The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-06


ent from what. up to that moment, had
imagined it TO be.
sDaisy." ] said, trying hard to subdue my
excitement ~are YOU aware that the power
Of attorney which you signed the other day
makes me n the present absolute master OF
all your properiyI You have constituted
me your other self While you are in con-
finament here can go where / will and do
what please in your name, as your repre-
sentative Are You willing that should
make full use Of these pOwersP
@0h, yes" she cried; @who can use them
hsttert7
"Ehen, darling, shall make my first use
OF them by putting veto upon you
want you to pr mise that you will on no
account allow DIR. Branksorne to see you
until we meet again. You know they viii
allow no one to visit you now unless you de
sire it, Will you promises"
i will promise anything you wish
"Then l must tell you that I shall go direct
from here to Great Lorton in order that ]
may search the hall from the roof to the
cellars, if necessary, for proof of your limo
cence. The first thing have to find is that
parcel of strychnia. Can you help msiT
She shook her head doubtfully. a wish
could; but / cannot recall what did
with it."
aBy the wav," said, "do you know thisl"
took from my pocket the rused knife or
dagger which had found on my bed on the
nj hit that l slept at the hall
She looked at it. and then the color dyed
her cheeks once more
@Where did you find itG" she asked.
ain my bedroom-the haunted chamber"
GAh, l rememberr she cried, II remember
now where placed the poisonl 1t is in the
secret passage leading to the haunted room"
"Do you indeed remember, my darlingi
Are you surep
HQuite, quite sure Stay, let me tell you
all On that night when my uncle heard,
after he had said good night to you, of what
had passed between us in the garden, he
came to my room 1 had not gone to bed,
for / was thinking of all that you had been
saying to me We had dreadful scene, as
you know Some one had poisoned his
mind. He told me l should never see you
again, and was In despair. Then Iremem-
bered that you were to sleep in the haunted
room, and that there was a private stair
leading to it from the drawing room cor
ridor / resolved to send you q letter,
so that you might not leave the hall
thinking that l was unfaithful to you.
Ny maid and had discovered the
rassage shortly before, and knew that it led
up to your room, which was entered by
means of sliding panel wrote the note,
and gave it to her to take to your chamber
when she was certain you were asleep. She
went with it; but returned almost i'm
mediately to say that she could not move
the panel We looked about for something
by which to open it, and saw this old knife
in its sheath. It was given to me as curl
osty, years ago, by an old sailor Taylor,
my maid, took the knife, and went back to
your room When she returned she told
me that shs had placed the note upon your
pillow, but that at the moment when she did
so you had moved in your sleep; and in her
fright she had left the room at once, forget
ting to bring the knife with her.
"Then there was no ghost but the one you
sent to me, darlingl But about the strychnia;
for that is about the most important thing
of all nown
Il placed it ON shelf over the door by
which the secret stair is entered. 1t was the
sight of the knife which reminded me Inn
mediately of the place"
rose breathless with excitement
any darling, by Gods help, all will yet bs
well. But l must not delay moment
longer now"
Istrained her in my arms, and kissed hel
passonately. Half an hour afterwards
was on my way to Great Lorton, having
disuatched a tele gram to Mr. Eastmead, beg
ging him to meet me at the Barton railway
station.
| found the chief constable waiting for m'
on the platform at Barton. Like other mer
"in the force" he was probably happier
when engaged in bringing a criminal Il
Justice than when he was saving an innocen
person from an unjust punishment But IL
Daisy's case he showed as much zeal a
though he had been one of her persona
friends, and I had no need to complain o
the interest he displayed when ] told hin
the errand upon which l was bent, and the
important facts which had ELECTED during
my visit to the prison
II want you to accompany me In my
l,earch through the hall Mr.. Eastmead, botl
because you will be an unimpeachable wit
ness regarding any discoveries may make
and because l may need to appeal to the aiC
of the law in my task For you will under
stand that shall not do things by halves
This power of attorney makes me Mis-
Stancliffe's legal representative, and | shall
use all my rights under it, not only to provs
her innocence, but, if possible, to discover
who the guilty person is.
GYou have set yourself hard task, MIR.
Fenton." he replied; "but there is SONS
hope of success for I am quite certain that
as yet we do not know the truth. T"
We had to walk from Little Eorton station
to the hall. My interview with Daisy hac
taken place in the early morning, and i
was barely two o'clock in the afternoos
when found myself once more standing or
the broad terrace in front of the quaint old
house.
The first person saw was the evi.-omened
Flinter. He came forward with an insolent
air and demanded my business.
&My business, sir, might very well be te
give you into custody for the outrage which
You committed upon me. As it is. | am here
in the exercise of my rights, and have moth
ing to say to you
@You won't get into the hall, at all events,
he said, doggedly.
"None of that nonsense" interposed the
chief constable, 4or shall have 10 take you
into my hands, my man. Mr. Fen. on, i'm
agine, is the only person who has any rights
here, If it comes to that
At that moment saw DIR. Branksome
sauntering along the terrace from the direc-
ton OF the garden. He looked genuinely
surprised when he saw who it was with
whom Flinter was having this alteration.
He came forward with quickened step, and
his usual air of bland avity.
aMr Fentonl Mr. Eastmeadl This is an
unexpected pleasure"
aPossibly," said, all the suspicious of the
man which during the last few hours had
risen in my mind betraying themselves in
nv face and voice II am here, Lowever,
Dr. Branksome, as the representative oi
Miss Stancliffe, and as you will see, am
accompanied by Mr.. Eastmead, as the rep
resentative of the law"
II think, sir, you forget yourself, replied
Branksome 81 have no wish to cast any
doubts upon the sincerity of your interest in
the unfortunate lady whose guardian | am,
but have the honor to be the only person
who can claim to be her legal representa-
tive"
NV hot blood mounted to my cheeks, and
| was about to answer him angrily, when
Eastmead again interposed.
@This gentleman, DR.. Branksome, acts un-
der a power of attorne from Miss Stancliffe.
! You will hardly dispu; his right to repre-
sent her when you know that
"A power Of attorney MonstrousI I'm.
possiblel She would never have signed such
q document without consulting me-"
GDr Branksome," ( said, @we will not
handy words. if you please. hold this
power Of attorney. and thank God that
do so; and now am going into this house 70
look for, and believe to find, the proofs Of
the innocence of the girl whom you pro
fessed to shield and le { to die"
my dear fellow, retorted Brankscme.
with just the suspicion Of sneer IN his
tones, why viii you be always so nisl drn-
mattel If you had told me at tirst 'shai
| your object wa, you would not have sssSsd
any power of attorney te get admittarce 20
! this home By all means enter and vel