Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-04-06

| kedar until you find those papers and
| restore them to me if | am alive, or, il
not, burn them unread"
81 PROMISE the young man answer
ed, solemnly.
Listen, then" his uncle said, with
an air of relief; "the robber was a wo
man. All your legal skill and sharpness
will be needed to trace her, but the
perfume of that glove is the strongest
clue. | will give you written tlescrip.
ton to aid you, and you must start at
| once.'
When George Roberts left Locksley
it was as his uncle's acknowledged heir,
and what was of infinitely more mo
ment to him, the accepted lover of Vir-
ginia Kedar. With the little gray
glove treasured carefully, he proceeded
to London, secured an accomplished
detective, and pursued his search. His
mother was to remain at the Grange.
First, they endeavored to find name
for the singular scent, but no perfumer
in London or Paris could explain it.
Both cities were searched, and every
possible or impossible clue taken up, as
the days heightened into weeks and
weeks into months.
When summer emptied the cities,
they sought the watering places-Baden-
Baden, Homburg, and SO on, but all
seemed in vain.
One evening, as George sat in his bed
room in one of the strange little German
towns, pondering over letter from his
mother, which described his uncle's
failing health and growing irrtability,
and almost cursing his own folly in thus
giving up everything to CRAFTY an old
mans insane whm, he was reused from
his respondent gloom by the ntrance
Of fresh little maiden with his clean
linen. AS she sorted out her snowy bur-
den on the bed, subtle strange odor
saluted his senses.
"Good heavens the perfume the
glover Striving to conceal his excite
ment, he approached the girl, as if to
examine her work, and perceived a
small parcel lying on one side, from
which the odor came. He did not speak
German-how to obtain any clue from
it? With sudden movement he man
aged to overturn table covered with
books and papers, and while the girl
with great good nature assisted in re-
placing them, he had dexterously rolled
the parcel under the draperies of the
bed.
She went away without missing it.,
and George instantly summoned his
ally to consult over this unlooked-ior
good fortune. When she came back in
a few hours in search of it, the detec-
tive soon ascertained that the laces be-
longed to a sick lady named Madame
Bernastine.
The clue was rapidly followed up.
Pratt formed an acquaintance with the
invalid's maid, who was English, it
seemed; found from her sufficient proof
of her mistress identity with the wo-
man they sought, and, in a few weeks
time, during which Madame Bernastine
failed rapidly, gained access to her pri-
vate desk, and secured the package OF
letters, still tied with the blue ribbon.
Next day the maid found herself heiress
to all her mistress effects, for the ad-
ventures lay dead, and there was no
one to claim her goods.
George flew back to Locksley Grange,
to find his uncle dying. The old man,
reused from his apathy when he saw
the letters, bade his nephew burn them
before his eyes, and with his last re-
naming strength drew a sealed paper
from under his pillow, placed it in his
ncphew's hand, and fell asleep never to
awaken.
George opened the paper. "That
woman was my wite--an artful iend.
Virginia KedaI Hollowes is my lawful
daughter. | hated her mother, and |
hate her.
Accompanying this was marriage
and birth certificate. That was all.