The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-06-21

Dut 2WlWaS LuVu you Wnen q lltCIo Rurl ana
want to tel you how Glad am that you are
happy and hoap you Will be so.
MARY DoNNELLY"
CHAPTER VIII.
This letter, IN a cramped hand, written
in pencil, was without date or any other
evidence as to the place where it was writ
ten. The postmarlz was badly blurred, but,
looked at upside down, crOssWise and in
every other way imaginable, Mr.. Parker
thought that he could see that it was York
ers. He read and re-read the letter, AID
wondered how it could be that in all his
patient searching through Yonkers he had
not discovered any trace of this woman 1t
was evident that the letter had been written
within a year, because it SAID: 81 have
heard that you We're married." and Mrs
Brownlow's marriage had not occurred
more than year previous to her disappear
ance. So engrossed was the lawyer in
thinking over this phase of the case that he
forgot for a moment that two other letters
in the pile that he had laid out remained to
be read. Looking them over he found that
one was in the same hand as that which he
had just been reading, and on that the post
mark was plainly onkers. He seized it
feverishly and opened it. That letter was
as follows:
DEAR MRS. LEONORA-i am sorry to here
that you ar not aulwas happy and was so Glad
two thatyou shood think so kindli your oled
survent as 10 rite a letter. got it onely yes
t1rda becaus we nevr hav male hear morn wuns
i'll two or thre weallS wen Vs. go for it and
as i dident tel you II my luther Letter WIRE TO
rite 10 its most fornit that got it at all, bat
and tax my pen ngen TO say that If you
ever get into tubble ware pare of strung
armes can help you, wish you'd let me no for
attic am getting oled am Still Very strawng
and wood k nulhin better then to sea you agin
and Civ you Eelp, yet hoap you will newer
mead 1t. if Every bodily els in the wurld shood
go aginst you, you can alwa S de lend upon your
oiled surVent, MARY DONNELLY.''
''Why in thunder" exclaimed Mr.. Parker,
when lie had read this letter, docs not the
woman say where she is and how TO get
there. But will wager one hundred dol
lars, if lever get as much money, that Mrs.
Brownlow knew how to get there, and did
get there, and if she did can and will.
He took out his watch, looked at il con-
suited timetable of the Hudson River
railroad and hurried out of his Off &c to take
an elevated train for the Grand Central
depot. An hour and half later he was
again at Workers. This time he went d.
rectly to the post-office. He had not omitted
the post-office i'll his former search, but nc
one there had been able to tell him any more
about Donnelly or Donchue than he had been
able to find in his patient search through
the city. In response to his new inquiries
the postmaster said:
'Letters occasionally come through the
mail for Donnelly. IL is common name.
and none of that name has box here We
always put such letters in the department
to be called for and, of course, pay no at
tcntion to the inquirers who seek for mail -
Mr.. Parker took out the second letter, in
| which Mary Donnelly had said that she had
not told Mrs. Brownlow Were to write, and
| looked at 1t again.
at must be, then" said the lawyer,
shat she used the Yonkers pOst-ofice and
| the YOnkerS market, while she lived some
where else" Then, a moment after, "that
somewhere else must be across the rlver.''
He looked out across the chilly waters to
| the bleak palisades on the other side, and
| could see here and there little houses
Nesting against the rocks, widely separated
| from each other and apparently out of
reach of civilization in every direction. in
| front was the wide river, across which no
ferry regularly ran, and back of them were
the steep palisades, an impossible wall OF
solid rock three hundred or four hundred
| feet high. He went to the Wharves and
hunted up place where there were boats
10 let. To the keeper he said: 'Do you
over have occasion to take passengers
across the river to any of those houses on
| the other side!'
''Oh, yes" said the man, cheerfully,
s'once in awhile. People that live over there
have to come over occasionally, and when
they do we take them, too
"How do you know" he said, s'when any
body over there wants to crosse
"Why, said the keeper, ''if they haven't
| got boats of their own and have to come
over here, they hang out white flag from
| the roof, and if we happens to see it and we
have time, we just rig up boat and go
over. That's all. Speal1in' of that there
was q flag hung out this mornin' from one
Of those houses over there, and it was not
more than two hours ago that we went and
got woman as wanted to go down to New
York.
81 wish you would take me over there"
said Mr. Parker.
well do it," replied the keeper, ''but
the water is pretty rough, and it's no pleas
| ant trip
Il will pay you whatever is necessary, no
matter what the Prize ISL replied Mr.. Par
kcr, coolly, and he put dollar bill into
| the keepers hand
| The beatman started up as if he had re-
| ceived an electric shock.
"Tou just wait here about two seconds
he said, "and I'll have boat for you.'
The +wo seconds proved to be about ten
minutes, which Mr.. Parker passed chain z
| with excitement. When the boatman
came around again he said: ''Do you know
the name of the people who live over there!'
mo" he said, IL don't know those that
! live in that particular house, although they
have been there long time; I never hap
pcned to inquire, but perhaps one of my
| men may know. Hi, JIM" he went on.
whats the name of that woman that you
took over the other side this morningsn
''Nane!" drawled the assistant. "Donnel-
ly, l think"
"All right" said Mr.. Parker, "now you
get me across to the other side justas quick
as you CAM
Bending his arms to the oars the boatman
>snt the small craft fiving over the wintry
-aves of the river, and Mr. Parker sat IN
the stern and held the tiller ropes.
1t was about two O'Clock Oh the afternoon
OF the day that Mr.. Parker went to Workers
the last time that the mayor of New York
City, sitting in his Office overwhelmed with
business, was told by the policeman wins
guarded the door that woman wanted to
see him.
what does she want!" asked the mayor
Il don't know, sir, but suppose it is
some complaint about a policeman or health
inspector. She's poorly dressed and has a
letter in her handn
The mayor looked at his correspondence
and at his watch and said: swell, show her