Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-26

ments OF very mucn TIE same external ap.
pearance as the one vhish be now per-
mitted to fall 10 the floor. Let Gilbert
Marlowe deny that paper il he dnrei"
Both Gilbert and Cloak suddenly col
lapsed, the triumph fading out of their
faces as suddenly as it had come
Who and what are you?" gasped the
banker, fixing his eyes upon the house.
keeper, and sinking back with groan.
Hal you may well ask that-you may
seek in vain to pierce the Disagreement
of the face that you once found SO fair,
false and injurious mani" cried She Bit
terlv. Know me, then, at last, for what
l was. am Harriet Loop, the girl of
Hithe, to whom you once pledged your
heart and hand. I see you recognize me
now.
You cruelty, basely deserted me be-
cause my father died without leaving me
the dowry you had expected to receive with
me; and then married the richer girl,
whom your systematic harshness drove
into an early grave. disappeared in the
whirl of London, biding my opportunity
for revenge.
{. 1T came at last, in spite Of the cruel
epidemic that intervened to disfipure me
as you see. Mrs. Jasper Marlowe had
been my friend before her marriage,
After her flight to London, where she was
to become o milliner under an assumed
name, the better to elude your pursuing
inquiries, We came together again.
1t was at her prompting that / came
hither to be your housekeeper, which my
Disagreement effectually has enabled me
to be, without your suspecting my ident-
ity with the woman whom you had SO
meanly, so mereenarily abandoned.
She had her object in sending me
hither in this Characteristic can explain
1t in her own good time. / had my OBJ
ject, which was that of vengeance, and
vengeance alone. l blush not to avow
that have been a persistent spy upon
you from the first hourof my setting foot
in this house.
"A careful inspection of certain plant
concealed nook in yonder conservatory,
directly behind those painted glass panes,
would sufficiently explain to you my
means Of seeing and hearing everything
of any moment that has taken place
in this private office. At last, after years
OF patient waiting, my opportunity
dawneu.
1T was who thus witnessed your mur-
derous assault upon Jasper Marlowe here
in this Office last Saturday night. You
thought that you had obtained that paper
at the cost of a murder. NoeIs steps
were heard approaching. Too frightened
to shut and lock the Office door, you
threw the paper back upon the table,
snatched up the insensible form, and had
just time to bear it out of sight, around
the angle of the safe, when Noel entered
the room.
You managed to reply without trem-
or to the commonplaces that he uttered,
and he, hastily rolling up a newspaper he
had come for, took his departure. But,
in doing SO, saw that he was uncon-
sciously carrying away the precious
document, which he had, inadvertently,
gathered up in the folds of the news
fThus relieved of his presence, you
hurled your insensible burden into the
vault, and locked the massive door upon
it. Then came your frantic disappoint-
ment and terror at missing the paper, for
which you had risked the gallows. How
l reveled in watching your frenzy, your
despair! II.
"You still, however, thought that you
had the secret of your supposed murder
secure. On the following morning, when
all the rest of the household were at
church, you made your preparations for
the disposal of the body. You even had
the grave ready to receive it in the back
cellar.
Then came your second mystifcation.
The body was no longer in the vault in
which you had cast it. OF course, it was
l who had effected his deliverance and
restoration. It were q tedious tale to
describe the mode of this now, further
than to say that have for years had in
my possession duplicate keys of every
room in this house, including this money
vault. He thought, poor man, that he
had the momentous paper still in his pos
session, when assisted him out of the
back garden-gate at gray Of dawn on that
Sunday morning. l knew
that, for his own safety aud the security
of the paper, it was best to leave him
temporarily in this delusion. I knew,
likewise, that it would be equally insecure
in Noel's possession-that it would be
thoroughly safe in only my own custody.
I therefore stole into the young gen.
tleman's chamber. while he slept, and
took the paper from the folds Of the
just as he had inadvertently
thrust it away into his coat pocket. Still
willing that he might be supposed to have
it in his possession, by one or another
Of those whom I felt certain would be
madly in search of it, took another pre-
caution. carried away the document,
copied its contents and signature in faded
ink, on the Oldest and mustiest paper
could find, besides making o clumsy at
tempt to initiate the chirography. Hav-
ing this, re-entered Noels room, put
the imitation back into his coat pocket
with the newspaper, and retained the
original, which is now produced.
That is all. think the wisdom of nv
ly, without them, the paper would not
ject of my long espionage is accomplish
fall of the villain to whom ! owe my
LIES blight and hopelessness. I am con-
tent"
Her words had gradually increased in
rapidity and bitterness, until toward the
last they had rushed through her lips in
D burning torrent.
Both Marlowe and Croak were now the
pictures of despair.
To the surprise Of all, Mr.. Dalhousie
gravely rose, as Miss Winford" resumed
her seat, and made her stiff but elabor-
ate bow.
Il maun aixpress ma deep an abidin'
regrit, ma lass, that ye war nae boorn
man an q detectivep he observed, in
tone Of unfeigned admiration; after
which he as gravely sat down again.
Mr.. HartweH now went on with the
reading of the original nanar-with whose