Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-04-30
A FRAUDULENT AUTHORIZES.
BY e. N. LEIGH FRY.

into the street, and haillng . hanson
was driven of IN the direction OF West
Kensington.
Heliotrope Place is chiefly remarkable
for that absolute dreariness which Is
only found in perfection In the streets
devoted to respectable poverty. The
relief aud variety OF broken windows,
open doors, dirty children in the cutters,
and conversational ladies on the door
steps, Is denied IL. All the houses are
cut TO a pattern and have a hopeless
look Of sameness, as though the inhaoi-
tants were on the same dreary plane OF
responsibility, with no iota OF ~indiyidu-
atty allowed TO any one Of them. Laur-
ence Blair rang the bell Of %, and after
a pause II was answered By a domestic
OF the type suggested by the exterior OF
the house; moi dirty and not clean.
docs Miss Hetherington live here?"
Blair inquired.
Mrs. and Miss 'Etherington, yes
sir" replied the damsel.
as Miss Hetherington at homer"
''Oh, yes, sir. she's at 'ome-along
OF Mrs. 'Eherington being so i'll. VIII
you walk upstairs, sir?-it's the first
floor"
Blair entered the narrow passage, and
followed the girl upstairs. She opened
q door OIL the first landing and ushered
him in. He handed her one of his cards
and she departed. evidently entering
the other door on the same landing, as
a murmured colloQuy followed in the
next room.
he surveyed his surroundings. The
room was small, plain and poor; the fur
niture consisted OF around center table,
a Sideboard, some horsehair chairs, and,
i'm the window, another table Uttered
over with papers and writing materials.
II truth is TO be told, he was sadly
tempted to inspect the contents OF the
table more closely; but he restrained
J himself, and studied some photographs
on the msutelpIece, till the door open
Ing he turned aud faced the incomer
with al expression Of calm, aud judicial
severity. He did not know exactly what
he had expected TO see, but it was borne
in upon him all at once 1t could have
] been this.
She was a small and very slight girl
Of, perhaps, two and twenty; far too
| slight indeed, for her face was thin, al
most.drawn; ii was absolutely pallid, and
about her large gray eyes there vas =
\ strained look which seemed TO tell OF
sleepless nights. She was dressed in 4
gray gown, absolutely neat and abso-
lutely shabby. His card was In her hand,
and she looked at the successful novel
list as she entered, with a pnzZled and
inQuiring expression.
"Mr. Laurence Blaic?" she said.
eyes" he answered, and then, for the
life Of him did not know how TO go on.
he certainly had not planned how he
was going to conduct the interview; it
had not occurred to him that it would
DO other than q very simple affair, and
he was seldom at a loss how to express
himself. Then, too, he was obviously
in the right, and the person he had
/ come to interview as obviously in the
wrong. But now, as he looked at the
fraudulent authoress, and regarded her
thin cheeks, the only idea that came to
him was: That girl is half-starved."
And, again, as the strained eyes met his:
"She is in some terrible trouble" How
ever, it was impossible he could go on
standing there looking mutely at her.
Ho made an effort.
II am speaking TO Miss Frances Heth-
~erin9ton?"
YES"
IL wished to see you. I obtained
your address from the editor Of the
Weekly Want"
Yes" she said again, and some
eagerness came into her face. Was IL
an offer Of work that was coming to
her?
81 was reading last weeks number
of that paper, and came upon a story
| ~ostensibly by you" He hardened his
voice. After all, this pale, thin woman
was a thief. and thieves do not have
their sentences RENTED simply because
they are pale and thin. She must offer
some better defence. "Ostensibly by
YOU" he repeated, and looking at her
keenlY.
Her pallor became a degree more
CHASTITY. She opened her mouth to
/ speak, but no words came.
THE strange thing about II IS" he
went on, THAT l wrote that story my
self"
This time she succeeded in articulat-
ing.
You wrote IT," she said, "youw
eyes" ne said, calmly, land I am
naturally a little curious TO learn how it
came into your possession, any why you
published 1t as yours"
II didn't know" she srammered help
lesSly, Il didn't know couldn't guess
it was yours"
NO" he said drIly, "but you must
have known for a dead certainty it
wasn't yours"
She caught hold OF the table as II to
steady herself. what are you going
TO do?" she asked in q sort of a dry
whisper. "Did you-did you tell Mr..
JohnSton?"
1--WE told no one" he said, and he
pushed a chair forward. 'Sit down;
you don't look able TO stand"
II haven't been 10 bed for some nights,
aud IL haven't eaten much to-day"
she said, in a humble apologize tone.
81 am sorry" he said, and his voice
softened again. After all, he reflected,
il the unwritten laws OF civilization for
bid you 70 hit another man when he is
down, they must even more strongly
prohibit kicking and trampling on a wo-
man when she is obviously lying help
leSsly In the depths. II don't want TO
annoy you more than 1 can help" he
went on, "but l shall be obliged if you
will tell me the history OF this wretched
s~tory-please, understand | don't value
il as a penny-piece-I simply want to
know how IL happened. You are not
in the habit of-doing this sort of
thing?"
mo: oh, no." The girl raised her