The morning call., 1891-03-08
had the courage to make The last word les $

had the courage to make the last word les s
Than plural.
at seems to me that there is no one to
consider III this world but just you and me-, =
said he He still held her un v Hing hand,
but had learned that it was unwilling. "At
the risk OF making myself still more hateful
Gu you," said he slowly, Il will tell You that
IL
She broke away from him and put up both
hands as if to ward him off. "0h, no.! she
cried. in sharp, agoniZed tone; ''lesve me
sOmething-S0me thought of you that can
dwell upon. Tell me nothing"
II must" said he, almost coldly. 1t has
gone too far now; reject me if you will, but
at least let me say that l love you"
She leant back against the table behind
her.
"Do you?" said she. "Are you sure?
Was there never moment when you fancied
that another woman might be-"
A sudden light broke in upon him.
''You thought was in love with my STEP
mother. You saw us together in Russia
and were jealous. That was why you drove
ne away. And in resentment you let me
think the worst of your life with your
father"
'sIn one thing l was mistaken. My work
in this case has convinced me that your only
regard for Mrs. Romano was because she
was your fathers wife,"
"And / was wrong in harboring for a
moment the thought that you were less than
noble cir"
The tenderness in his voice overwhelmed
her. She covered her face with her hands.
That, perhaps, prevented her from know
ing that he had come up to her. 1t pre-
vented her, indeed, from knowing anything
until his arms were around her and she felt
her head pressed against his breast.
What sensation that was when later on
that trial of Leopold Langton, alias George
hv or the
evidence had been traced and fitted into
completeness. How strangely that clever,
handsome Geraldine Laval, the prisoner 8
own detective, had found it all out through
the fatal handkerchief with its odd red
mark. Mrs. Pyke repeated all her evidence {;
the laundress stated how she knew the
handkerchief; the housekeeper of Marsden
deposed to having put away the pile of
handkerchiefs as usual in his drawer,
where he must have took the handkerchief
from by chance that night" she thought.
He had torn up lot of old ''letters" two
weeks before, and she thought they had
been tied up in the old handkerchief for
years. She had noticed the bundle in a
drawer once. OF course. too, Marsden's
false assertion told badly for him; and Mrs.
Pyke's recognition of him as Langton,
and Geraldine's of the photograph as Mars
den, clearly linked the two in one. taken
with collateral evidence and the revengeful
oath overheard by Pyke-an oath. too, evil
IDENTIFY carried out by the murderer, whose
defense soon crumbled The verdict was
foreseen-it could only be guilty. And for
a wonder, after condemnation no sckly
sentimentalists, eager for notoriety, got up
any petitions for the guilty mans respite.
Some in the crowd, however, asked each
other what would become of that late agent
of his, in whose hands the artist Romaine
had by a lucky chance placed the case.
VINO could say then?
But little later a good many people
knew well enough that Wilfred Romano
and his young wife had gone abroad for
about two years, TO be received on their re-
turn doubtlessly with open arms. Artists
were always eccentric, and she was as good
as she was charming; and Romano was
well off and rising man. Who would ask
or care to recall the sorrOwful past that
! had conferred around little faded red mark
on handkerchief
COPYRIGHT 1891. by the Authors Alliance; all rights
reserved,
The Novelette, for March 18th will be
1.-THE Strange Fate of the Merton Pray
Their" The one for March 22d will be
can Anonymous Letter." by Edgar Faw-
cett.