The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-31

some standing, could go into the wit
ness-box and swear to his unity. But
j my old dread was always with me-the
dread that any further shock would
overturn the balance of his sensitive
mind.
So it was that every hour that Car
riston was out of my sight was fraught
with anxiety. If Ralph Capriston was
really as INSCRIPTIONS as my friend
supposed; if he had really, as seemed
almost probable, suborned our agent,
be might by some crafty trick obtain
the needful certificate, and some day /
should come home and find GARRISON
had been removed, In such a case l
foresaw great trouble and distress.
Besides, after all that had occurred,
it was as much as | could do to believe
that Carriston was not mad Any doc
| tor who knew what knew would have
| given the verdict against him.
After dismiSsing his visions and hal
! lucinations with the contempt which
/ they deserved, the fact of a man who
was madly, passionately in love with a
woman. and who believed that she had
been entrapped and was still kept in re-
straint, sitting down quietly, and let
ting day after day pass without making
an effort toward finding her, was in
/ itself pTind tGc5e evidence of insanity.
A sane man would at once have set all
the engines of detection at work.
felt that If once Ralph Carriston
obtained possession of HIM he could
make out a strong case in his own
favor. First of all. the proposed mar
riage out of the defendant own sphere
OF life; the passing under false name;
tne ridiculous, or apparently ridiculous,
accusation made against his kinsman;
the murderous threats; the chastiSe-
ment of his own paid agent who brought
him report which might not seem at
AL untrue TO airy one who knew not
Madeline Rowan. Leaving out of tie
question what might be wrung from
me in crOsS-eXamnatiOn, Ralph Car
ristOn had Il strong case, and | knew
that, once in his power, my friend might
possibly be doomed to pass years. if not
his whole life. under restraint. So l
was anxious, very anxious.
And l felt an anxiety, scarcely second
to that which prevailed on Carriston's
account, As to the fate of Madeline.
Granting, for sake of argument, that
CaIrisrOn's absurd conviction that no
bodily narm had is vet been done her
was true, fell sure that she, with her
scarcely less sensitive nature, must feel
the separation from her lover as much
as he himself felt the separation from
her. Once or twice tried to comfort
myself with cynicism-tried to persuade
myself that young woman could not
in our days be spirited away-that she
had gone by her own free-will- that
there was man who had at the
eleventh hour alienated her affections
from CarristOn. But could not bring
myself to believe this. So | was placed
between the horns of a dilemma.
If Madeline had not fled of her own
free-wiil, some one must have taken her
away, and if so, our agent report was
a coined one, and, if a coined one, is
sued at Ralphs instance: therefore,
Ralph must be the prime actor in the
mystery.
But in sober moments such deduc-
ton seemed an utter abSurdity.
Although | have said that Carriston
was doing nothing toward clearing up
the mystery, | wrong him in so saying.
After his own erratic way, he was at
work. At such work, too! l really
lost all patience with him.
He shut himself up in his room. out
of which he scarcely stirred for three
days. BY that time he had completed
large and beautiful drawing of his
imaginary man. This he took to a we'll
known photographer and ordered sew
eral hundred small photographs of it to
be prepared As soon rs possible. The
minute description which he had given
me of his fanciful creation was printed
at the foot of each copy. As soon as
the first batch of these precious photo |
graphs was sent home. to my great Joy
he did what he should have done days |
ago: yielded to my wishes and put the !
matter into the hands of the police.
/ was glad to find that in giving de-
tails of what had happened he said |
nothing about the ACCESSIBILITY of keep |
ing a watch on Raj phi Carriston' pro-
ceedingS. He did, indeed, offer an alb
surdly large reward for the discovery
of the missing girl, and, moreover,
gave the officer in charge of the case a |
packet of photographs of his phantom
man. telling him in the gravest manner
that he knew the original of that like
ness had something to do with the dis |
OF Miss Rowan. The Off
Ger, who thought the portrait was that
of natural being, took his instructions
in good faith, although he seemed great
~ surprised when he heard that Carris-
ton knew neither the name nor the &C.
in fact knew nothing con-
corning the man who was to be sought |
for. However. as Carriston assured
him that finding this man would insure
the reward rs much as if he found |
Madeline, the officer readily promised
to combine the two tasks, little know
ing what waste of time any attempt to
perform the latter must be.
Two DAYS after this, Carriston came
to me. II shall leave you tomorrow"
he said.
Where are You going?" 1 asked.
''Why do you leaye?'
Il am going to travel about 1 have
no intention of letting Ralph get hold
of me. So mean to go from place to
place until lind Madeline
BE careful" urged.
Il shall be careful enough. I'll take
care that no doctors, surgeons, or even
apothecaries get on my track. shall
90 just as the fit seizes me. If | can't
say one day where | shall be the next,
it will be impossible for that villain to
know"
His idea seemed to be that chance
would sooner or later bring him in con-
tact with the man of his dream. How
ever, now that the search had been in
trusted to the proper persons. his own