Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-16

81 b ri 4: ~ ss|Z s. 49, III ID q
I ~ Gr1fs1nI u NJ SGatn; Ut, ~
Les she ~ nv gratitude a nv eyes,
! gave ~ = means 81 guessing It.
AS for the money the bride took. "
/ went on, 1T is all have in the world
at present. I've no conscience about
using IT to shut the mouth Of that cur,
the little detective, but for you and my
SELF
You need not mind, and l will tell
you why" she interrupted. "How
much did you have from the old
wretch?"
Two hundred and fifty pounds, with
the same sum promised here in Edin-
burgh. But I always doubted that he
meant to keep faith as to that"
1T was for my money-the money
which had with me the day when he
first took me into his horrible house."
Lance Seaford said with conviction,
that he tried to murder me. My uncle
had given me plenty to go on with.
Only that morning had cashed hum
dred-pound cheque of his, taking it in
notes; and there was another cheque,
part of which was to be for Mrs. Nor
toms and my personal use, part for the
hotel bill, and part for carriage and
pair of horses, which my uncle wish
ed me to choose. 1t was for eight hun
dred pounds, and had it in the pocket
of the dress l wore that afternoon.
Don't you see, the man wanted to know
what money | had, and whether it
would be worth while to run the risk
of killing me. which was his reason for
giving me medicine to make me i'll, and
forcing me to change my frock for a
wrapper, that he might see what was
in the pocket? He could pass the
cheque as well as use the notes, l sup
pose?"
'He could pass it, of course, but at
enormous risk, unless he were able sat
isfactorily to account for the way it
had come into his possession when-in
the end"
''Ah, but that man is wickedly clever
enough to account for anything. Don't
you feel that, after your experience OF
him-and mine-and what you got out
of the little detective? The money and
such jewelry as l had about me must
have formed the motive for the crime
in which he wanted your help; and,
you see, we have right to all he has
given you; it is the same as ours"
The way in which she said ''we' and
"ours," bracketing me with herself,
was very pretty and gracious, even
seeming to be unconscious. But though.
for her sake, must use the money now,
since there was none beside, | had be-
gun to hate the necessity for touching
it. And though there was certain
amount of probability in her surmises
regarding the old mans motive, felt
that we must probe far deeper than her
suggestions if we were ever to reach
the truth.
l looked at the girl, my brows drawn
together with the doubts that veXed my
mind. Whichever way l turned, diff
ficulties beset the path like thicket
of brambles. l had hoped that when |
came to hear her story all would in
stantly be made clear for me, as far as
she was concerned, but in this l had
been disappointed.
Though nine hundred pounds, more
or less, was large sum, and it might
be that Miss Seaford had worn some
valuable jewelry, still it seemed to me
that so comparatively small a game
would hardly have appeared in the deep
eyes of "Mr. Smith" worth so expen
sive candle. Besides, if the crime he
had undertaken had been unpremedi
tated only few days before it was at
tempted, how came it that, for weeks
before, the mans eyes had been fixed
to engage in so dubious a venture.
Mr.. Smith was evidently person of
vast Importance in his way, by right of
his cunning, if not through any other
attribute; and that he could be a mere
bribed catspaw for a greater power
than his seemed somehow incredible.
Yet | remembered the girls uncle, who
stood to lose or win millions, through
her life or death; and so strongly did
the finger of suspicion point to him
that | determined she must not be re-
turned to his care until all doubts on
that score were settled.
AS if she had read my thoughts she
broke into the midst of them. when
l first came to myself she said, "and