Show ze MYSTERY oralce jr aLce lucz AUTHOR yH ARClA dac daurt or THC MORNING ETC y at viti wt fy SYNOPSIS tyron dunham jut alighted a train Is approached by a beautiful girl who asks his protection she if in fear of hurault but declines to give the cause of her distress dunham takes her to his home and la abe absence of hi mother and later borrow a hat and a cloak for her he takes her to a dinner party at the home of a friend and gives her name a mary her action tamp her as a girl 0 refinement and breeding after the dinner the requeta dunham to assist her to leave the city he puts her on a train tor chicago and Bupp lles her with money dunham haa become intensely interested in the girt and anxious to solve the mystery which surrounds tur rounds her stories in the newspapers 0 missing garla only add to his bewilder moot arrived in chicago the girl buy gome cheap clothing in an attempt at and starts out to seek employment she gets work aa a waitress in the home 0 mrs dunham receives a package containing the borrowed hat and cloak with a note ot thank signed mary dunham goes to chicago on legal busl nesa and exert ev cry effort to and mary he la invited to the home of a friend tor dinner As he approaches the house he hears a man giving directions to a shabbily dressed in regarding some one who goes under th name of mary he recognizes in the waitress at the dinner table the much sought man and arranges for an interview with her the following day at the Y W C A he proposes to her CHAPTER IX continued she lifted eloquent eyes to his face oh it Is not that she stammered a rosy light flooding cheek and brow it Is not that at all but you know nothing about me if you knew you would very likely think as others do and then do not tell me anything about yourself it it will trouble you I 1 do not care what others think if you have poisoned a husband I 1 should know that he needed poisoning and any way I 1 should love you and stand by you I 1 have not done anything wrong she said gravely then it you have done nothing wrong we will prove it to the world or it cannot prove it we will fly to some 6 rt island and live there in peace ain love that Is the way I 1 feel about you I 1 know that you are good and true and lovelys any one might aa well try to prove to me that you were crazy as that you bad done wrong in any way her face grew strangely white well suppose I 1 was crazy then I 1 would take you and cherish you and try to cure you and it that could not be done I 1 should help you bear if oh you are wonderful I 1 she breathed the light of a great love growing in her eyes do you think to you could learn to love me said the man s voice with the sweetness ot the love song of the aa in its tone I 1 love you now said the girl s low voice 1 I think I 1 have loved you from the beginning though I 1 never dared to think ot it in that way but it would not be right for me to become your wife when you know practically noth ing about me have you forgotten that you know nothing of me oh I 1 do know something about you she said shyly remember that I 1 have dined with your friends I 1 could not help seeing that they were good people especially that delightful old man the judge he looked star like my dear father I 1 saw how they all honored and loved you and oh you are wonderfully Wonder full she breathed then what you have done tor me and the way that you treated an utterly defenseless stranger pr were equal to years of mere acquaintance I 1 feel that I 1 know a great deal about cooj he smiled thank you ne said but I 1 have not forgotten that something more Is due you than that slight knowledge of me and before I 1 cams out here I 1 went to the pastor of the church of which my mother Is a mem ber and have always attended nd asked him to write me n letter he Is so widely known that I 1 felt it would be an introduction for me he laid an open letter in her lap and down she saw that it wa signed by the name of one of the anat known orators in the land I 1 and that it spoke in highest terms of abo young man whom it named aa my well loved friend it la also your right to know that I 1 have always tried to live a pure and honorable life I 1 have never told any woman but you that I 1 loved her ex capt an elderly cousin with whom I 1 thought I 1 was in love when I 1 was nineteen she cured me of it by laughing at me and I 1 have been heart whole ever since she raised her ayea from reading the letter you hava all these and I 1 have nothing she spread out her hands helplessly it must seem strange to you that I 1 am in this situation it does to me it la awful she put her hands over her eyes and shuddered it Is to save you from it all that I 1 have come he leaned over and spoke tenderly darling oh wait she caught her breath as it it hurt her and put out her hand to stop him walt you must not say any more until I 1 have told you all about it perhaps when I 1 have told you you will think about me as others do and I 1 shall have tp run from you can you not trust roe he reproached pro ached her oh yes I 1 can trust you but you may no longer trust me and that I 1 cannot bear I 1 promise you solemnly that I 1 will believe every word you say ah but you will think I 1 do not know and that it la your duty to give me into the hands of my enemies that I 1 most solemnly vow I 1 will never do he