Show HEA by josephine daskam bacon copyright by if AP appleton PIston and company service tc SYNOPSIS rim IB concern over the disappearance of tho th young and beat beautiful ticul wife of his ht wealthy friend CN anil candall Il white aaron Ol nener engaged motherwell private t or to find her A A n note 0 t e fro roin 1 11 the missing woman war harng h her e r hu hua bund band not to call in the police she sha hoped to come comb bacic acl mrs white in considerably younger than her hua bus I 1 band CHAPTER II 11 continued 2 mr ar whites attl attitude tude can only be described by one word infatuation said mr whites friend quickly 1 iva I drat marriage was like any other romance domestic life friendship hut but when he brought clella clelia to this house a year after poor nettles death I 1 saw aw that he had never boon been iri in love before if kny anything thing has happened to her mr motherwell he will die I 1 hove have not the slightest doubt of it where did he meet her ber was she she was nobody in the world but a beautiful girl 11 said mr glaenzer Ola Cli enzer tenzer and never pretended to be anything else iler her name was clella lee and she was a distant co connection of a poor and gono gone to seed branch of the virginia leon lees when interested ladles L you know how kindly and how interested our new york ladles can be bel asked her about this lee arid and that carroll carroll and all the rest of it mid the man of a hundred bundled generations smiled slightly she told them just what I 1 have told you it really left thena them very little to say I 1 thought one or two of them invite her I 1 believe but after crandall took her to london it was a little embarrassing for them because she created tie aa they say ay a furore there they dont know a draymann dray mans daughter from a colonial dame you know over there said mr air gladner Gla ener erizer smiling mildly and now mr motherwell well lyou you know as much as I 1 know which Is no more than everybody knows he added except the young man suggested gently what miss misa lee was doing before she married As to that I 1 can only say any that white told mo me that she was recommended to ills attention by al a french friend of poor Nett nettles los an old governess she duenna ed a bri bakers kers dozen of music students in paris and this girl she eha told him had como come direct from a convent consent in tho the south over here somewhere on a scholarship she knew nil all abat teh biet had any amount ot of letters she was ns ila good as a slie she was beautiful lie ile paused and sighed it was evident that lie he was worried to a degree you see mr air motherwell my poor friend go to the music halls it ho e said ile iio might have married anyone he liked I 1 suppose it if he ha happens to love beauty more than anything on earth and found it with a reasonably amount amoun of love into tho the bargain from t a woman who Is one of the frankest I 1 ever mot met poor crandall id give up anything but one of my own onn children to bring her bacal he groaned and ancl put his hand over ills his eyes you think chink then that she wont come back Aloth erwall asked quietly come buck back comel gloenzer Gln Glit enzer erizer repented scornfully get back you mean I 1 think what but the most dreadful necessity could tako take her bar away does docs that letter sound like an eloping and why should she gol adored literally adored by a man who would cut out his eyes if she wanted them set in it a dinner ring pearls a yacht you know motherwell anything on locis gods earth she wanted I 1 ills ilits children friendly even which always to be expected you know and such a want such stich a character such distinction such brains and believe me motherwell mothers ell more charm than I 1 over ever found in one of your countrymen I 1 what do you make of the letter motherwell 1 I think as anybody must think of course that dint she was forced to go for some reason or thought site ble was and that sho she have liked it because sho she cried when she wrote it I 1 think that sho she may hae been In intimidated tint by threats her hus husbands brinds life perhaps her own but I 1 should say sav his because ne cause of that part about hla his not needing to ho be frightened to death though site eho wn was because of that yes there hns has been no suggestion of any ran none at nil all Cr crandall andRII has stayed staged at home ever since or would have until I 1 warned him that h if could noi not conceal lits its trouble from the servants I 1 sent rent him to atlantic city and it Is understood that they are both away for a little ile iio can bo be reached in n few in minutes if of course what said motherwell Molher woH after a moment docs lie he expect to do in case she ehe return after a reasonable time Gla erizer spread his hands blankly what can call he do after tha letter lie would not dare appeal to tho the pollee police clely lely menns means what sho she said lie he told me that Is motherwell corrected she means that she bho had to write it its not very ory difficult to that she he may havo bay felt that sho she had to at least you mean that tilts this may not be her feeling nt at all hut but a dictated phrase moro more or less and i in ahat that case its simply tho threat of any crim criminal of course wo we thought of that and yet 11 said glaenzer slowly she may have meant it mr air motherwell wo we have to remember that and if IE she did then she never will come back 11 you think so sot clella clelin white to Is one of the most even tempered women I 1 ever knew said mr glaenzer but she Is also one of the most determined that letter sounds bounds very much like her mr motherwell what does sho she say there lle member that I 1 mean it personally I 1 think she does you mean that you think she wanted to disappear like that 1 I dont say that of course she want to but I 1 think that she thou thought ht she haa to I 1 ad admit wit frankly that that sound to me like a dictated letter mr motherwell 1 of course said eald the young man there Is this it might not be dictated in form but in spirit I 1 mean she may have been told what to say aay and allowed to say it in her own wo words ads 11 yes res that Is possible said the jeweler it was evidently decided in great haste nil lill of it the paper its on the chaotic way its written the repetitions the utter lack of preparation the fact that she leaves the alibi to her husband but my dear young man glaenzer Oln enzer interrupted hastily people dont make elaborate preparations for being P he stopped suddenly being what motherwell asked comei come mr glaenzer you enow you dont think