The Florence daily tribune., 1898-03-30

fCnpvrrh,. ,sea.
They found her grave, headstone and
all, but could get no trace of her long
devoted lover. 1t was surmised that he
had taken what was left of the money
and gone elsewhere In search of con.
ISOLATION. McLane came back to New
York, met Fanny Hayward, fell in love,
and Uncle Mellen urged the match in
every way; and we know the result.
There was fortnight in which McLane
st emed the happiest of men. Then came
shock. Fanny found him nearly
crazed with trouble. A letter had come
purporting to be from that supposed
to-be-dead woman demanding further
heavy payment as the price OF her si-
lence. McLane honestly told Fan the
truth, and was astonished at her de-
cision. She bade him pay the money
and have done with it,"
They might have doubted the genu-
ineness of her letter, but there was no
doubling that of young Mclane's dying
statement, witnessed by the officers
from Sedgwiek. He declared his moth
er alive. And so one crime led to an
other. No sooner had they reached
California than the whole Perkins
family seemed resurrected, and black
mail was their business. The eldest
sister demanded heavy hush-money,
and 1t was paid. The second sister
turned up with her husband and pre-
posterous demand. 1t was they who
haunted him at the San Francisco club,
and the man, drunk and triumphant,
insolenly demanding money that
night. had fired that well-nigh fatal
shot when repudated, defed, and
struck. The very next day at their
hotel came letter warning them to ST.
lence as to the identity of the assaiants.
So long as these latter were allowed to
escape arrest they would keep the Sc
cret, but If arrested and brought to
trial they would proclaim McLane u
blgamist. All this was made known to
Uncle Mellen, and he, too, backed the
niece's cause and kept up the deception.
Eut no one could tell where the first
wife was hidden. "She will be pro-
duced when needed, and her money
must be paid through her sister," The
money, large sum, was paid, and then
there was temporary peace. But Nc
Lane dropped and died under the
weight of shame and anxiety. There
was quarreling between the widow and
the guardian and further demands
from those cormorants, who now OPEN
ly threatened to claim the dead mans
estate for the widow and her son-they.
a. least, knew nothing of the latter's
death; and then Fanny. coming to Sedg-
wick, tried to reassert her old sover-
eignty over Merriam and to gain pos
session of the papers of which her hus-
band hadtold her and which Randy had
long since sent TO Parry, but concern
ing which she had never spoken to her
LIother-in-law. believing him to be ig
norant of their existence; and it
pleased Ned Parry to let her live on in
ignorance that he had them. He took
? curious interest in making study of
her. and had, without consulting his
client, more than professional inter-
es. in the case.
But now Bullock, the man who shot
McI.ane, had been traced to and arr
rested in Chicago, together with his
'dashing helpmeet. Uncle Mellen had
been prostrated by paralysis as a re
suit of the news. The secret could be
no longer kept, and Fanny McLane.
hunted, desperate, sclf-deiuded, and
self-drugged. believed herself ruined
woman when at last Ned Parry came.
Too i'll to see him. she seemed at
least relieved to know he had come, and
that night in Grafton's farlor he sat
gravely listening to Harriets recital of
what Fanny had detailed to her, MAX
ing no comment, but taking it all in,
when, just at tattoo, a trooper dis
mounted at the gate and bore to Mrs.
Grafton brief missive from her hus-
band. 1t was written that morning
nearly 20 miles northwest of Jose's
ranch.
you must prepare Merriam for the
worst" it said. 'There is reason to be-