Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-02-23
A Little Comedy of EIrOrs'
BY s. s. MORTON.

"It was positively the only founda- ton for that belief; yet she was willing and eager to credit it. The fancy used to recur to her mind continually, with out anything at all to justify 1t. She was almost childish in the way she alternated between tho doubt and the belief"
 "A very mysterious case," commented North, with pcrplcxed frown. And now let me inquire, Mrs. Maynard, had Dr. Dunlirll any near relatives?'
 "Not in this country. His family, you know, were English"
 Had he any property?"
 "None whatever"
 "Then all this great wealth of Mrs. Dunllirk's was inherited from her fathcr?"
 "Entircly from him"
 "The heirs, if any there be, must all be on the Dupont side?"
 "So I imagine"
 ''Therc are no heirs on that sidc?" "Nonc."
 ''Unlcss Annie Dupont is discov- ered?"
 'Oh, certainly! That is always grant ed, Mir. North"
 "IIow soon after Hamilton Dupont's death did Mrs. DunbirN commence her search for Annic?"
 Ut must have been at least ten years before she made any effort to trace the child"
 ''Shc did not advertise nor resort to any very public mcasures?" "The search was conducted in very quiet way, though she spent a great deal of money and employed the most sllillful detectives"
 And all to no purpOsc?" "No trace of the child was ever dis covered"
 "Finally, Mrs. Dunllirl herself be- came convinced that there was no such | person in cXistCnce?" "As said, MT. North, her mind way cred between the two opinions. She told mo shortly, before my marriage, that she had quite lost faith in that old rumor about her niece; and yet it re | turned to her afterward and led to the destruction of her will four months be- | fore her dcath."
 "Wcll, Mrs. Maynard," said North, | with an air of firm conviction, 'One of | two things is certain. Either there is not and never has been any such per son as Annie Dupont in existence, which is to my notion far the more plausible theory, or there arc persons who arc interested in keeping from the world all knowledge of her where abouts. In either case, we need not ap- prchcnd the final defeat of our plans, through her"
 "Do you think sop Tho question was uttered listlessly without any appear ancc of interest or clatiOn. She did not even glance at him as she spoke.
 ''I am convinced of it," he reiterated, looking at her in mild surprise. Ut Is my firm belief that if Annie Dupont is living to-day, she is as profoundly ignO- rant of her own true identity and of her right to this fortune as we ourselves arc of her present whereabouts. Now it appears, Mrs. Maynard" he went or with another abrupt change of subject and manner, "that you had no claim upon Mrs. Dunllirk except, indeed, that of friendship, which she acknowledges here"
 He took up Mrs. Dunllirll's letter which had lain all this time unnoticet on the table at his elbow, and, unfold ing tho thin blue paper, he glanced al it spcculativrly.
 That was my only claim, yet shC seemed to consider it sufficient. Thi may be merely my own mistaken inter prctation of her words, however. Wha opinion have you formed, Mir. North, a. to the value of this letter as evidence il our caSC?" North preserved mcditativc silenc for few moments; then he answered slowly:
 II must say, Mrs. Maynard, that il my opinion this letter clearly prove ! that Mrs Dunkirk although not Vc