The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13

/ Of a feeling as II some ore was in the
/ room. lflancing hastily around saw that
/ ] was alone, but a. my gaze again fell
! on the table - moving toward me the
/ figure Of mans hand, holding in its
grasp the same peculiarly shaped key The
I hand moved over the table until il rested
/ on the PARAGRAPH ] nad just read and the
I key tapped once OF twice on The name.
/ "NareueTite"
The hand began 10 fade already I could
see 10 read the letters that We're under il.
and, the shape Of the key began TO grow
I iudistinct. / seized pencil and made a
sketch of it on the margin of the paper
opposite the paragraph.
The key mad barely faded from my view
when my bell rang man stood in the
door. Come at once 10 Mrs. Lawton s,
College avenue
In response TO my inquiries. he replied
she is unconscious. 1t is probably
stroke of paralysis
In "a few minutes We entered the room
where a slight girlish figure. clad all in
black, was kneeiing by the side of a bed.
whereon lay an old lady. She was quite
dead. and but one glance was needed 10
show me that she was the mysterious one
who had opened the door for me a the
Millville house
Here is the doctor, Miss Marguerite"
said the man.
The young girl rose and with a suaed
sob, held out her hand to me. My dearest
friend, my only friend on earth is gone,
she cried.
A few days later my sister and l called
to see Miss Dawton, who had decided 20
close her grandmothers house and go
away.
The only relative I have now is my
mothers half-brother. in California. He
has telegraphcd for me 10 come TO him.
Poor papa and l were so happy there until
his sudden death last spring" Then she
added, II will show you his picture" ana
taking a photograph from a case on the
table, she handed me the exact likeness of
the man whom / had found upon the
lounge with the ugly cash on his head.
did not que ion her al that time although
my curiosity was difficult to control, as
saw that she was deeply agitated, and 1
felt that she must be kept as calm as pos
sible.
Destiny, fate or what compelled me TO
follow Marguerite to California? I was
MOI wholly impelled by the desire to OBJ
tam a solution 20 my mystery Of which 1
felt that somehow l held the key, having
been to a lOcksmith and had key made
from the drawing on The newspaper mar
gin. In the latter part of January l placed
my practice in the hands OF one of my
medical friends who was not quite ready
to settle down. and started out for a six
weeks vacation.
Marguerite and my sister had kept up
a correspondence. so I had no difficulty in
finding the object of my search and in
less than five weeks was on my way east
with my bride.
Before leaving California I had learned
the particulars of Mrs. Lawtons sudden
death Marquerite's grandmother. who
had been leader in society until her
husbands death, was the pOssessor of
some valuable diamonds, which a few
years previous she had placed in her sons
hands for bookkeeping until Marguerite
should be of an age to wear them. He
very seldom mentioned the jewels to his
daughter. and it was supposed that he car
ried them around on his person. One day
in early March he was returning from a
drive when he saw a man skulkiue
around the street corner, who looked
strangely familiar to him. He finally
said 60 Marguerite, 1T has just occurred
to me that the stranger is Dawson, who
used to be employed by your grandmother
She wrote me some little time ago that
she had discharged him because she found
him one day trying to unlock her desk
where her private papers were kept"
The following day Mr.. Lawton was
brought home unconscious, with a cruel
wound in his head. Robbery was evident
ly the motive of the assallant, for the dia-
monds were gone, also the money and
watch of the victim. The poor man did
not regain consciousness, but died in a fev
hours. Comparison of the dates showed
that this occurred a the very time [ had
been called TO Milvile
Inquiry proved also that the grand
mother had been In her own home, i'll In
bed with an attack of rheumatism on that
night
Before going back to my practice I went
with Marguerite to her old home on ar
irving there l told her Of my mysterious
visit and of the key which had been held
out to me. I produced the one had had
made, and asked If she had seen one like
IT, but she never had
When we entered the dining room II was
a bright sunny day. 1 looked around the
room, and as my glance rested on the mas
sive oak sideboard that was built into one
corner of the room, l saw along the ton
were carved grape leaves and punches Of
grapes Suddenly there flashed into my
mind the word. THE second bunch of
and mounting a chair, I managed
10 reach 1t. After few attempts found
I could move II little, and finally I suc-
ceeded in pushing to one side the entire
cluster, leaving exposed a keyhole, in a lit
tie door Of iron, four or five inches square.
Producing my mysterious key, / at once
the door, and found that the
aperture contained a small iron box in
which we found the missing diamonds
We soon went to the house of Margue-
rites grandmother, where we have lived
for the past eight years, during which time
have only once met with. another ghostly
visitor But that is another story"
-S-a-o
MAKING OF LEAD" PENCILS.