The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-10-13


Mr.. Questin glanced sharply up, bowed,
| then seemed to recollect the spea ker, for
| he said cordially that he was glad to see
him.
marked Mr.. Perkins, "but thought you
likely to be real sick when we parted in
Rome"
II was for a Bit" the other answered,
"but soon picked up"
'You were well out of Naples; they
had cholera at compound interest after
you left"
eyes, it's not thing l would go out
of my way to meet"
''See anything of it when you were
around?'
''Oh, believe the poor beggars were
dying of it, but it's struggled away as
much as possible"
"Ahl Didn't you tell me that you had
kind o nervous shrinking; that it was
about the only mortal thing that scared
you, Mr.. Questin?"
"Just that" answered the other, with
slight laugh, then he turned to some
topic of the day, and an animated con.
versation ensued.
Mr.. Perkins took no notice of Dicks
eager questions and comments until the
two were at the latter's hotel, when,
slowly removing his big cigar, he said:
"She's right, as young woman In
love should be. It's another man."
At this astounding announcement Dick
seized him by the arm. gasping with
anxiety to hear more
'Face. same; voice, same - action
same; inside all wrong; not hit that off
Now to discover if he has murdered the
other. Can't make out if he is the other
man in the car"
Dick wrote at once to Anastasia, say
ing that they had clew at last
"Now," said Mr.. Perkins. .swell get
right cute sort of detective, and keep an
eye on our friend day and night"
Directly Anastasia heard that there
seemed possibility of her idea being a
correct one, she began to put together
all that Osmund had ever told about the
Questin family, with the conviction that
if there was an impostor in the case, SO
strong a likeness could not be mere ac-
cident. She then wrote to Sherrieff,
telling him that Mr.. Questin's younger
brother had married sister of his wife o,
and that when he declined supplying
their extravagant wants any longer, they
had vanished from sight, and that they
had had one if not more sons, whom
Osmund had never known.
Anastasia was now in condition of
feverish anxiety; her nerves in terrible
state of tension; haunted by pictures of
what might be, weighing in the balance
the chance of ever again having her
lover restored to her, daring not to lift
her hopes too high in dread of their be-
ing knocked down again.
After having suffered the cruel abase-
ment of that sudden contemptu de-
sertion, after having had her love torn,
crushed and bleeding. from her heart, all
these hopes and fears were a strain upon
her too great to have been long endured.
She had made up her mind to bear it.
nevertheless, for some time yet, when a
telegram relieved her from acute sus-
pense:
You are wanted SHERR1EFF.
Twelve hours later she entered the
Hotel de France and was met by Dick
scarcely able to contain his excitement
Pale as death she grasped his out.
stretched hands, but could not speak.
'He is found--alive." said Dick. al
most in whisper, overcome himself by
the sight of suppressed emotion stronger
than he had given human nature credit
for.
Then she gave little sob and turned
away. Oh, unspeakable mercyl should
not she give thanks and praise in her
heart. even before she asked a single
question:
Dick could not have made long story
of it then. though he did afterwards.
Eve tracked him-the fellow-at last
to maison de sante outside Paris, and
there he is-ill, rather; has been very i'll
that's only natural That scoundrel
placed him there as an insane relative,
and goes to see him, believe, for the
sake of studying his part You must
come and swear to his identity and then
we will telegraph for the father"
She could not see him till the next day,
when she and Dick weht together and
found the dear Septimus Perkins wait
ing for them, because he would not
thrust himself upon her sooner.
Got him safe, ma'am," he whispered
jerkily, "but you mustn't expect to find
his hair curled and his handkerchief
scented This with great earnestness.
The door opened, French doctor with
waxed mustache bowed himself into
the room and invited Anastasia to follow
him into the inner one
If the doctor was so moved that he
could only shed tears copiously into a
large cambria handkerchief; if Septimus
Perkins was stamping and coughing in
the other room to keep his sympathy
within bounds; if Dick had a mist before
his eyes, then should not the curtain fall
over that wonderful reunion? All. dear
love and unfailing truth. what matters
pale, sunken face and lean, trembling
figure7 1t was Osmund himself. though
q wreck.
"Oh. sweetheart: oh. my ownr-heart
TO heart spake what lips could not utter.
The only disappointment WAS to the
doctor. ''Theso English--they speak so
little; they throw away situations the