Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-06

course, IN relation 10 your advertisement.
Il give YOU nv arnest assurance, madam,
that have every disposition to come again
and again, if you think it possible that your
niece NAV be iuGuced to comply with the
suggestion l mentioned before she hurried
awav.'
But the old lady could not give me the
least Ciimmer of hope on that point.
''It is secret and so it must remain, she
remarked positively, until a husband has
LED her TO the altar. After that-it will be
for him to deal as to the future. OF course,
you will understand, sir, that this interview
is merely preliminary. Although my niece
Is deslrous OF securing husbands love and
protection it will be necessary to prove that
he is a man of respectability, and not a mere
needy adventurer. Just as, on the other
hand. il will be shown to his satisfaction
that what, after all, is the main lnducement
in the aifair-money-a sufficient amount Is
possessed bv the lady, and that 1t is hers
absolutely and without control. may tell
YOU that my niece has fortune oil 4lo, ,UOo,
which. subject TO the conditions you have
already been made aware of, she will will
5ncly divide with suitable applicant ior her
hand rs soon as the marriage service Is COM
pleted."
',One question, my dear madam, Is there
apy particular hurry? Is it a contract that
must be completed within a short space of
time?'
''Un the contrary, sir, my niece, adored
by me, supulates tor a courtshlp of at least
SIX months duration, during which period
Al accepted lover would see her as often as
he chose"
See her as have, you mean, veiled and
close-concealed?"
"Exactlv.'
With promise that would communi-
cate with Adele in day or two, fastened
back to Hibbitson 10 acquaint him with the
amazing particulars at Fulham.
C!utchlng the knees OF his trousers, and
with his mouth sjar, he listened while re-
lated the strange story from first to last,
winding up with the old lady's statement as
TO what was the amount of her niece's for
tune. and how that she was willing to divide
It on the marriage day with her accepted
husband.
But I can't make head or tail of it!'' ex-
claimed Hibbitson, scratching MS head with
violence. ''She is sound wind and limb
YOU will excuse the horsy phrase as applied
TO vour mysterious bride in perspective-she
is shapely and graceful, educated and COM
Fashionable, and you have seen her portrait
from the photo, and guaranteed genuine,
aad she is, as you declare, there depicted as
being as nice looking as any reasonable man
could desire. Then why the dickens and all
his angels does she wear veil? Why that
extraordinary outburst, which in your opin-
Ion was genuine, respecting frightening
beCgars and making dogs bark?"
"Ah! yes. But you mustn't forget, Hib,
that her aunt corrected here there.
81 remember that she did so,' replied
Hibbitson, with another turn at his hair.
She reminded the young lady that the
truth was quite dreadful enough without ex-
aGgerating It"
Truly Hlb. II man had said as much.
I don I see how could adopt any course but
one. But YOU know what women are, they
lo:oriCusly make q fuss about trifes. Be
sides, there is plenty of time for reflections.
The party is not waiting at the door for an
answer
From which sage remarks, said Hibbit-
son, 4 gather that you already have half
made up vour mind To be sure e5, 900 is a
tempting sum, but -"
And my friend shook his head obviously.
You would advise me at this early stage
10 abandon the specvlations?"
Not SO, but l would have you weigh
well the possible consequences. For in
starce, Is, 600 would not prove an adequate
compensation If the fear ul truth, as the old
lady called it, was, after all, not much ex-
augerated and neroically faithful to your
marriage VOWS, you found it absolutely
necessary to Danish Yourself with your bride
10 some desert island
But. hang it all, Hib, she cannot be so
hideous as that comes to- The worst l can
conjecture is, that since that photograph was
taken, she may have had a severe attack of
smallp1 X and is badly pitted-scarred per-
haps. Well. even such serious blenish as
that, in an amiable and accomplished young
NCmau-
Would count for so little" Hibbitson
struck in. Sin this confounded money-grab-
biag age that, with SO, 900 at her command,
she need make no mystery of the matter.
There is no lack of business men who would
marry her were she as ugly as Satan's sister
40, Sid, nv boy, am afraid it is some
Thing worse than that. By-the-by, did you
take particular notice of that portrait draw
ing"
1T was unfinished, l tell you?''
But did il strike you, or does the memory
OF il recall 10 your mind face you have
seen anywhere lately"
Anywhere is wide field"
"Weil we viii narrow it. There are GER
tain illustrated papers-the Hue and Cry,
for ins.&nce-in winch are published the
portraits OF criminals at large"
Good heavens, Hibbitson. You can't be
serious"
Well, there's nothing particularly comic
about it. You wouldn't find it so, nv bov,
j. At the unveiling after the nuptial cefe-
urgently wanted in a police CASE
PREF losterouS as was the last suggestion of
my ingenious friend, it took such hold on
nv alarms ;hat l resolved that l would see
the Iady's iace or abandon the negotiation
TuerG was but one way of bringing the af-
fair 10 that issue. would 90 to her and
pledge myself in any way she chose to make
ulr uv wife, i l might do so without CON-
promising my reputation, provided that for
one little minute she withdrew her veil.
Aud quite determined, for l had passed a
slecpless night, to have the business settled
one way or another, ] set out for Fulham
having arranged with Hibbitson to see him
In tre afternoon and acquaint him with the
result.
And again saw Adele. / need not de
tail the enormous difficulty l experienced
even in prevailing on her to listen to my
prop0siiioniwith anything like patience, anC
eyuu when l had so far succeeded at leas
another half hour was consumed in Undue.
lug her to believe that the oath l proposed
taking should be held secret. She at las
consented. There was Ginning clock OF
the Inautel shelf and its silver bells denoted
the hour of 2, as, with trembling fingers
she Juclasped the tortoise shell circlet iron
her head 1t could not have been more thar
.. minute and a half alter the hour when
l,gie as a man who has seen a ghost, 1 wa
hUrryiug from the house in a state of minC
/ Will not attempt to describe. l had not re
CoVeyed-my hair was still in wild disorde
when burst into Hibbitson's room.
"Why. sid Why, what on earth is thu
matter? You have seen her, that is evi