Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-04-07

1 "a
gelcy. our debate had but a lame issHs. II paps
bad been mere and had become convinced Of ths
| coma 1tes OF his urinvi-ed guest. he would have
sent spence with Mr.. LldlSw TO Captain Escotts
But both papa and the men were absent. Josephs
| was old aud ofren aiilng; hesiJated 20 suggest
any scheme that should involve bis going out Int
any such exposure.
Mr.. Iidlaw carefully inquired his way and an
| nounced thst he should walk. He asked, too
very 0dlly, "a / thought. with new twinkle OF
doubt--the nearest route back TO Daleford village
Fais directions were clear and full, and II The
stranger ODeyed them he could not possibly &c
asJFay in either direction. lt seemed inospitable
10 DerElit hin 10 turn out unattended into the
night; but could perceive no alternative, and
| nave reason 10 think that he would have over
! ruled any and every objection
Mrs climber had not appeared. This struck Us
| afterward as strange. However busy she might
be with her correspondenceit was curious that She
should have heard nothing OF the arrival, that.
( hearlng, sne should have kept away. some twenty
minutes after Ar. Li1law had left she entered the
draWihg-ro0Gl and listened to our Joint narrative
! OF what mad happened. Ifaneied that she was
preOccuped, until Alice CASUALTY referred TO the
visitors Inspection Of her handwrjting and that
IN. her manner changed, and she listened with
NOR lnteIest-even anxiety-than she cared for
Us 70 observe. FROM this fact-if such IL weFe-l
was, however, at loss 10 draw any particular de-
/ ductiOD.
PASS over the hours that elapsed between this
tpisOde ana midnight. We had retired early and
"" mouse ought to have been as dark and still rs
EHinn aoted Older friends tell me that j Is the
with ease. do not doubt IN Il they are right: but
On lIla occasion j continued obstinately awake.
inc LAY hsd not wanted In agitatioGs and sur
HiiseS' ana they had affected my spirit with IN
.lSual restlessness Perhaps / am nervous by
Impairment, and IL was this quality which filed
,.t tlI@ness with shapes Of terror, and my brain
llcIdoslc IearS OF some Stealthily on-creeping
90. ~ Is ii6eiy enough 10 be the true and ample
'ShdiIon Oh my mental CONDITION. Certainly /
-. ,,I agg resi-; HOW vatnIy wished that had
t.JPOSed w Alice that we should occupy the same
IOjh she would have consented instantly,
a,tt1gugh hsd no reason TO suppose that Alice
sh1Ieu my trenlors. But 10 would oe q confession
% cO~aTdlce OF which should not soon hear the
idst 10 go 10 her now, even il the situation OF her
aCDiII, a. tne enc OF long, silent corridor and
acIosS amid-anGing, was not aninsufficient deter
reAs. No; must toss ana turn and wait Tor the
t&luy morning.
suddenly chill shot through my veins: sat
up among The pillows. rigid, and, doubt NOT,
5ianehed almost to their own whiteness. lis
Se..sd IN very agony OF attention. From the
uettns below there had echoed distinctly up
Nafd-Or nv faculties were playing me ralse-the
sound OF the sgilen yielding OF bolt. Ny apart
Lsht was immediately over the plate closet, and
aGI3cent 10 the partition which closed in tue
stCohl night OF stairs. This accounted for the
TRANSMISSION or the noise. But tine noise was an
oLllnOas disclosure. In the dead Of night IL was
surely iHegitiInate, and spoke OF crime
the Vertest craven Will sometimes obtain an ac-
80 Oh courage as mysterious in It's source as, gen.
tFaiy, transient in its sway. 1 am not calling
myself hard names Indeed 1 should be sorry to
oeilsFe That absolutely belong the class whose
badge Is white feather. But have owned to
tEepidation; and now mastered for at least few
minutes ths mrs paralysis OF fright. pressed my
tETOoolng temples hard against the wainseot and
found that the wood was a faithful conductor Of
s so A rumbliny and grating that could have
no honest and satisfactory cause Jared upon my
hlghiy-Strupg nerves. / was not the victim OF de-
.asion- Assured OF this l began to dress, with
Guahlng, 1uInohBg fingers. and In The DARK. Plan
h20 none as yet, ana my actuatng purpose was
merely to reach and alarm the rest OF the house.
hoid. ~ was jast blind instinct, for / did not
pause 10 ask what erectusl resistance to q gang
Of robbers could be offered BY q pack OF scared
women, an Invalid boy and one tottering old man.
