The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-29

passed you something, ne crleu, ap-
preaching the lass without ceremony.
though not without respect. Me he did
not appear to see.
THE gentleman left note with us for
one of the Door women who sometimes
straggle in here was her quiet response.
HE is interested in poor girls; tries to
reclaim them"
II am sorry" protested the detective,
'but I must have glance at What he
wrote. 1T may be of immediate I'M
portance to the police. Here is my au-
thorty," he added in lower tones, open
ing his coat for moment. you know
under what suspicion the Gillespie family
lies. He Is a Gillespie; let me
see those lines-or, stay, read them out
Iyourself-that may be better
The young woman hesitated, consulted
down at the slip trembling in her hand.
1t was half unrolled, and some OF It's
words must have met her eye
"Why do you think this has anything to
do with the serious matter?" she VEN
| tured to ask.
The detective approached his mouth to
her ear but my hearing did not fall me
even under these unfavorable crcum-
stances
Everything has connection with It," l
heard him say. Everything they do and
think. I wouldn't trust one Of them round
the corner. I should make the greatest
mistake Of my life if allowed any secret
communication written by Gillespie to
pass under my nose without attempt to
see what it was. This one may be Of an
innocent nature; probably Is The gen.
tleman who left it with you passes for
philanthrOpist, and as such might very
readily hold communication with the
| worst characters In town without any
other motive than the one you yourself
can best appreciate. But must be sure
of this l have been detailed to watch
his movements, and his movements have
| brought me here. You will, therefore,
oblige me, miss, if you can make 1t clear
| hat the cause of justice-by which mean
| the cause which I here, personally, repre-
sent--will mot suffer injury by the free
! transmission Of this slip to the person for
whom it Is meant
Il will read you what he has written
here" replied the girl. "He left it open
or almost open to anyone's perIsaL' And
heard her read out, in low but penetrat-
| ing tones, the following words:
When l last you, you were suffering.
! This is an unbearable thought to me, yet
cannot go to you for reasons which you can
readily appreciate. Come to me, then. The
| house is always open and the servants have
! received orders to admit anyone who asks
for -
This was certainly warm language from
| whose misery had attracted his notice.
| But no remarks passed, and Sweet water
did not seek to hinder even by look the
careful refolding of the slip and the put
| ting of it away in the young lass's desk.
Indeed, he seemed to approve of this, for
the next moment heard him say:
That's right; take good care of the
slip. If the young woman comes in,
| give it to her. 1 suppose you know her?"
"Not at all; he simply described her to
u.s. or attempted to. She may not come
| in at ALL
"Then keep grip on those lines. What
! kind Of person did he say she was?"
! "Oh, I don't know. He said she was
Withholding, but beautiful, and that she
| answered to some such%name as Millie.'
| It's likely to be a fake, the whole
mess. Good day, captain good day, miss"
And Detective Sweetwater stepped away.
| 1 had thought him keen, yet he paid no
more attention to me than if I had been
a stick. Was the corner in which
| sat darker than I thought. or had
| he been so full of his own affairs that he
| failed to recognize me? 1 had kept my
| face turned away, but he assuredly must
| have known my figure.
| When he was gone, the two laid their
| heads together for moment, then began
! to hustle towards me- In the meantime
I had planned coup d'etat. l had con-
sidered if, by little acting on my part,
| could put them in the wrong, I might
succeed in getting from them some posi-
tive facts to work upon. Accordingly, l
| was in state of suppressed feeling when
the captain found himself face to face
| with me.
Il heard you said I, finging down the
book | had taken up. II have ears like
Mr. Gillespie, and it made my blood boil
| to hear him addressed, with suspicion.
| How any one who has ever heard him
speak to the poor and unfortunate could
associate him with the atrocious death
Of his father, I cannot imagine. So good
to poor girls! So bountiful in his chari
| ties! I thought you were Christians
here"
The captain may have been Christian,
! but he was also man, and, being a man,
! looked nettled. Ill.,.
"It was a mistake for us to discuss
army affairs within reach of two such
| sharp ears said he Mr. Gillespie has
done some good work, and far be it from
me to add myself to those who have as
| ISOLATED his name with the crime which
| has Just made the family notorious
! simply fail to stand by him because he
uses us as a cloak for his personal in
| dulgences. He is infatuated with wom-
| sent to his family. This won't do for us.
The other matter belongs to the police"
| I allowed myself to cool down tri1e.
| I beg your pardon; you know your own
| business, of course. But it's little hard
| for me to believe that such a refined man
I as Mr.. Gillespie could find any other than
| a charitable interest in any woman likely
to come straying in here. Did you ever
see his home, his child, his friends?"
The captain shrugged his shoulders and
CURLY replied: ~
| "I can imagine Then in a tone cal
culated to end the interview so far as this
topic was concerned: ''We count MOTH
ing as strange in this place, sir We
! come too near the unregenerate heart
Human nature S the same, sir, in rich
| and in poor. And now, sir, your BUSH
| ness? It's most time for our noon meet
ing, SO must ask you to be concise"
had almost forgotten I had any BUSH
ness there, but pulled myself up under
his eye and told him l was on the search
| for woman, too.
but she's an old one,'' made haste
to assure him; "a lodging house keeper
who Is in the possession of evidence of
great, Importance to client of mine.
Her name, as told me, is Mother Merry;
do you know any such persona
He did not, but informed me that there
were several queer places down by the
wharyes where might hear of her This
was enough. l had now an excuse for
| penetrating the, district toward which
had been pointing from the first
Thanking him, and asking his pardon
I for my few fbrusque words, l went out,
and, giving my policeman a wink, turned
in the direction of the river.
| ITO be Continued.)