said earnestly you need not tear to tell me anything but listen tell me this one thing in the eyes of god Is there any reason ghys phys leal mental or spiritual why you should not become my wife she looked him clearly in the eyes none at all then I 1 am satisfied to take you without bearing your story until after wards but I 1 am not satisfied if I 1 am to see distrust come into your eyes it must be now not afterwards then tell it quickly ho put out his hand and took hers firmly into his own as if to help her in her story CHAPTER X my father died when I 1 was only a young girl we had not much money and my mothers older brother took us to bis home to live my mother was his youngest sister and he loved her more than any one else living there was another sister a half sister much older than my mother and she had one son he was a sulky handsome boy with a selfish cruel nature he seemed to be happy only when he was tormenting some one he used to come to uncle s to visit when t was there and he delighted in an noyong me he stretched barbed wire where he knew I 1 was going to pass in ahe dark to throw me down and tear my clothes he threw a quantity of burrs in my hair and once he led me into a hornets nest after we went to live at my uncle s richard was not there so much he bad displeased my uncle and he sent him away to school but at vacation times he came again and kept the house in descom fort he seemed always to have a special eplite against me once be broke a rare dresden jaee that uncle prized and told him I 1 bad done it mother did not live long after fa ther died and after she was gone I 1 had no one to stand between me and richard sometimes I 1 bad to tell my uncle but oftener I 1 tried to bear it because I 1 knew richard was already a great distress to him at last richard waa expelled from college and uncle was BO angry with him that he told him be would do nothing more for him he must go to work richard s father and mother had not much money and there were other children to support richard threatened me with all sorts of awful things if I 1 did not coax uncle to take him back into his good graces again I 1 told him I 1 would not say a word to uncle he vas very angry and swore at me when I 1 tried to leave the room he locked the door and would not let mo go until I 1 screamed for help then he almost choked me but when he heard uncle coming he jumped out of the window the next day he forged a check in my uncle s name and tried to throw suspicion on me but he was discovered and my uncle disinherited him uncle bad intended to educate richard and start him well in alfe but now he would have nothing further to do with him it seemed to work upon my uncles health all the disgrace to the family name although no one ever thought of my uncle in connection with blame As he paid ards debts it was not known what the boy had done except by the banker who was a personal friend we went abroad then and everywhere uncle amused himself by putting me under the best music masters and giving me all possible advantages in languages literature and art three years ago he died at carlsbad and after his death I 1 went back to my music studies following his wishes in be matter and staying with a dear ii i old lady in tenna who had been kind to us when we were there before As soon rs my uncle a death was known at home richard wrote the most pathetic letter to me professing deep contrition and saying he could never forgive himself for having meled with his dear uncle lie had a ead tale of how the business that be bad started had failed and left him with debts it he had only a few bun dred dollars he could go on with it and pay oft everything he said I 1 had inherited all that would have been his it he had done right and be lecog the justice of it but begged that I 1 would lend him a small sum until he could get on his feet when he would repay me I 1 had little faith in his reformation but felt as if I 1 could not refuse him when I 1 was enjoying what might have been his so I 1 sent him all the money I 1 bad at hand As I 1 was not yet of age I 1 could not control all the property but my allowance was liberal richard continued to send me volum inous letters telling of his changed life and finally asked me to marry him I 1 declined emphatically but be continued to write for money always ending with a statement of bis undying affection in disgust 1 at last offered to send him a certain sum of money regularly it he would stop writing to me on this subject and aln ally succeeded in reducing our correspondence spon dence to a check account this has been going on tor three years ex capt that he has been constantly ask ing tor larger sums and whenever I 1 would eay that I 1 could not spare I 1 found out that he wa a physician more just then he would begin telling me how much he cared for me and how hard it was tor him to be separated from me I 1 began to feel desperate about him and made up my mind that when I 1 received the inheritance I 1 should ask the lawyers to make some arrangement with him by which I 1 should no longer be annoyed it was necessary tor me to return to america when I 1 came of age in order to sign certain papers and take full charge of the property richard knew this he seems to have had some way of finding out everything my uncle did he wrote telling