to
this attack.
"Then the news given of your wife
in the papers to-night Is false," was
his quiet retort It professes to give
a distinct, if somewhat fantastic, rea?
son for her flight. A won totally
different from the one you suggest."
"A reason you don't believe in?"
"Certainly not It Is too bizarre."
~ "1 share your Incredulity. That Is
why I seek the truth from you rather
than from the columns of a news?
paper. And you owe me this truth.
You have broken up my life."
"I? That's a strange accusation you
make. Mr. Ransom."
"Possibly. But it's one which
strikes hard on your conscience, for
all that. This Is evident enough even
to a stranger like myself. I am con?
vinced that if you had not come into
her life she would have been at my
side to-day. Now, who are you? She
told me you were a relative."
"She told you the truth; I am. Her
nearest relative. The story in the
paper has a certain amount of truth
in it. Her brother, not her sister, has
come back from the grave. I am that
brother. She was once devoted to
me."
"You are-"
"Yea. Oh. there'll be no difficulty
in my proving this relationship. I
have evidence upon evidence of the
fact right In this room with me; evi?
dence much more convincing and far
leas disputable than this surprisng
twin can bring forward If her Identi?
ty is questioned. Georgian had a
twin sister, but she was buried years
ago. I was never buried. 1 simply
did not return from a well-known and
dangerous vojago. The struggle I
had for life y m cannot want the de?
tails now- hau left Its indelible Im?
press In the scar which has turned me
from a personable man into what
some people might call a monstrosity.
And It is this acar which has kept me
so long from home and country. It
has taken me four yeara to make up
my mind to face again my family
and friends. And now that I have, I
find that It wo ild have been better for
j us all if I had stayed away. Georgian
saw me and her mind wavered. In no
other way can I account for her wild
behavior since that hour. That Is all
I have to say, dr. I think I am almost
as much an object of pity as yourself."
And for a moment he appeared to
be so. not or ly to Oerrldge, but to
r?zzzzz?-S
"I wanted money."
Mr. Raniom himself. Then some?
thing in the man?his unnatural cold?
ness, the purpose which made itself
felt through all his self-restraint?re?
awakened Mr. Ransom's distrust and
led him to say:
"Tour complaint is natural. If you
are Mrs. Ransom's brother, there
should be sympathy between us and
not antagonism. But I feel only an?
tagonism. Why is this?"
A shrug, followed by an odd smile.
"You should be able to account for
that on very reasonable grounds,"
said he. "I do not expect much mercy
from strangers. It Is hard to make
your good Intentions felt through
such a distorted medium as my ex?
pression has now become."
"Mrs. Ransom has been here," Ran?
som suddenly launched forth. "With?
in two hours of your encounter under
Mr. Fulton's roof, she was talking
with you In this hotel. I hpve proof
positive of that, sir."
"I have Tio wish to deny the fact,"
was the Meady answer. "She did
come hern and we had a talk; it was
necessary; I wanted money."
The last phrase was uttered with
such grim determination that the ex?
clamation which had risen to Mr.
Hansom's lips died in a conflict of feel?
ing which forbade any rejoinder that
savored of sarcasm. Hazen, however,
must have noted his first look, for he
added with an air of haughty apology:
"I repeat that we were once very
fond of each other."
Ransom felt his perplexities grow?
ing with every moment he talked with
this man. He remembered the money
which both he and Gerridge had seen
in her bag,?an amount too large for
her to have retained very much on
her person,?and following the in?
stinct of the moment, he remarked:
"Mrs. Ransom is not the woman to
hesitate when a person she loves
makes an appeal for money. She
handed you Immediately a large sum,
I have no doubt"
"She wrote me out a check," was
the simple but cold answer.
Mr. Ransom felt the failure of his
attempt and stole a glance at Ger?
ridge.
The doubtful smile he received was
not very encouraging. The same
thought had evidently struck both.
The money in the bag was a blind
she had car ' d her check-book with
her and so could draw on her account
for whatever she wished. But under
what name? Her maiden one or his?
Ransom determined to find out.
"1 do not begrudge you the money,"
said he, "but Mrs. Ransom's signature
bad changed a few hours previous to
her making out this check. Did she
rwcuher this?"
"She oifeueU her married name,
promising to notify the bank at once."
"And you cashed the check?"
"No, sir; I am not in such immedi
etc need of money as that. I have it
still, but I shall endeavor to cash it
tomorrow. Some question may come
up as to her sanity, and I do not
OhoOSS to lose the only money she has
ever been in a position to give me."
"Mr. llnren. you harp on the irre?
sponsible condition of her mind. Did
you see any tokens of this In the in?
terview you had together?*'
"No; she seemed sane enough then;
a little shocked and troubled, but
quite sane "
"You knew that she had stolen
away from me?that she had resorted
to a most unworthy subterfuge in or?
der to hold this conversation with
you ?'
' No; I had asked her to come, and
on that very afternoon if possible, but
I never knew what means she took
for doing bo; I didn't ask and she
didn't say."
