Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-07

# he could prevent it. He had resolves
also hat the lass should not cross tn
Atlantic If he could persuade her to sta
at home, and he was burning TO kno'
what this scheme OF Mayhew's was.
have been thinking, Dan, that
would be comparatively easy thing no,
to dupe ElIot-to blindfold him-foC
him!''
''In which way?''
81 mean TO make him believe Nellie
dsad!n
'.Nonsensel" Ashton cried IN an in
oredulous tone. els that your plan?'
1t is; and it's not SO nonsensical a
you seem to think it. Just look here 70
a minute. You say that Nellie is almos
certain to tell Mark of her recent sever
| illness when she writes?''
''Of course she will. -
We'll, that makes my plan as easy
and as practicable as 1 could wish
When Eliot hears that Nellie has beer
very i'll ne will be upset, of course, anc
week or so after he receives her letter
with that intelligence he must receive
another from you
From me?" Dan broke in.
Eyes, from you'll And the letter YOU
send him must contain the news of Nell
lies death. Don't you see my idea
| now?' Mayhem asked.
eyes, L see it now!' said Dan slowly,
as if he were thinking deeply. "But
would he be likely to swallow that?''
"Of course. How could he help him
self? The whole thing would seem true
enough to him. First he Will get Nell
lie letter apprising him of her late ILL
ness, and when, week or two later, he
receives your letter announcing her sud-
den death the whole thing will strike him
as being only plain statement of facts Z.
Besides, - Mayhem went on, al have
thought of another thing which will
make the affair LOOK more matter of fact
still. !"
"What is that?"
We could get a fictitious obituary
notice inserted in one of the local papers
and send copy of it to Eliot along with
your letter. When the mistake is found
out here in the town it will only cause a
laugh. No one will ever suspect our de-
sign. And the printed announcement of
Nellie 8 death would be certain to carry
conviction to Mark Eliot heart.''
''Its clever, Mayhem! Clever! Infer
nally clever!" Dan muttered, "but
dangerous!
How? 1 fail to see much danger in
it. -
''Mark Eliot might return aud find out
he had been deceived!''
1.-the odds are that Eliot will never re-
turn TO Englaudl' Mayhem said in a low
emphatic way. "Is it likely that he
will come back here to face poverty again
If he is doing well out there? And if he
is satisfied that Nellie is dead--as he
nat ho hot 10
to bring him back again?"
Nothing, Mayhem, nothing Dan
answered slowly, refiectIveIy. "But he |
might come back for all that, some day,
and then matters would be rather awk- |
ward, wouldn It they2''
81 tell you that it is a thousand to one |
against him ever returning, " the young |
nan argued warmly. GAS 1 said before
here will be nothing-l1teralIy nothing
o induce him to return if we can only
cad him to suppose that she is dead. He
las no relatives in this country, so 1
AVE heard, and was born in America,
md lived there for lot of years. Isn't
hat so?' he asked.
$50 believe
"Well, don It you see that he will in
IL likelihood regard the States rs his
ative country, and beng a le to do
Tell there he will settle down, and
robably never see this country again?D
what you say will likely happen;
ut for all that, your plan is dangerous,
layhew-very dangerous indeed. He
lay write to some one in the town after
q send him word of Nellie's supposed
cath, and then the scheme would be
urst up at once.
THAT Is one OF the risks we shall have
run, " Mayhem said decisively. HBut
imagine that Eliot has no intimate
lends IN Warringham, and that he
rites to no one save Nellie
But, - said Dan, looking sharply at
s companion as if new idea had lust j
ruck him, chow are we to prevent ,
ellie from writing to Mark after we :
I've told him she Is dead?"
Walter Mayhew's light brows con- r
acted suddenly at that question of :
An IS. 1t was a poser, for he had :
1itted to think of that contingency. !
ID now that it was confronting him he =
W no means of evading the great diff :
lty it presented. =
Il didn't think of that, Dan " the +
ung schemar muttered in a changed n
ice. ''But we must overcome that h
fculty in some mauner?'' =
II dom see how it's to be DONE" q
'We must find a way, that's all.
is scheme is too good not to be b
ed. Why" he Dried with a sudden Il
htening of his face, al have If! -
rk will cease writing to Nellie when w
hears of her death, and his continued :,
'nce may provoke her into a fit of
lousy, and her pride may prevent ~
from asking him to explain his nj
nee. ~,
9 That sounds all right, MAYHEM, but ~
is hardly good enough to build upon,
De other plan will have to be ar al
ged. - ", "
Couldn It Nellie's letters to Mark be a.
ercepted-stopped? Does she ALWAYS ~
t them herself2'' 60
Very often. But 1 dare say we =.
hit contrive to prevent one or two n
hem from ever reaching America. -
Well, We must try. II you could tb
? stop her from writing for month nj
wo my plan would be bound to sue -,
/. We must both think over the 80
ter and see what can be done, and ~,
he meantime something may turn up
clip us. -
hen Walter Mayhem uttered those A.
DIS he never dreamed how strangely ~
would play into his hands. ~
only gave expression to wish, fer a.
ould not know that fate was destined -,
IL. II