Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-09-09

y
Mr.. Ruyton,' said the detective.
In these words there seemed to Ralph.
after the expiration OF a week, no en-
| enlargement
Mr. Porter had absolutely nothing to
tell him in derogation of Mr.. Fergusons
pocket; which had perhaps naturally APP
peared his only assailable side.
Il wish, sir" said the detective that
my credit was as good as this Australian
gentleman's. Folks smack their lips
when they speak of him."
Whereat Ralph groaned.
eve may as we'll stop, then" he muir
INJURED.
But Mr.. Porter waved his hand in
rather q superior manner.
''You Just leave it with me-" he said
We've not done with him yet. I'll tell
you soon enough when it's Il hopeless
| case"
And so Ralph went his way with
| shoulder shrug, and made all manner of
foolish mistakes at the office, for the
nearer Mamie's wedding day approached
the less he was able to live like the prom
Using young man he had been accounted
before Donald Ferguson came on the
| scene.
The last week arrived.
The impending marriage had been men
| toned in the papers, and Maimie's we'd
ding gown had been described in two or
three Of the ladies' Weeklies. Ralph's
own particular chums, who knew how
hard he was hit, had done their best with
| him-and failed. They could not con-
vince him that there were as good fish
! left in the North sea as any that reached
| Grimsby market. Neither could they
persuade him that Mamie Wrottesley
was a heartless mink and worth no true
mans alteration.
! Meantime Mr.. Porter had not been ac-
| ceSSible.
Ralph had called twice and had not
seen him. He had written and received
no answer.
The truth was that his client irritated
the good detective, who preferred not to
see Ralph until he had hit what he was
aiming at, or was positive he never could
hit it. Mr.. Porter was, in fact, mot at
home" to Mr.. Ralph Ruyton.
This, if Ralph could have known it,
| would have been yet one more of those
pleasant arrows which the fates just
then took delight in shooting at him.
AS it was, he thought comparatively
little about the detective and all about
Mamie.
He had seen her and the Coolgardie
man driving together with Mrs Wrottes-
ley in the Row, and he had seen them
together in Bond street shop. If he
could Judge by Maimie's face, she was
prodigiously happy. And he did SO judge.
better. Now that the marriage was only
three days distant, this astute lady felt
sure nothing could keep her from being
mOther-in-law to a millionaire. But in
stinct told her so much that was in her
daughters mind that she longed intensely
for the quick and safe transit of these
| last three days.
Needless anxiety you would have
thought if you could have seen the mar
riage ceremony, which was duly celebrat-
ed with all the pomp eXacted of the rich
| by Dame Fashion. There was not
| hitch anywhere. True, Mamie was very
pale, and once held her hand to her
heart. But other brides did the same
thing, and were not a whit less happy
for it as wives.
Then came the breakfast, and soon
afterward Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson We're
carried north.
Mamie hankered after the lakes for
honeymoon, said her mamma, and so Mr..
Ferguson had engaged rooms at a Win
., dermere hotel
Matters had got thus far, indeed, ere
| Mr.. Porter obtruded himself upon the
unhappy Ralph. The latter was at the
Office after an Intellectual luncheon,
when the detective appeared.
)! ''Well, Mr.. Por-," Ralph was be-
ginning with great irony, when the other
There's no time for talk, SIR he ex-
claimed, come with me at once
:'But do you know -"
81 know everything. That confound-
ed ship only came in at IL o'clock this
morning, and [ couldn't trust my docu-
| ments until then. I've thought it best
to charter d special for us ALL
T. The detective spoke with JUNCTION. He
enjoyed his clients surprise immeasura-
bly,. 49,,
! honcon1 - ha od1nd FTThp OthnTS ro ol-
. It was Ralph's turn to feel faint.
However, Mr.. Porter's subsequent words
were better for him than sad volatile.
There was another woman in the
case ran Porter's tale. 81 learned
that from Melbourne man who knew
the parties. He vowed Ferguson was
married to her eight years ago. That
was what he had to establish, and it's
taken some doing, | can tell you, in the
time However, they're a wide-awake
lot in Melbourne. and, thanks quite as
much to that Melbourne man (whD has
mighty fine grudge against Ferguson as
to your hundreds, Mr.. Ruyton, every
things clear. The wife herself and her
eldest boy are at Euston. She has the
certificate, and the lads face tells its
own tale. oh, it's just beautiful bit
! of piecing throughout, and all we've to
do is to fix up the rogue about supper
time 80
hdlpI ) FEELINGS I1dy ne lLudSlueu.
| Happily, there was no difficulty about
! the train. 1t could be SO managed that
this special arrived before the other, car
! rying Mamie and the man who was not
her husband.
OF the journey in both cases nothing
need be said except this: Mamie came
near wishing there could be a collision,
with her death as one of the conse-
Quences. Mr. Ferguson's veneer of re
fnement was cast ruthlessly aside be
tween London and Windermere. She
was by no means the! conventionally
happy wife on her wedding day when
she was invited to leave the train for
| the luxurious carriage that was await
ing them. ,r@r g.
r But at the hotel, much to the mani
tager,s chagrin, dramatic scene had
4 been arranged for them, 3gH
The millionaire's face was wreathed
IN smiles as he handed Mamie across
the hotel threshold. .s,,f.s9.
! .""At last!'' he exclaimed. !"
IT, TbeneXt moment he started and swore.
A woman and a boy had approached him
| in the vestibule. ,.c...,.- 5iif ...e.s,s..