Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-07-05
Winning A WIFE.

ooh. Max, flung my arms round his
neck and Kissed him! What shall l
d0?"
How could you make such q mis-
take?"
In the dusk he looked exactly like
sou. OF course. the moment he spoke
my horrible blunder flashed upon me,
and fed 1 simply cannot face him at
dinner tonight.
"Oh nonsense. Ray. I will see him
and explain the matter. II he is so
much like me, no doubt he is a very de-
cent fellow"
This conversation took place between
a charming girl and her brother VINO
were staying at a certain hotel IN we'll
known seaside resort. To this hotel 1
came i'm search of health TO restore a
nervous system which had been falling
lately. and. indeed. had never quite re-
covered from q shock caused by horrl-
3,e'accidsn- Which had happened 10 me
several years ago.
had been Ured by a mailman into his
house under pretense Of playing a game
of billiards. 10 find myself a prisoner
with an armed unatic, who forced me 10
play the game for the highest possible
Stahe-life itself. Fortunately, l won;
but my opponent, although he fulfilled
the conditions of our game by shooting
himself. with refinement Of cruelty tied
me in a fainung condition TO the bill
lard table so that l might witness his
death. Indeed his vind.ccivenesS went
further than this for he he branded my
leg with hot irCn and wrote paper IN
which he accused me of taking his life
l was charged with the murder, but
acquitted. as the fact Of my being dis
covered bound and the strange appear
ance of the body attired in the costume
of Meph.s.Opheles-a character the
madmar endeavCred to assume-was
sufficient TO prove my side OF the story.
Naturally. l was anxious to solve the
mystery of this most extraordinary al
fair. Even the asuteoeSS Of Scotland
Yard proved fruitless. for all the police
could discover after a long search into
the antecedents of the wretched man.
was the fact that he had been confined
in a lunatic asylum.
NEEDED no proffs 90 convince me that
the man was mad but there was a meth
cd in his madness. Until I met him in
a public billiard saloon, whence ne took
me 10 MS house. l had never set eyes on
him before. Then what was the reason
for the cruel hatred he evidently felt 90
ward me? Two clews 1 possessed, but
as each proved useless TO the detectives,
il was not likely that they would lead
me TO a solution Of the affair.
First l discovered that in branding
nv leg the wretch had traced the letters
ACHE. Thai these letters repre-
sented The German word revenge 1
was perfectly aware; but what was | to
Iaarn from that? That the man was
German? I think not. His accent
plainly told me he was English. No
doubt revenge was his object, but the
meaning of these letters remained a
mystery.
NV other clew was q note which I
found during a subsequent visit 10 the
fatal room hidden under the carpet. Al
though IL bore no address, l suppose 1t
was meant for me, and it spoke of the
writer being avenged at last after a
chase half round the world Of one who
had stolen his money, murdered his in
tended wife and attempted TO murder
him. THIS appeared 10 be nothing more
ttln the rawlings of a micd diseased,
md l soon gave up ali hope Of ever get
$ng 10 the bottom of the mystery Of
nv terrible game Of billiards
On reaching the hotel another shock