me of a dear friend of his mother who was soon to pass through vienna and who by some misfortune bad been deprived of a position as companion and chaperon to a young girl who was traveling he said it had occurred to him that per haps he could serve us both by sug gesting to me that she be my traveling companion on the voyage I 1 really did need a traveling corn canlon of course having failed to get my dear old lady to undertake the voyage so I 1 thought it could do no harm I 1 went to see her and found her pretty and rail and sad she made a piteous appeal to me and though I 1 was not greatly taken with her I 1 decided she would do as well as any one for a companion she did not bother me during the voyage but fluttered about and was quite popular on board especially with a tall disagreeable man with a cruel jaw and small eyes who always made me feel as it he would gloat over any one in his power I 1 found out that he was a physician a specialist in mental diseases B mrs chambray told me and she talked a great deal about bis skill and insight into such maladies at new york my cousin richard met ua and literally took possession of us without my knowledge th cruel looking doctor was included in the party I 1 did not discover it until we were on the train bound as I 1 supposed for my old home just beyond buffalo it was some time since I 1 had been in new york and I 1 naturally did not notice much which way we were going the fact was every plan was anticipated and I 1 was told that all arrangements bad been made we had been sitting on the observation platform and it was late in the afternoon when I 1 said I 1 was going to lie down and the two men got up to go into the smoker in spite of my protests mrs Cb ambray insisted upon following me in to see that I 1 waa per factly comfortable she bussed fussed around me covering me up and offering baell ing balta and eau de cologne for my head I 1 let her fuss thinking that was the quickest way to get rid of her 1 closed my eyes and she said she would go out to the observation platform I 1 lay still for awhile thinking about her and bow much I 1 wanted to get rid of her she acted aa it the had been engaged to stay with me for ever and it suddenly became very plain to me that I 1 ought to have a talk with her and tell her that I 1 should need her services no longer after ahta journey was over it might make a difference to her it she knew it at once and perhaps now would be good a time to talk as any tor she waa probably alone out on the platform I 1 got up and made a few little changes in my dress tor it would soon ba time to go into the dining car then I 1 went out to the observation platform but she was not there the chairs were all empty BO I 1 chose the one next to the railing away from the car door and sat down to wait tor her think ing we would soon be back we were going so fast through a pretty bit of country it was dusky and restful out there so I 1 leaned back and closed my eyes presently I 1 heard voices approaching above the rumble of the train and peeping around the doorway 1 saw mrs abam bray richard and the doctor coming from the other car I 1 kept quiet hoping they would not come out and they did not they settled down near the door and ordered the porter to put up a table for them to play cards the train began to slow down and finally came to halt tor a longer time on a sidetrack waiting or another train to pass I 1 heard richard ask where I 1 was mrs chambray said laughingly that I 1 was safely asleep then before I 1 realized it they began to talk about me it happened there were no other passengers in the car richard asked mrs chambray if she thought I 1 had any suspicion that I 1 was not on the right train and she said not the slightest and then by degrees there floated to me through the open door the moct diabolical plot I 1 bad ever beard of I 1 gathered from it that we were on the way to philadel ehla would reach there in a little while and would then proceed to a place near washington where the doc tor bad a private insane asylum and where I 1 was to be shut up they were going to administer some drug that would make me unconscious when I 1 was taken off the train if they could not get me to take it tor the headache I 1 had talked about mrs chambray was to manage to get it into my food or give it to me when asleep mrs chambray it seems had not known the entire plot before leaving europe and this was their arst chance of telling her they had arranged every detail richard had been using as models the letters I 1 bad written him for the last three years and bad constructed a set of love letters from me to him in per feet imitation of my handwriting they compared the letters and read snatches of the sentences aloud the letters referred constantly to our being married as soon as I 1 should return from abroad and some of them spoke of the money as belonging to us both and that now it would come to its own without any further trouble they even exhibited a marriage certificate which from what they said must have been made out with our names and mrs chambray and the doctor signed their names as witness es As nearly as I 1 could make out they were going to use this as evl dence that richard was my husband that he had the right to administer my estate during the time that I 1 was incapable |