Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-10-24


had got him safe out Of it. She loves
him-she loves him!"
William Hantlin's heart sickened at
the thought, for he remembered. the
mans wonderful beauty. and he felt,
with cold chill of misery creeping
over him, that he could not hope to
win a woman whose heart was already
occupied by such a rival.
Though he is already false to her,
and has been, no doubt, a dozen times
besides, vet women are strange crea-
lures. They cling to man who COM
mits a murder. but If he makes love
to another pretty woman. no! no! that
is quite another matter, and very much
| worse than killing some one now and
then.
"Pshaw! I'm a fool. The handker-
chief means nothing. He may have
been visiting Mrs. Grayson, and put it
in his pocket by mistake"
But that evening he watched Mrs.
Graysons house. and when Leonce
emerged from it-as she did about Z
o'clock-he logged her footsteps for
| two hours. and had the satisfaction Of
seeing her match some lace at a cross
town store and buy several spools of
sewing silk.
And though he watched the house
after she returned until every light was
out, he saw no more of her that night.
On the next day Humpy Jack in
formed him that the marquis had re-
| turned to his hotel, late in the even-
| ing. alone.
| For the rest of the evening and late
;,,%o ho ;~b ,Ic
Castellani, and learned nothing more
than that the man was a desperate
gambler. and, when the mood was on
him, would have wagered his soul on a
cast-if it had not been lost already.
Several days passed thus, and Hant
lin was still without evidence of ma
ture to warrant him in causing the ar
rest OF the Marquis del Castellani, al
though his moral conviction on the
subject amounted to certainty.
He managed to follow the man about
almost everywhere now. He had con-
ceived a bitter personal hate against
this foreigner, augmented for the jeal-
ousy he felt for the man as rival, and
this had so sharpened his naturally
keen faculties that he was enabled to
invent a dozen new ways of logging
and watching.
But on one occasion had he managed
to find Castellani and Leonce together.
This gave him both pleasure and dis
appoihtment-the latter, because 1t
lessened his chance of securing evil
dence of guilt; and the former be-
cause it spared him the Jealous agony
of seeing any exhibition Of Leonce's
love for the MARQUIS
More than once he had watched the
meetings with Lefty Martin. They
We're always in public, and the couple
always parted, at the end of their IN
terview, in the same place where they
met; and once he had been near
enough to hear the girl address the
man as her husband.
Her husband! Could it be true?
And how would Leonce bear such
treacherye he asked himself.
But a wild hope took possession of
him at the same moment, and his
thoughts turned longingly toward the
woman he now loved with resistless
and was increased by the mystery and
uncertainty surrounding it.
That day he was obliged to go to a
Guy, vi du VI
der from his chief. to whom he had
his return he found that there was an
not yet confided his suspicious in re-
gard to the italian marquis, and upon
urgent message from Mrs. Grayson in
regard to discovery she had made
concerning the recent tragedy in the
house.
Hantlin had little enough confidence
in the Importance Of any discovery that
Mrs. Grayson had made. Sometimes
he was inclined to doubt whether she
wished to make any such discovery,
but he understood in a moment that
such call would bring him face to
face with Leonce, and give MIN an op-
rortunity TO speak With the French
maid and gaze into her eyes, and this
he had not dared to do in all his spy
ing and watching upon her.
He was speedily on his way to Mrs.
Grayson's and he was the visitor whom
Susan admitted at the moment she
was about to open the door for Mrs.
Martin.
They looked at each other. sharply,
the detective and the lady, and then.
with a slight bow, proceeded on their
separate ways, Mrs. Martin to return
t. her own home, with plenty to think
Of, by the way, and Detective Hantlin
to wait in the room the other visitor
had Just left until the appearance Of
Mrs. Gravson.
Clarice did not keep him long watt
ing. She entered the room almost i'm
neGiately, and the detective was in-
stantly struck with the change in her,
both as to manner and aDpe arance.
She was no longer bowed beneath
the weight Of anxiety regarding Shir-
ley Austin. She was now possessed Of
proof of his innocence. which in her
heart she had never doubted, notwith-
standing her fathers language and
other circumstantial evidence, and she
felt assured that he still loved her, for
otherwise he would not have sought
her out.
She was still in heavy mourning, but
it was the only sign Of woe about her.
Her face was radiant; excitement and
hope had brought the brightest roses
to her cheeks, and her eyes were bright
and blowing with the determination to
free her lover from all shadow of sus-