Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-21
(coNCiusIoN)

into Kind OF partnership, In which, no
doubt, the elder man, now in his grave,
was the leader and prompter. From Eu-
stace's description Of Edward Layton's
father recognized a man weak minded as
Eustace himself was, and whose inherent
honor and honesty were warped by his
fatal passion for gambling. Old Mr..
Layton for long time kept his infatua-
tion from the knowledge Of his son, and it
was not until he was actually involved In
crime and disgrace that Edward became
aware Of it. Long before this Edward
had, through his engagement with Mabel
Rutland, been employed in the hopeless
task of endeavoring to save her be-
loved brother, but when the knowledge
Of his own fathers disgrace was forced
upon him he knew that all hope of Ma
bells father consenting to his mar
riage was irretrievably gone. II was not
only that the young and the old man had
lost money in Detting--it was that they
had actually been guilty of forging bills,
which Mr.. Beach, the father of the woman
whom Edward Layton afterward mar
ried, held in his possession. II was this
that first took Edward Layton to Mr..
Beach's house. Mabel had implored him
to save her darling brother, against whom
Mr.. Beach had threatened to take criminal
proceedings. l do not at this moment
know whether Edward Layton had re-
vealed to Mabel the disgrace which hung
also above his father; but that is imma-
teral. Agnes Beach, Mr.. Beach's only
child, saw and fell in love with Edward
Layton, and her father, disreputable as he
was, being devoted to his daughter, was
guided by her in all that subsequently
transpired. The bills he held he deter
minedly refused to part with, unless Ed
ward Layton married his child.
In the terrible position in which he was
placed, knowing that Mabel Rutland was
lost to him forever-knowing how deeply
and devotedly she loved her brother
Eustace-knowing the disgrace which
hung over his own name, he saw no other
way to prevent utter ruin than to enter
into this fatal engagement and to marry q
woman whom he did not love. But, with
full consciousness Of the dsreputable
connection he was about to FORM he laid
no pressing injunction upon his father to
recognize the unhappy union; and in
deed, old Mr.. Layton, aware that he was
in Mr.. Beach's power, was by no means
desirous to meet him. Love lost, honor
lost, the sword hanging over his head.
Edward Layton submitted to the sacrifice,
There was no duplicity on his part. Agnes
Beach knew full well that he did not love
her. He received, as he believed, the
whole of the forged bills which Mr.. Beach
held, and it was not until some time after
his marriage that he discovered that three
Of these fatal acceptances had been with
held from him. At the time he made this
discovery he was leading most unhappy
life with his wife, and on more than one
occasion she taunted him with the power
she held over him.
1t was shortly after the marriage that
weak minded Eustace made the acquaint-
ance of Ida White: She was an attractive
woman, well sversed in the wiles Of her
sex, and she played upon him and en-
tangled him to such an extent that there
was no escape for him. 1t is unnecessary
here to enter into the details of this con-
nection. 1t is sufficient to say that Ida
White held Eustace Rutland completely
in her power, with a firm conviction that
If she could induce him to marry her she
could, after the marriage, obtain the for
giveness of Eustace's father--which would
insure her life of ease and luxury. But
there was still a certain flrmness in the
young man,
: Marry me-" shc said. =
II will marry you,n Eustace replied,
"when get back the forged acceptances.
Where We're they? In Mrs. Layton's
fS~'~-, q -. RI, .-.-i---s- 1, -
Close as was the intimacy which eS-
listed between the unhappy lady and her
maid Mrs. Layton retained SO jealous
possession of these discriminating docu-
ments that Ida White was not able to lay
her hands upon them. In the company Of
Eustace Rutland she was supping in Pre-
vost's restaurant on the night of the 25th
of March. She had slipped away from
tA,Nf, g
done before to meet her young and fool
ish lover. She saw her master and Mabel
enter the room, and observed Layton
taking off his ulster. Then the idea
suddenly entered her head that Eustace
and she should personate her master and
the young lady-with full knowledge
how deeply those two were compromised
by their being together-and arrive home
before them, by which time, doubtless,
Mrs. Layton would be asleep. She knew
that under her pillow Mrs. Layton kept
= the documents which Eustace frantically
desired to obtain, and the possession Of
which would make her, Ida White, his
wife. If Mrs. Layton awoke and resisted
while the forged bills were being alb
stracted, Eustacc would be at hand to use
force, il necessary; and it was princi-
pally from the wish to compromise her
lover so deeply that he would not dare to
break his promise to marry her that she
had determined to put her idea into exc
cution. She knew that ordinarily Edward
Layton kept tho latch key of the street
door in the pocket of his ulster. She
disclosed the scheme to Eustace, and
threatened him with exposure If he did not
do as she desired. 1t was she who took the
ulster from the wall Of the restaurant,
and il was she who, secretly and eYpe-