Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31

tAat you were Interested just now IN a uestitute
family and took this way of assisting you in
their behalf
Her blue eyes opened wider. The poor are
always with u.s. she replied, but I know of
no special family just now that requires any
/ such help as you intimate. II did papa would
/ give me what assistance needed
Il was greatly pleased to hear her say this,
/ for am very fond Of my young friend. but
was deeply indignant also against the unknown
/ person who had taken advantage Of my regard
| for this young girl to force money from me.
therefore did not linger at her side, but after
due apologies fastened Immediately here, where
| there is n man employed who to my knowledge
had once been q trusted member of the police.
Telling him no more Of the story than was
necessary to insure his cooperation in the
plan had formed to discover the author Of this
| fraud 1 extracted the bank notes from the
letter had written and put in their place stiff
pieces Of mahilla paper. Taking the envelope
SO filed to the hotel already alluded to placed
| il at the opening chapters Of Isaiah in the
Bible described. There was no one in either
| Of the rooms when went in and encountered
only bell boy as came out, but ut the door
ran against q young man, whom l strictly
forbore to recognize, but whom knew to be
nv improvised detective, coming to take his
stand in some place where he could watch the
parlor and note who went into it.
AT noon returned to the hotel, passed
Immediately to the small parlor and looked
into the Bible. The letter was gone. Coming
tective.
{" Has the letter been takenr he eagerly in
quired.
Il nodded.
"His brows wrinkled and he looked both
| troubled and perplexed.
"I don't understand it, he remarked, I've
seen every one who has gone into that room
! since you left it, but do Tot know now any
| more than before who took the letter. You
| see,' he continued, as l looked at him sharply,
i had to remain out here. II i had gone even
into the large room the Bible would not have
been disturbed nor the letter either, SO in the
hope of knowing the rogue at sight strolled
about this hall and kept my eye constantly on
| that door, but
HE looked embarrassed and stopped. You
say the letter is gone he suggested after .
moment.
eyes returned
"'He shook his head. Nobody went into
| that room or came out of it, he went on,
whom you would have wished me to follow: I
| should have thought myself losing time If had
taken one step after any one Of them
But who did 60 into that roomT urged,
impatient at his perplexity.
Only three persons this morning. he re-
turned. You know them ALL And he men
toned first Mrs. Couldock."
Taylor, who was lending me the superficial
attention Of preoccupied man, smiled frankly
at the utterance Of this name. ''Of course she
had nothing to do with such q debasing piece
OF business. he observed.
''Of course not" repeated. "Nor does it
seem likely that Miss Dawes could have been
concerned in it, either. Yet my detective told
me that she was the next person who went into
# do not know Miss Dawes 80 WE'LL" re-
marked Taylor carelessly.
"But do" said l, land I would as soon
suspect my sister of dishonorable act a. this
noble, self-sacrifcing woman"
The third person." suggested Taylor.
got up and crossed the floor. When my
back was to him / said quietly:
'SWas Mrs. Walwortk."
The silence that followed was very painful. I
did not dare to break it and he doubtless found
himself unable to do so. 1t must have been
five minutes before either of us spoke; then he
suddenly cried:
where is that detective, as you call him?
want to see him."
Let me see him for you," said I. II should
hardly wish, Sudley, discreet as / consider
him, to know you had any interest in this
affair"
Taylor rose and came to where stood
"You believe" said he, that she. the woman
l am about to marry, is the one who wrote you
that infamous letter.
faced him quite frankly. 81 do not feel
ready to acknowledge that" replied. lone of
those three women took nv letter from out the
Bible where placed it; which of them wrote
the lines that provoked it do not dare conjec-
ture. You say it was not Mrs. Couldock, say
it was not Miss Dawes, but
He broke in upon me impetuously.
"Have you the letter?' he asked.
! had and showed it to him.
"1t is not Helens handwriting" he said.
''Nor is it that Of Mrs. Couldlock or Miss
Dawes"
He looked at me for q moment in . Wild sort
of way.
''You think she got some one to write it for
her" he cried. .Helen! my Helen! But it is
not SO; it cannot be so. Why. Huntley, to have
sent such letter as that over the name Of an
innocent young girl, who but for the happy
chance Of your meeting her as you did might
never have had the opportunity Of Fighting
herself in your estimation, argues q cold and
calculating selfshness closely allied to deprav-
ity. And my Helen is an angel-or SO have
always thought her."
The depth to which his voice sank in the last
sentence showed that for all his seeming conf
dence he was not without his doubts. began
to feel very uncomfortable and not knowing
what consolation to offer ventured upon the
suggestion that he should see Mrs. Walworth
and frankly ask her whether she had been to
the hotel on Main street on such q day. and, il
80, if she had seen letter addressed to Miss
" lying on the table of the small parlor?
His answer showed how much his confidence in
her had been shaken.
A woman who, For the sake Of paying some
unworthy debt or of gratifying some within of
feminine vanity. could make use Of q young
girls signature to obtain money, would not
hesitate at any denial. She would not even
blanch at my questions"
He was right.
Il must be Convinced in some other way" he
went on Mrs. Couldock or Miss Dawes do
not either Of them possess any more truthful
or ingenious cOuntenance than she does and
though it seems madness to suspect such
Women
wait" l broke in, 'let us be sure of all the
facts before We go on. You lie down here and
close your eyes; now pull the rug up So
will have Sudley in and question him. Ii YOU Go
not turn toward the light he will not know who
you are"
Taylor followed my suggestion and in few
moments Sudley stood before me. 1 opened
upon him quite carelessly.
'Sudley," said /. throwing down the news
paper had been ostensibly reading ''You re-
member that little business YOU did for me in
Main street last month? Something I've been
reading made me think of it again"
'Yes, SIR"
''Have you never had a conviction yourself
as to which of the three ladies YOU saw 20 into
the parior took the letter left hid in the
Bible?''
NO, sir. You see, I could not. All of them
are well known in society here and all of them
belong to the most respectable families l
wouldn't dare to choose between them, SIR
Certainly not, j rejoined, unless You had
some good reason for doing so. such as having
been able to account for the visits of two of the
ladies to the hotel and not of the third"
They all had good pretexts for being there
Mrs. Couldock gave her card TO the boy before
going into the parlor and left as soon as he re-
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