Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-23

II,
great wealth which poor Dutton intended
| for them as the writer of this will realize
| from The Stars great Offer
Third Prize Solution.
The third prize. is awarded to Miss Heloise
Ingersoll, whose solution is given below:
Stealthily Wanga enters the spare room
where Dutton is, lying. Mrs. Warren is still
sitting by the bed, while Elsie stands by the
window watching her father and VIII at the
gate The wounded man Is lying hack
| among the pillows, his eyes closed. With
one spring ,Wangs is at the side Of the bed
his hand upon the scapular that hangs
about buttons neck. He has discovered
| that the president Is there concealed. At
| the same instant Dutton opens his eyes and
| raises the revolver with which Will Spencer
has provided him. There is loud report
| a savage cry Of rage and pain, the terrified
i screams of women and then the crash of
| breaking glass Once more Wanga has es-
capped though mortally wounded. but he
has escaped with the president at last in
| his possession! Mr.. Warren and viii rush
at once to the scene of action. but the saw
| age is too quick for them. He disappears
around the corner of the house. whittier the
men follow him. When they reach the angle
ofsthe wall there is no trace of him. They
start to give chase to him, but they are re-
called to the spare room by terrified appeals
| from Martha and Elsie. buttons last mo-
| ment has come, FASTENED by the unexpe ted
shock As the two men inter the roo n they
see that the end is nigh. Dutton motions
| to. Warren and his wife to approach; they
| oDey and wait for him to speak. With diff
Guilty he tells them that Wanga mas secured
] the president, that they must hunt him down
| and give the stone to Elsie, for whom lie has
| always intended it. He tries 10 say some
| thing mere but only gasps feebly. Martha
| kneels by the bed. overcome by her emotions
Warren puts his hand upon buttons should
EFFORT Duttat foGses himself for a brief Tex ex.
| PLANTATION He says he is sorry he has Iut
| 1t off so lcng, for there was much he wish
ed to say. He motions to Elsie and Win.
| who withdraw.
| 1t seems that Martha was engaged to
| button at the time of the breaking out of
the war. When he found that he must go
| to fight for his country he persuaded Mar
| tina to- marry him at the last minute, that
! he might leave his wife and not his sweet
heart. Warren had'also been a sutton for
| Martha,s hand, but the unsuccessful rival
| retained his friendship for Dutton. They
| fought many battles together, until Dutton
was wounded and left for dead upon the
| field But-and this is what Dutton ex-
pla1nS-he was not dead, but wounded Sc
| verely For a long time his life was de-
| SPARED of, and when at last he went forth
| again among his, fellow-men and made in
quiries about his friends, 1t was only 20
| learn that his wife, believing herself to be
| a widow, had married Warren.
| AT this point Grandpa Kirk enters the
room nodding his head and smiling to HIM
| self. He draws near the bed, and, fixing
his eyes upon Dutton, says he thinks it is
| about time he tells little secret of his
| own. Having no mind to allow his daugh-
ter to be tied to soldier, entering upon a
great war, and liable at any time to be
| killed or wounded, he had arranged the
| marriage to suit himself. In fact, it had
never been any marriage at ALL and Mar
| tina had never been buttons wife. This
| story seems incredible. but Grandpa Kirk
has proof of his Heraeity. When Dutton
realizes that all the worry and trouble
| have been Without cause he leans hack
| ka ON SfIr nod In
| moment. though, a change comes over his
race. He rouses up again and gives one
hand to Martha and the other to Warren.
| The end is coming. With last effort he
| gasps.7 s:Eisie-the President" and falls
| back dead.
When the cloud has partially passed away
from over the hamlet of Granite there is
| quiet ceremony, at which Elsie is made
the wife Of her faithful viii, The Presi-
dent has not been found, but in each other
| each feels that there is greater treasure
| than in diamond worth eighty townships.
| Elsie in her heart, is thankful that the ill
| fated and evil-bringing stone will never
more mar the peace of her young life, and
| Wn|-well, with Elsie's love and the inspi-
raticn that it gives. Will needs no dia-
| monds. --s---"e '''A -
After many days wanga is found dead
| far up on the mountain side, in the densest
widest part. Knowing that he had re-
ceived his death wound he had resolved
| that the President should not again fall
! iHlo tue HauuS OIL MS enemies, and so, call
| ing all his savage cunning into play, he had
| secreted 1t and destroyed all traces of the
| act Perhaps he buried deep in the furth-
| est corner of a cave; perhaps he flung it
| INTO the brook, flowing at its Swftest rate
| Who knows! 1t is gone; it is hidden from
the eyes OF men; it win never more dazzle
their vision or shake their integrity. And
1t Is well. for it brought only crime and
hatred, and death to Wanga and Sam
Meeker, and the two men who went to the
diamond fields Of Africa to seek a fortune
"a fortune far from home-when the war
| was over.
| Fourth Prize Solution.
| Mrs. r. NJ. Smith, who is awarded the
| fourth prize. wrote the following as her
| synopsis of the final chapter:
| Wanga rushes for buttons room with
desperate determine ton to procure the Pres
| ident with the aid of his deadly weapon
He is shot and killed on the threshold by
Dutton, who was armed for him. Thus the
horrible ordeal through which this little
family has been passing is brought to an
| end by the untimely death of the four peo-
Pile who had caused it ALL OF course, Elsie
| and Will are still mystified. but Grandpa
| Kirk explains all. He tells a long story the
| nervous faces of Mr.. and Mrs Warren evinc-
| ing more and more surprise as he goes on
| The substance is this Many years ago
Martha Kirk and Freeman Dutton were lov-
| ers, but as they were both young and Dut-
| ton was poor, Grandpa Kirk objected to
! their marrying. Martha had another lover
| Nick, Warren, whose love was unreuuited
| then, of course. In the meantime The civil
| war broke out and Dutton and Warren We're
| to enlist; the former. however was 10th to
| leave his sweetheart, unless they could first
| be married. Grandpa Kirk was entreated
| and after long time he consented upon Gle
condition-they should separate after the
| ceremony and Dutton was not to claim
| Martha until the war was over This was
| consented to by both parties, and they were
| married as they supposed, although it was
| not really true for Grandpa Kirk had re-
| sorted to stratagem He took the Young
couple to some one whom they believed to
| be clergyman, who was no such thing had
| mock marriage performed. sent Dutton to
| the war and took his daughter home with
| him. This was high-handed performance
| hut Martha was his only child. She and her
| lover were very young and if their minds
| We're not changed after the war was over
| what could be more easy than to tell them
and leave the rest in their hands? If Dutton
| was killed, Martha need never know but
| what she had really married him. So Dut-
| ton and Warren went to the war together
| and fought till Dutton was killed-or sup
| posed to be. Nick Warren came back and
| several years after the war he and Martha
| were married.