Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-01-29
The HOUSE BY THE LOCK
By MRS. C. L. WILLIAMSON,
Author of"The Banomers "The Woman Grey" fortunes
Sport" "Lady Mary of the Dark House," &c., &C.,

Copyright.
Continued from Last Weekly

lHlHS udQ Deen successfully carried
through to the close.
Of course, / had sense enough to
know it was villainous fraud, but I've
never been very scrupulous, and it was
easy to persuade myself that l owed
Harvey Farnham good turn for what
he did for me in the past. Besides, l
wanted the money, and there was five
| thousand in notes (Wildred was too sly
to give cheque) on the table for me
to take or leave. / didn't see that was
going to do much harm to anybody ex-
cept the insurance companies, who are
rich enough to lose, as Farnham hadn't
relative in the world; but before
Heaven, if ] dreamt of the truth, Id
have let Wildred do his worst before I'd
have gone in with him!
LAS for the Santa Anna, / knew that
every board of the hotel was assured
the landlord would lose nothing-and
after I'd kindled the fire | knocked
like mad on your door l fancy, though
you didn't know it, it must have been
that which first began to rouse you. 1
didn't give myself much time to get
out, after taking off the disguise (Which
l hatter myself l did pretty welD, but
just managed it. 1 can tell you was
desperate when l walked in here and
| found you; but now l was never so
thankful for anything in the course of
my life"
The present question is, then" l
{ said, whether you will go straight to
England with me and tell all you know
about Carson Wlldred? If we stopped
on this side, to prove things step by
| step as we went. we should labour I'M
! der two disadvantages. 1t would mean
! indefinite delay, and you would get in
! to trouble about that business at the
| hotel tonight. To sail at once for
! England, and let matters here take
cares of themselves for the present, is
our only plan, l think. What do you
say?"
You are sure that Wildred can't
! swear my life away?"
| "As sure as 1 am that we are both
! alive at this moment"
| 'Then I'm in your hands. I'll save
my sister, and I'll get even with Will
! bred for making a tool and a dupe of
me-"
BY the time we have landed on the
! other side.' | answered, "there'll still
! be clear fortnight to do the first, and
! bred for making a tool and dupe of
me-
| BY the time we have landed on the
| other side" | answered, "there'll still
| be a clear fortnight to do the first, and
! | think we may accomplish the latter
| transaction simultaneously.
| We had a stormy passage, and ar
| rived at Southampton four and-tWenty
hours later than we should have done.
! 1t was Cunningham who bought paper
! as we got into the train. | was too
| ;o1 10 hou n h
! sorbed a line of news, even had my
! eyes mechanically perused the printed
! matter. Cunningham (who was always
/ restless, and could not bear to be left
! at the mercy of his, own thoughts) read
| necessarily. however, and at the end
| of half an hour or so handed over his
! paper to me.
| Look at this" he said, with some
! eagerness. pointing out a paragraph. L
| glanced at it carelessly at first, but In
! an instant | was as keen as Cunning
/ ham had been.
another Fortune for Millionaire"
! the paragraph was headed, and beneath
was set forth the interesting fact that
! Mildred Carson, who was shortly to
! marry Miss Cunningham, the celebra-
! ted beauty and heiress, had just heard
! of a legacy of half a million pounds,
/ left him by an American friend, Mr..
| Harvey Farnham, lately burnt to death
| in q San Francisco hotel.
$50 you see, it wasn't only the mine,
! and the money he should have paid for
! IL mine, he wanted" said Cunning
| ham, ooh, he's marvellous chap, this
! Wildred.''
l acquiesced in this opinion, and re-
| called remark made in the club by
! mutual acquaintance. Carson Wild
/ red is always inheriting fortunes from
! some chaps that die at the four corners
of the globe" he had curiously remark
ed. | wondered grimly, as l remem-
: bered the speech, whether all these
! benefactors had met their death after
! the manner of poor Harvey Farnham.
Time was pressing now, and our
! idea was to go straight to Karine, | to
| appear only as the supporter of her
! brother. A desire for the punishment
of Wildred might have held a prom
! inent place both in Cunningham
| mind and mine, but our first thought
| was to save Karine from becoming the
! murderer's wife.
She must be disabused of the idea
! that her brother was in any way in
! Wildred's power Sh& must know that,
as Cunningham expressed it. the "shoe
was on the other foot" She must be
shewn the black depths Of Carson Wild
reds villainy, and be dragged back
from the brink of the precipice on
! which she had stood.
Ours was a quick train, and went
stright through to London without
stopping. After arriving at Waterloo
Station, therefore, we were obliged to
wait for nearly an hour before we
could get another which would take US
to Haslemere.
A curious feeling that I had passed
through all this before came over me,