| Show P 6 THE MISS MISSING 1141 FU G MAN by MARY R P HATCH BATCH au hor of 0 the bank tragedy 0 copyright 1892 by bee lee and shepard CHAPTER continued td but I 1 recovered m mv composure suf to pla play mi my part of the return ed osband it was vias not unsuccessful ly done the children cl ing to me fr in the first mr carter was like a father in h s kindness constance only mas as cold but I 1 did not nash to re move the barrier between us I 1 was not such a villian as that and from the first my calculations had only ex tended to the position held by my brother in the bank and mill not to that in his wife wires s affections I 1 was married and lenora loved me but my m plans changed I 1 saw that it would mould not 4 be politic to take tale the po do of cash er even if it co lid ild be obtained and I 1 decided to renounce it and for the present all designs of appropriating its funds or those of the mil for my overpowering love tor for constance increased day da by day while I 1 ched ed under the same roof and then the tempter came in the person of marks marry her he said for I 1 see you ou love her she is rich and you ou can help the rest of us Busl business ness does not prosper as it used our operations are too well mell under stood marry her herl I 1 echoed how bow can I 1 when lenora Is alive an evil smile I 1 11 t up his face but he only said lenora may die she is far from strong b t I 1 thought nothing of all this for I 1 did not he was bad enough to attempt her life now I 1 know that he was I 1 I 1 inow no w that it was he who sent the poisoned ring in my name to her I 1 saw a notice of her death in a nevis newspaper paper which no doubt he bent rent to me but there was mas nothing con berning the suspicions regarding the cause and indeed I 1 do not think they awol e until bruce began his invests gallons in the claimant case I 1 had long ceased to love lenora though I 1 appreciated her single heart he reasoned I 1 would mould pay rather than suffer the matter to become known B it I 1 neer never even mistrusted it until vane recovered his reason and broi brot suit against me then love je bealus alus fear and the old instinct to pit my faculties against the world arose within me there seemed no other course open than to oppose the suit and everything seemed in my favor this was at the outset but as the dais days went on and I 1 saw the an aguish of constance the dejection of vane a great shuddering pity for them both and horror for myself awoke in my soul I 1 would mould think of our mother of her love for us both of her dying request to vane of his long search for me of my treachery in al at lowing him to fall into the clutches of the he law in my place of his ery to reason only to find me in his place and the cum dative wickedness of my course would mould grind me as it I 1 had been fastened into the tortuous iron frames used upon criminals in olden times bit slowly up from under all this anguish of mind there grew up a firm resolve which comforted me corn com forted while it made me wretched I 1 determined to let matters take their course play my part to the end and when that end should come which I 1 was confident would mould establish me in the ees eyes of the law as vane hamilton I 1 would go amay ava and give him his rightful place vane lane was arrested and I 1 remained free that was as I 1 expected but I 1 dingere I 1 a few days on the scene of my quiet happy yes happy life tor for it seemed hard to cut myself off from it all I 1 do not mean tu to preach but I 1 want mant to say that good people know little about what they condemn so rapidly they know little and seem to care little about the lives lives of the poor door creatures 4 14 9 ay 1 00 60 I 1 owe it to your fa ess my w fe first of all ed devotion to me but now that she N was as dead I 1 said to myself exultantly I 1 would press my pretended claims upon constance as I 1 never had done but I 1 sa d nothing about it to marks with whom and all my evil associates I 1 determined to break for strange as it may appear I 1 fully decided to begin a new upright life to be in reality what vane had been I 1 would mould per suade constance to marry me on the plea of beginning a new life together and then I 1 decided to bei be so kind so good and true that she would never mistrust I 1 was not the real vane ham ilton the good pure moral atmosphere of grovedale Grov edale seemed to have uplifted my soul to better things than I 1 had ever I 1 I 1 began to see that hon or dr really existed that there were true hearts in the world little clare would kneel beside me when she prayed and sometimes I 1 prated prayed with her in my heart and fancied I 1 mas struggling to free itself of the terrible toils tolls of sins but how could I 1 think that for gi veness was wag mine or that it could come to me in the midst of the m willed lei ed deceit of my dally daily life I 1 about this time I 1 began to feel con selous of an uneasiness regarding primus edes not that I 1 mistrusted constance of any wrong far from it but I 1 feared that she might have a romantic attachment for him as he was said to resemble her husband in some degree I 1 called him to the dt df flee fice and talked with him the lesem blance existed but not to an unus lal ial degree I 1 had not the slightest idea he was vane hamilton not the slightest for jor vane I 1 was convinced had been drowned when he left the office after rejecting my proposal to give him a be ter job in another z it I 1 warned him to keep off my premises my premises and he the true owner marks was keener than I 1 and I 1 think mistrusted him from the first but he said nothing to