"But she talked of her marriage?
She must have said something about
an event which is usually Considered
the greatest in a woman's life."
"Yes she spoke of it."
"And of me?"
"Yes. she spoke of you."
"And in what terms? 1 cannot re?
frain from asking you, Mr. Hazen, I
am in such ignorance as to her real
attitude towards me; her conduct is
so mysterious; the reasons she gives
for it is so puerile."
"She said nothing against you or
her marriage. She mentioned both,
but not in a manner that would add
to your or my knowledge of her inten?
tions. My sister disappointed me, sir.
She was much less open ihan i wish?
ed. All that I could make out of her
manner and conversation was the
overpowering shock she felt at seeing
me again and seeing me so changed.
She didn't even tell me when and
where we might meet again. When
she left, she was as much loet to me
aa she was to you, and I am no less
interested in finding her than you are
yourself. I had no idea she did not
, mean to return to you when she went
i away from this hotel."
Mr. Ransom sprang upright in an
imitation the other may have shared,
.?ut of which he gave no token.
"Do you mean to say," he asked,
"that you cannot tell me where th*.
Woman you call your sister is now? '
"No more than you can give me
the same necessary information in re?
gard to your wife. I am waiting like
yourself to hear from her?and wait?
ing with aa little hope."
"But this is not like my wife," pro?
tested Ransom, hesitating to accuse
the other of falsehood, yet evidently
doubting him from the bottom of his
heart. "Why deceive us both? She
was never a disingenuous woman."
"I have candidly answered all your
questions, whether agreeable! or oth?
er-wise," observed Hazen, "and the
fact that I am as much shocked as
yourself by these mad and totally in?
credible statements of hers about a
newly recovered sister should prove
to you tha-: she is not following any
lead of mine in this dissemination of
a barefaced falsehood."
There was truth In this which both
Mr. Ransom and Gerridge felt obliged
to own. Yet they were not satisfied,
even after Mr. Hazen, almost against
Mr. Ransom's will, had established
his claims to the relationship he pro?
fessed, by various well-attested docu?
ments he had at hand.
"The maze is at its thickest," Ran?
som remarked as he left a few min?
utes later with the perplexed Ger?
ridge.
CHAPTER VI.
The Lawyer.
Hunt up her man of business," sug?
gested Gerridge, "and see what he
can do for you. She cannot get along
without money; nor could that state?
ment of hers have got into the papers
without somebody's assistance.
Since she did not get it from'
the fellow we have just left,
she must have had It from
the only other person she would dare
confide in."
Ransom answered by immediately
hailing a down-town car.
The interview which followed was
certainly a remarkable one. At first
Lawyer Harper would say nothing,
declaring that his relations with Mrs.
Ransom were of a purely business
and confidential nature. But by de?
grees, moved by the persuasive influ?
ence of Mr. Ransom's candor and his
indubitable right to consideration, he
allowed h! mself to admit that he had
seen Mrs. Ransom during the last three
days and that he had every reason to
believe that there was a twin sister
In the case, and that all Mrs. Ran?
som's eccentric conduct was attributa?
ble to this fact and the overpowering
sense of responsibility which it seem?
ed to have brought to her?a result
which would not appear strange to
those who knew the sensitiveness of
her nature and the delicate balance
of her mind.
Mr. Ransom recalled the tenor of
her strange letter on this subject, but
was not convinced. He inquired of
Mr. Harper if he had heard her say
anything about the equally astound?
ing fact of a returned brother, and
when he found that this was mere
Jargon to Mr. Harper, he related
what he knew of Hazen and left the
lawyer to draw his own inferences.
(To Be Continued.)
The Deserter.
"Do you desire to have it under?
stood?" asked the Judge, addressing
the lady who wanted the divorce,
"that your husband deserted you?"
"Yes, "sir."
"Please tell the court as concisely
as you can how he,deserted you."
"Two months after we had com?
pleted our wedding trip he scolded
me because he thought I was extra?
vagant in the matter of getting
clothes, and I went home to my peo?
ple."'
"Yes. Proceed."
"Well, I waited and waited and
waited for him to come and beg me
to retrn to him, and he never did."
?Chicago Record-Herald.
Knew of One.
Traveler (delayed In Drearyhurst
by washout)?"Are there any objects
of curiosity In this village?"
Uncle Welby Gosh?"Well. I reck?
on I've got as much curiosity as an>
Objlck you'll find. Where are yol
goln' mister, and what do you foliar
fur a living'?"?Chicago Tribune.
DEAFNESS CANNOT HE CURED
by local applications, as they canno
reach the diseased portion of the ear
There is only one way to cure deaf
neat, and that is by constitutiona
remedies. Deafness is caused by an
Inflamed condition of the mucous lin
ing of the Buttachlan Tube. Who
this tube Is inflamed you have
rumbling sound or Imperfect hearing
and when it is entirely closed, Deaf
neat is the result, and unless the in
fiammatlon can be taken out and th)
tube restored to its normal condition
heating will be destroyed forevei
nine cases out of ten are caused h
Catarrh, which is nothing but an in
ilamed condtion of the mucous sui
faces.