ana Mrs al and n tb Sp o SqF psT Sa;
occupied rooms on the same floor as myself, but
Itr to the rear OF the building. 1t was an ugly
venture 10 get to them As was debating re-
heIRbered my mothers jewels. These were de-
posted In dressing-caSe locked into q wardrobe
stfong-oox In Papa's room. Had they escaped the
thieves? Would they escape? by almost q me-
chanlcal Impulse i uDfaSteRed and opened my
door and stepped lightly the ffve or six PAGES to
that or the vast cavern-liSe chamber in which the
liable goes, queen once slept There was a light
within, other than that OF the wan young moon
which gnmrered feebly through lozenge-shaped
panes In window high over my head. / sucked
Ia my breath with n weII-nigh audible gasp and
shlyered; but il WAS as though a subtle fascina-
ton ore" me nearer IN spite of the peril / crept
10 the teil-tale crack through which the pen
cilled line Of light fell q single peep and
l knew the worst; we were betrayed. Kneeling
looms was woman, holding lamp for the guild
ance OF a male cOnfe1 rate, who busied himself
with lie at the wardrobe lock. They seemed
equally absorbed In their nefariOus task The man
l had never before seen, the woman was Mrs
Climber. believe was higher TO swoopipg than
on any previous or Subsequent occasion. Luckily,
With supreme effort was able To recover the
seli-possessOn wrested from me by the double
shock. dare not think what might have been the
denOuement In the contrary event.
How papa mad been deceived, and all OF us. for
though had vaguely dishked the newcomer no
suspicion of her fidelity had entered my mind; yet
my eyes had testified that she was an accompice
ia sinister plot. Very possibly she was Its
originator.
gave me intense anxiety to decide upon my
A lion faa,.-
but dismissed II, hot so much as fmpracticable as
useless. IL was TO lock the two thieves in THIS
was possible, II managed with adroitness, for the
key cast shadow on the polished floor. Mrs
Climber had locked the door OF papa's room with
hypocrltcal care, as we retired that night. saying
that hoUsemaids were curious and had been
known TO walk in their sleep, and that IL WAS NOT
well TO trust them TO excess. And now the ad-
venturess had left the key on the outside But
Villains below making away with the plate: had
heard them; they would come to the rescue and
had no means OF successfully following up the
temporary advantage. Yet my fingers itched to
drag 10 that door and impriS0n my foes,
Clang! clatter! all our bells seemed to be ring
ing at once and Mrs Climbers precious confedeT.
ate5 would not have given the alarm; IL must
mean for them Interruption and DISCONTINUED
And In q trlce had acted on my wild idea The
great oak door was fast-rast! ] had the key, and
with II i fed 10 my own room. There covered "a
children do under the bed-clothes, and suffered
paroxysm after paroNysrn OF helpless ab1ect ter.
Ior. Every vestige OF bravery. deliberate or for
tuit0uS, had fOrsaken me. But | was not molested
What happened on the other side OF my fortress
can Be siaply and sGccinctiy related in the words
with which on the morrow our friend and bene-
factor, Mr. Ldlaw, enlightened papa. It will b,
needIul 10 resume from the point OF his recogni-
tion Of Mrs. Climbers handwriting when chatting
In our drawing room.
"You see, am an expert In these matters he
said probably you may have seen my name In
the newspapers In connection with some trial,
civil or criminal, in which the identification OF
handwriting has formed a leading feature In the
proceedings?'
Il have papa answered
Exactly. And two mouths ago had TO make
professional study OF various documents and sig
natures In a north-country case OF systematic and
lOng-continued fraud. 4 am prepared TO swear
that the specimen OF Mrs. ClimDer's alias Mrs
Cleggs hand shown me by your son is the fac-siIn-
lie OF a large number OF those forged papers The
writer Is the same. And now that have seen
her-she had q most valid reason for keeping In
tue background yesterday EVENING" recognize
the woman TOO she only escaped long term OF
penal serE1tu3e through the plea that she was her
husbands tool. And another thing made me
startled md suspicious. II was this: at Daeford,
a man LETT the same tram, whom Identified, In
spite OF his wrappings as the brother OF the con-
Genned Long Firm swindler, who stood in the
dock with Mrs. Clegg. He'll soon follow him into
a convict cell lie was involved in the Manchester
case, though there was a 1aw In the evidence,
and he eluded the grasp OF justice"
But Mrs. Climbers tesIinOnlalS-they were
most excellent" murmured papa.
FORGED, my dear sir; l entertain no doubt Of
. Nr