Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-07-20
CHAPTER XVI.
Missing.

| so cruelty deceived ncr WIS t;iAlliS
place. one member only Of the cotcrie
there had caught sight of her white,
stricken face.
Iurcd on by the dcft manipulation
of DR.. Simns and Beatrice Mercer
Raymond Marshall had agreed to sollcc
the diving moments of the girl who
had saved his father from financial
ruin and disgrace by wedding her.
The bridegroom Of 4 few brief hours
destined to benefit by her fortune
whether he SO elected or not. too
crushed over his grief to care What be-
came OF him. he went through the
form of a mere mockciy OF marriage
and spoke the words tina, >i-naliZcd the
elimination of the Schrmin@ sirens
drtt plot.
1t WAS just at the commencement of
the ceremony that he chal''ru To glance
at the hAh-oprn door connecting with
the adjoining apartment.
The others did not sea. the others
did not mark. The vivid start. the quick
pallor. the "aSpin= breath. as he stared
| before him rs if he had seen Il wrath.
"i.tina." he painted: and then. feeling
J that ii WAS Il urlu>ion OF the senses.
a rrproachtul. haunting visitation from
the woman the memory of who's" lose
could never sanrlify even Il morriagc
Of necessity and pity. he 1oltcrsM
through The doorway into the n"Xt
room.
Edna"
His Voice rang ont less vaguely now.
1t WIS no Wraiih-no trick Of The
Senses She WAS at The threshold Of
| that hall door now. Her face flashed
plainly. Enthusiastically, across his Wis
| ion.
1T is shr-aliye!" he "aSpcd. "Oh.
can ii be true
Madly he rushed for tn" corridor.
The shock of the perfect recognition,
however. had blinded. confused him.
She had disappeared, and in his excite
mcnt he ran the wrong way. got lost
i'll inrXtricable side passages of the
hotel and behind the flying fugitive.
A lounyrr at the door told an cNciI;l-
bic story of the fleeing form. and in
Dictated the direction in which it had
disappeared.
Not stopping to analyze his vivid
emotions nor the strange situation in
which his acquicScpnca to the plcadin=s
| of Beatrice had placed him. Raymond
como back to life with IL great. fcvcrish
| JOY and wonder.
Nainly. however. he secured the vi
| entity Edna Drane had come like Il
| phantom and had disappeared like Il
| flash
Jadrd. perplcXcd. an hour later Ray
mond Marshall started back for the
| hotel.
his kcenc>t ScnSibilitirS aroused to the
frvcr-pitch OF augurI and suspense.
Edna was alive-he was satisfied on
that point. AS be looked! back over
the events of the past hour. and zeal
lied how he had allowed his despair
and sympathy to lead him into a net.
he realized. too. that it might all be part
Of Il plot. The newspaper item was a
fHsrhood. The siren had again delnd"d
him. and noW-hc was chained to her
Be her illness stimulation or reality. She
was his legally welded wife. The
thought that Edna knew and understood
all this drove him tran;i". Hot with
hate and excitement he regafncd the
room at the hotel II" would have an
| understanding with Beatrice. She
should at least. tell him the truth
about Edna. and the mystery of her alb
scncr and temperance.
He paused as be reached the parlor
of the suite. A glance into the next
apartment rooted him to the spot. His
father. the false nurse. the strange
minister had departed, but there yet
fingered Doctor Simms. and there, too,
no longer the incumbent. whitehead
dying bride, but in all her usual regal
Ill u
versing animatedly with her tool and
colleague in plotting, her cousin, the
doctor.
Marshall has probably gone home"
the latter was saying. but | cannot
account for his strange abrupt depart
urc. We will not think Of that. how
ever, Beatrice Your scheme has sue
| ccedrd: you are his wife.
Yes" cried Beatrice. triumphantly,
''my fondest hopes have succeeded
we had better, therefore, hasten
our other arrangements at once. AS
understand it, you are to be removed
TO my hOmr?"
''Still posing as the dying invalid,
yes. asSrnled the crafty Beatrice.
However little Raymond Marshall
may care for me. ha will call daily to
inquire for me. His sympathy will
cause him to do that. He will see me
gradually recover. When he finds he
has married Il well woman instead Of
q dying one he will accept the sitlla-
ton. and my love will win him to for
get Edna. and he will never know the
plot we have played against him.
He knows it now"
The two schemers started back in
dismay. A towering monument of
wrath, their victim suddenly sprans
into view.
In wild. fierce denmciation he thrust
the abashcd doctor aside In righteous
Indignation he told the appalled, Be-
atrice that she was unmasked. the full
measure of her iniquity known
He almost cursed her in the bitter
ness of his rage. He told her that If
he fed to the uttermost parts of the
world. her claim upon him as hus-
band should be the mercst mockery of
formality, and then unheeding her
frantic appeals of love. he dashed from
the room, not even deigning to reveal
to her that he had seen Edna Deane,
that he knew her to be alive, realizing
that any appeal to her to tell him truly