We will give One Hundred Dollars
for any case of Deafness (caused by
catarrh) that cannot be cured by
Hall s Catarrh Cure. Send for circu?
lars, free.
F. J. CHBNET & CO., Toledo. O.
Sold by Druggists, 75.
Take Hall's Family Pills for con?
stipation.
7-4-lm.
I
ALCOHOL 3 PER CENT.
A\^gctablePrcparationfbrAs
statflatingterW^Re^
?ngUicSionuu^and?owtsof
infants /children
Promotes DtgestionJCIwifii
ness and ResLContalns natter
OpiumMorphirte norMueraL
Not Narcotic.
BenpetfMIkSSMMmxznL
finpkia S?J~
Jtx<~ma +
Jkmtfmd*
rfWiu Jcru
Aperfect Remedy forConsflM
t ion, Sour Stomach.DIarrim
Worms jCon\uls'wiis Jeverish
ness and LOSS OF SLEEP.
Facsimile Signature of
NEW YORK.
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have
Always Bought
Bears the
Signature
of
Atb months old
35 Doses-35CEMS
Guaranteed SSrfEel
Exact Copy of Wrapper.
In
Use
For Over
Thirty Years
CUSTOM!
tat MftTMM ?MMRT, new von? ?nr.
ES
Birnie's Drug Store,
6 W. Liberty St. Stjmter, S. Q.
-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 600DS.
Our stock is complete
and we cheerfully solicit
your patronage. :: :: ::
new cotton picker.
Asserted by Many Tliat it Will Revo?
lutionize Cotton (fathering.
Jackson's Bridge Builder.
Harry E. Fourcher's cotton picker
has heen given semi-public tests dur?
ing the past two or three days. An
exhibition was given yesterday to a
number of gentlemen. There is the
general conviction that the picker is a
sucoss.
The appliance, In its present form,
works wonderfully well. It has won
the attention of all Augustans. The
general verdict is that Mr. Fourcher
has won fame and his fortune.
The inventor is reticent. Yet he H
absolutely confident. He is as sure
that he has "hit if as he is confident
"Stonewall Jackson," said a Vir?
ginia veteran, "used to tell a story
about a bridge builder. This bridge
builder was called Old Miles. He was
very necessary to Jackson, because
the flimsy bridges on the line of
march were continually being swept
away by the floods or destroyed by
the enemy, and in these contingencies
Miles was a regular jewel. He could
run you up a bridge in the time it
would take another man to make the
measurements. One day the Union
troops burned a bridge across the
Shenandoah. Stonewall Jackson call?
ed Old Miles to him said: 'You must
put all your men to work. If lien, and
you must keep them at it all nighL
for I've got to have a bridge across
that night will follow day. But he
would prefer to await an illustration i this stream by morning. My engineer
by a perfectly manufactured ma-! will draw up the plans for you' Well,
chine before going to \ho public. His ! early the next morning Jacksoq, very
apparatus, at present, is of his own much worried, met Old Miles. 'See
make, the model. In certain particu- here ' he said, dubiously, 'how about
I
Ism it is cumbersome. In others that bridge? Did the engineer give
crude. | you the plan?' Old Miles took the ci
But, however all that, it does the J gar from his mouth and flicked the
werk. The test yesterday showed
that It took the cotton from the boll
? thoroughly and cleanly?and drop?
ped It in a sack, working with mar?
velous rapidity. Mr. Fourcher says
it picks the cotton three or four times
fester than it could be picked by
hand. Others present said ten t<?
twenty times faster. It appeared to
newspaper men that it was gotten
oul fifty times faster.? Orageburg
Times and Democrat, July l.r>.
r.sh off with a sneer. '(leneial.' he
said, 'the brills is done. I dunno
whether the plcter is or not.' "?Kan?
sas City star.
A Strong Pull.
"You want a speedy car, of
course?" "You bet." How about a
hill climber?" "Oh 1 don't keer to
go after pedestrians to that ?ten?.
Just gimme a machine that will ^?-t
'em on tin' ftaL" PltUburg Tost.
TWO men were having an argu?
ment as to their respective strengths.
"Why." said the first, "evcr> morn?
ing before breakfast I get a bucket
and pull up ninety gallons from the
well."
"That s nothing,'1 retorted the oth?
er. "1 get a boat every morning and
pull up the river."
When a woman expresses a wish
her husband generally has to pay the
expreasage.
"Maria, do you remember that fine
dinner you got up ail by yourself
<>n the day I asked you to be mine?"
"Yes, Indeed, Qeorge!" "Everything
Wai splendid." "I am sure it was."
"Ah, I wish your mother was living] A joke is always a joke when it is
with us now, Maria!"?Puck. | On the other fellow.
Twenty years after a girl wouldn't
marry a man be feels like apologlz
Ing to his grandmother about it.