me about it it t was his hand that fired the shot at pridu id eds idis Is as he was called ot of hat that I 1 am firmly convinced though I 1 lid did not see him about grovedale Grov edale I 1 hink think he conceived the scheme of removing lenora and vane from my pith and then of holding it over me afterwards as the means of getting targe arge sums of monea from me which ott oft enest found in their courts of jus tice I 1 have thought of this much la in the past week and I 1 have wondered what my life would mould have been if I 1 had not been taken from my parents but b ut al at lowed to grow up in the midst of good influences and I 1 haie been probably as good a man as my twin brother and perhaps it Is not too much to say that he might have been like me with the same environment I 1 go away and I 1 go a thief a crimin al at in the ees eyes of the law but I 1 know vane vanes s heart and I 1 feel that I 1 ma may Y hope for forgiveness and that he will believe me when I 1 say that I 1 will re pay him some time it if possible the money I 1 took while occupying his premises and constance I 1 promise you ou that I 1 will live an honest life here after I 1 can fancy 5 your our doubting mi ini ability to do so but I 1 will I 1 swear smear it whenever I 1 go I 1 shall take with me the memory of your our true noble w wo 0 manhood and wifehood wite hood vane may rest his soul in your truth and faith falness and I 1 in time perhaps may be glad to think of you as a sister but not now nom not now tor for fear of seem ing maudlin I 1 refrain from saying more you must have known how I 1 loved you ou and ou can realize what it costs to leave you to him VICTOR HAMILTON CHAPTER on the husband and wife read the con bession together after he had been re leased and returned to his own home and a great pity took possession of his soul tor for his unfortunate brother he had great innate nobleness bleness Es said constance oe of as ne would not have given up everything when he might have kept it ft yes that proves it said her bus band but for this I 1 might still be in confinement and awaiting trial on charge of murder but I 1 owe it to yo you ii a my wit aliza 0 i all the hamiltons continued to resla in grovedale Grov edale the children grew to be a tall youth and maid and great corn com forts to their parents and they were mere taught to feel pity rather than betes atlon for tl tf o bici ed I 1 after two or three years pars pase 4 away a large box of fruit reachy 1 I 1 them hem from california and they afi 4 sure the sender must be victor to in fine years ears came a check tor for one thou sand dollars it was mas signed charles hagers but they were sure it came from him also particularly as others followed from time to time they wrote to charles rogers but receive ing nd reply fancied that he did not dare answer and so they would not write again but at last they heard of him and in a wa us to create the utmost ron con stern ster atlon nation he ile had been arrested we all read the account of a wealthy barch owner who was arrested and held for trial on charges of former dishonesty how for years ears he had commanded the universal respect of the community in which he lived how he h had risen from being the man ager to the ci ownership of a large fruit ranch and how his friends felt at his arrest after a time the matter was dropped and we mon wondered dered at it long afterwards ls the reason was known to a mr and mrs aam ilton reid the accounts likewise and immediately started tor for california they went ment to the governor and laid before him the whole story of his life temptations and struggles vane pleaded and constance pleaded ant an I 1 both were made eloquent 1 67 their their great sympathy sim pathy ant an I 1 emotions the governor fortunately was a man of ot heart as well mell as of justice and dis cern comment ment perhaps too the grace and beauty of constance touched him for he was as a gallant man at all events after some delay and no little consideration a full pardon was granted victor hamilton and thenceforth he was free to travel as he would mould and without fear it was not known for a long time that it was solomon marks who denounced him because his demands of hush huah money were mere disregarded not until the ar rest confession and death of marks took place he visited grovedale Grov edale and such was his genial nature and manner that he was well mell and even cordially received tor for his story was well known as welt well as his subsequent reformation then he returned to his california ranch As he shook hands woth constance at parting she said to him you should marry victor the ranch needs a mistress never he said you have spoil ed me for any other woman but his head was uplifted and he breathed a full breath at thinking he had been able to give un his chance of winning her when in his big own hands was held his brothers fate cherish her vane as aou ou would mould cherish your own life for she Is a jewel she Is more than my life to me said N ane when will you send for me to keep 1 house for you youa asked clare dancing j out into the sunshine before him next year ear and when the conquer ing hero follows as no doubt he will in a week we will have a grand wed ding at the ranch how does that strike you missy clare blushed a little for the con hero was a as not a myth and the wedding actually took place last sum mer at the ranch as her uncle propos ed her ber parents and brother were present and the ring used at the cere cern mony was the one left in trust by the sorrowing mother years before and whose spirit must have been present 0 o bless them all I 1 the end |