mrs white was abducted P I 1 no I 1 dont the jeweler agreed shortly youre toure very clever mr motherwell I 1 dont As a matter of fact people dont abduct rich mens wives children occasionally but the letter naming tho the ransom usual usually y comes along quickly perhaps motherwell suggested thoughtfully afraid the average rich man pay such a large ransom for hla his wifel but it so 8 0 happens that in this case the rich man would I 1 take it there tire are no children none As a mutter matter of fact it be at nil all impossible to abduct a rich mans wife motherwell persisted 1 I admit its not a fashionable crime but it could be done ile he would pay anything he anything he be owns owna then it will be easier easier I 1 why of course its much easier to find a woman who want to be lost than one who does and one thing that makes it easier in any event in tills ladys case to la her spectacular beauty it must be fairly dlf dif to keep such a person unnoticed I 1 should think do you yon know what she had on when she left the house 11 no said glaenzer despairingly we dont and we cant very yell byell ask I 1 made crandall telephone her mald maid from my house what lid did he say why let me see lie ho said coggeshall your mistress has decided suddenly to stay out of town ashes not quite up to tho the mark im sorry to say and wants you to pack her clothes for a few days negligees and simple things you know send them to the office and ill take them 1 I suppose you dont know what she answered why yes yea as it happens I 1 do I 1 asked him because I 1 wondered C of f course just what the servants were thinking you see she been back all that evening and crandall was nearly wild she only said Is that so sir IM truly sorry ill pack directly sir I 1 suppose she wont want you to bring any of her jewels sir so then lie said no and I 1 nudged and whispered to him to ask if she had enough or something like that I 1 thought it would bo be an excellent chance exactly and had she im sure sho she had only her wedding ring and guard mr white and tho the Ale medusa dusa of course she answered tho the Ile medusa dusa sir motherwell asked the jeweler minded handed him for the second time the magazine still open at the portrait sho she has it on he said against an evening dress of 0 iridescent white cunningly massed against her roar ar skin there shone but bat cho one jewel a lambent green thing as aa large larea ns as a silver dollar or nearly in low but exquisitely clear relief was waa cut upon it a womans comans beautiful face framed tn in a mass of tossing serpents too tiny for belief at first you thought them wild locks of hair meray ly but in ih a moment you knew them for what they were and wondered since the painter was so gifted what must the gem utter cutter have been I 1 whew I 1 motherwell exclaimed what hat a wonder its jade its only equal Is in rel peking drig I 1 b believe L said glaenzer 1 I gave it to her as a wedding gift site she took an absurd fancy to it and wore it called it her lucky piece tills this look ns as it if shed been s spirited away for her jewelry joes oes it sir no said glaenzer Ola Gla enzer crizer quietly slie she is acar car more moie then that usually Alwi always tys when I 1 have secir her what for instance tier her betrothal ring a large black pearl set in diamonds a small triple string of pearls usually a sapphire link bracelet perhaps the medusa she wore as a brooch either at her neck or sometimes adf as a pendant to the pearls hut but she always wore tt it motherwell considered a moment ner iller mald maid has said nothing more oh yes she went directly to white the next morning and asked it if her mistress want her he said ho he understood not but would make maka sure surd this morning she asked it if the c lothes clothes had been satisfactory and if there was tiny any message for hr her ile iia said yes of course and that there was nore none this noon she called me up here ni at about five and asked if any message had been sent her from mrs white I 1 said not that I 1 knew of 11 im sure shell send if she requires you coggeshall I 1 told her and she answered rather dispiritedly yes sir I 1 suppose so ashes english I 1 suppose an extremely high class woman for that position she Is devoted to clella and earns I 1 imagine all of her un undoubtedly high wages mr motherwell looked into the fire in silence and his host forbore to break it at last he spoke im afraid feel yourself leaning on a broken reed mr glaenzer he said slowly if I 1 was one of these johnnies iri id a book now id have taken a lot of notes and asked a few piercing questions and dashed off and arrested soWe homebody body mr white for c holce choice dut but the only thing I 1 can do lg Is to wait until something strikes me ma tills this is realty very difficult you know im afraid I 1 think it looks rather bad for mr air white sir glaenzer groaned dont Don tt 1 he said and went on after ain a moment 0 lt it on the contrary motherwell the ho said you impress me very much very much indeed put but I 1 am a little surprised that you dont notice one tiling thing I 1 thought you would have in the letter you sou mean yes what thing sir why this odd sentence said bald mr Gla crizer poor white and I 1 have worn our brains out over it yet you yon r skip kip over it very easily perhaps you notice it though you might read the sentence suggested motherwell mr glaenzer took the letter and read 1 I told him that I 1 tell you know I 1 love you told whom poor crandall thinks lier her brain was upset but you think she simply made a slip in her excitement said bald motherwell quietly the older man gasped slightly you its hard to conceal ones feelings from you ray my clever young friend ho he said 1 I suppose what I 1 meant yes but anyway what does it menn mean 1 I told him that I 1 would tell you 7 forgetting that crandall knows of no him oil oh no I 1 say so but you did notice it you yon think you understand it perhaps why yes I 1 think it could be explained pla ined said motherwell absently then perhaps mr glace tone was almost imperceptibly edged ile was very tired the young man mail blinked and apologized with ills hla whole mobile face please cleage excuse mel he ha cried 1 I sot got thinking you know lie he explained 1 I read that part of the letter a differently if you will hand it to nl me ile he took it laid it on the arm of his chair and bent over it as 1 if w writing 1 I am quite well no one Is hurt ing mi me 11 here he flung back angrily over ills his shoulder 1 I told him that I 1 tell you 11 then again writing you know I 1 love you 11 I 1 TO TIE BE CONTIN CONTINUED UnD |