Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-06-23

she was rejecting upon the clrcum-
stances which had united to place her In
her present unprecedented situation OF
peril and perplexity.
The reflection that the truth unsup-
ported by evidence would not be credited
distracted her.
Before her mind arose a vision Of her
arrest, trial, and conviction Of a crime
which she had not committed, and the
cheers of the public as they received her
explanation with cruel derisiOn, rang in
her ears.
No, no; my story will not be credited.
must not be arrested, now that have
lost the paper took from the office on
that fatal night. That paper would have
proved my truth and innocence, but now
am doomed if captured"
Then Marion knelt and Dreathed
prayer which began with these words:
Father in Heaven, Thou knoWest I am
innocent"
Fervently she duplicated, humbly she
implored divine help TO lead her out Of
the fatal quicksands Of danger and doubt
into which she had unwittingly strayed.
Little did Marion Oakburn suspect
that human ears heard her prayer, or
the soliloquy which preceded it, but
such was the fact.
Every word Marion uttered was heard
by Stuart Harland, who was at that
very moment a prisoner in the cellar
under the room in which Marion was
captive.
An explanation as to how Harland
became prisoner in the power of the
Wretches who were acting as Marion's
iailers must be given, and We Will con-
slider the events which led to his capture.
Stuart was not discouraged by his
failure to capture the mysterious man
who had exchanged coats with him. On
the contrary, he was encouraged by the
fact that he had sighted him once, and
he believed he should sight him again.
Thus 1t was that after his encounter
with the unknown, where Levi Kredge
had struck him down with a cowardly
| blow, Stuart still continued his still
hunt" for the man called "Garn0r" by
Pratt and Weeks.
On the evening when Marion's secret
friend had delivered her letter TO Stan
more, Stuart Harland CHANGED to enter
lodging house on West street.
While he was in the office Of this es-
tablishment, Stuart heard a clerk say to
| the proprietor, as he took Yalise from
under the counter:
This travelling bag is In the way here
behind the counter. hardly think the
man who left here will ever call for it.
What shall I do with it7"
AS he spoke, the clerk placed the trav-
I
read the name u. @. Garnar," which
was stamped on the side Of the Valise.
The young man started as he read the
name OF the supposed assassin, and step
ping to the counter, he said.
Il think know the party 70 whom
that bag belongs, and speaking rapidly,
he described the man who had taken
his coat.
OF course Stuart knew that there
might be a large number OF men by the
name of ~Garnar" in the city, but he
had kind of presendment that he had
found a clue to the supposed murderer.
You certainly must know the man
who left the valise. You have told just
| how he looked to a dot, said the clerk.
Il thought so, answered Stuart, and
| REFRESHING his excitement he asked:
When this valise was left here did
not the owner say when he would call
for it?"
at seems to me he did, but don't
recollect what he did say, was the an
/ swer returned.
Stuart remained in the lodging house
for some time, but he finally went out.
He was crossing the street, when
CHANGING to look back he saw man
entering the lodging house. The man
had full beard and long hair, and he
was dressed like farmer.
Stuart stopped on the opposite side of
the street, and as he stood considering
| in which direction he should wander
next, the man who resembled a farmer
in appearance came out of the lodging
house carrying the valise with the name
u. c. Garnar" on 1t in his hand.
In an instant the thought traversed
the mind of the young man that the man
in the garb of farmer might really be
the supposed assassin in disguise, and
| he proceeded to follow him as he walked
rapidly away.
The man led Stuart long distance.
Although he did not betray the fact,
subsequent results proved that the man
whom Stuart was following discovered
that he was Swallowed soon after Har-
land took his trail.
Finally he entered n building, which
was Ostensibly q cheap restaurant, but
the rear of which was low gambling
den.
This was the very house in which
Marion Oakburn was now held as a
captive. The proprietor of the place
was a friend of Levi Kredge, who had
been bribed to act as MariOn's jailer.
Upon entering this place, the myster-
ious man who was the object OF Stuart
Harland's pursuit, darted through the
little restaurant in front and entered the
gambling room in the rear.
He seemed to be well known to the
| proprietor OF inc place. hnOs VIII u uOZeL
or more other men, was present, for the
latter greeted him in a familiar way.
"YOu look scared. What's uP?" he
asked.
In his interlocutor's ear the man whom
Stuart had followed, whispered:
There's a detective on my trail. A
hundred dollars for you if you trap hin
and give me a chance to get of.
DO you mean that fair and honest?
asked the other.
Yes. In proof, if you viii give me
your word TO do me this good turn, II
pay you in advance. The detective viii
venture into the restaurant, am sure.
| Done. I'm your man. Let's see the
color of your money"
The other handed the gambler q roll o.
bank notes, and then he sprang into
closet and Closed the door.
The man who had received the money
whispered to his companions for mo
ment, and then all became silence in the
gambling den as they heard some one
enter the restaurant.
The man whose entrance reached the
ears of the men in the gambling den wa
Stuart Harland-
He purchased a cigar, and presently
when at a signal from the proprietor the
men in the rear room began to talk anC
use the terms Of the game, Stuart strod'
10 the door and entered, saying:
I think I will buy few chips and se'
how luck runs to-day"
lTO BE Continued
Odd Pegasus