The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-05

l gave her another coin.
What do you call that girl?" I asked,
with my hand on the latch.
The money made her loquacious
'Millie," she answered. '"That is not
how she speaks it, but ats how we all
call her."
1t was, then, as I had thought. / had
seen and listened to Mile feurs, the
woman to whom Leighton Gillespie had
addressed those appealing lines.
A Disagreeable Hour With a Disa-
greeable Man.
This interview made an astonishing i'm
preston upon me. Never had l supposed
myself capable of being stirred to such
sympathy by being so degraded as this
wonderful Mile fleurs.
Was 1t the contrast between her genius I
and the conditions under which that gen.
ius had shown itself? Possibly. Or was it
that recognition of the latent sweetness
underlying her wild nature had caused a
feeling OF rebellion against the degreda-
ton into which creature of such amaz-
ing possibilities had fallen?
Whatever it was, I was conscious of a
haunting sense of regret such as had fol-
lowed few experiences in my life, and be-
gan to look upon the man who could make
use OF such a ruin of womanhood for the
obtaining of deadly drug, with some
thing deeper and more active than mere
distrust.
Leighton Gillispie was a man of the
[ world. He knew this wretched creatures
weak points and what would procure him
the poison he dared not buy from any
druggist or chemist. Anyone who
saw this woman could read
ner story. Gay as she was, bouy-
ant as her spirit rose in certain
moments OF ecstatic passion, she had
corresponding moods of morbid depres-
slon' possibly of actual suffering, which
| only morphine could relieve. He knew
| this and used his knowledge without lei
OF scruple. Was he a monster of
seltishness, or only another instance of a.
good man gone to the bad for the love of
| a worthless woman? The latter theory
seemed the more probable, since all good
instincts could not be lacking in a man
who had been confessedly helpful III MANY
ways towards rescuing the needy and aid
ing the unhappy.
Undone by woman! Was that the sit
uation? 1T is a common one, God knows.
, Yet found 1t hard to allot her the place
suggested by this theory. She did not
look like one CAPABLE of inclining man
to murder. Yet might I not be playing
the fool IN cherishing so generous an es-
| 'AAhAeIo VI Aoi VulSuL / uOC DC as yet TOO
much under the spell of her peculiar
grace to rightly Judge the nature under
lying 1t? What did know of him or of
her, that should burden him with all
the blame: and in what did my own wild
uncalculating passion for woman who
not only did not love me. but of whose
real character I knew little save as it
shone for me through her captivating
face, differ from the feeling which might
easily be awakened in a still more ardent
breast by a creature of so much grace and
fire?
Certainly the words T had overheard
Leighton Gillespie use in his colloquy
with the Salvation Army captain showed
the existence of feelings far beyond those
usually associated with commonplace
passion; SO did the lines he had left be-
hind him for this waif. But If it was
love which moved him, it was love
which did not shrink from involving its
object in crime. This she had herself
recognized, else why had she shown such
terror at the mention of his name and
made such hazardous attempt at escape
when threatened by the prospect OF fur
Their association with him?
The progress which I had made in the
case I had undertaken against this man
may seem to have reached a point justi-
flying me in communicating the result to
Hope. But though I had succeeded in
supplying one of the missing links here
tofore mentioned as necessary to that end
I nevertheless hesitated to approach he1
till the whole chain was complete. Hell
very desire to believe her youngest cousin
innocent would make her slow In &C.
cepting conclusions too much in the line
of her own wishes. She might even now
be moved by secret hopes in this direc.
ton, might cherish convictions and calm
| herself with soothing anticipations of re.
stored confidence in Alfred, but she would
require the most positive evidence thai
the potion, however and by Whomever OBJ.
tanned, had been actually and knowingly
administered by Leighton. To the estab.
lishment of this last link in the chain
/ must therefore address myself; an al
most hopeless task, from which I shranl
with very natural misgivings.
Two paths Of inquiry, and two only, Of.
fered any promise OF success. One o.
these struck me as practicable; the Other
not. But the practicable one was not
within my reach. while the othel
was little more than dream
I allude in the first instance to The
knowledge supposed to lie hidden within
the breast Of the old butler; while the
dream-well, the dream was this: Fol
some time / had suspected the existence
of a secret and as yet unknown witnes:
| or LnlS CRIME WIluSSS lOi WAOSe dp
I'pearance on the scene l had daily looked
and from whom l did not yet despair O
cleaning valuable testimony. What ba
sis had for this dream? I will endeayo
} to explain.
In presenting to your notice diagram
of the parlor floor of the Gillespie house
l was careful to-, show the window to b.
| found at the left of Mr.. Gillespie's desk
But drew no attention to this window
nor did I think 1t worth my while to sa.
that l found the shade of this windov
, rolled up when l first followed Claire int,
4 the room Later, I drew this shad
] downs but not before noticing that win
back Of the Gillespie yard from the ad
i, joining house on Fifty street, an
that in the room thus disclosed man wa
to be seen moving uneasily about.
Now, If this man had been in that rooI
( for any length of time, the chance
! were that his chances had fallen NOR
than once on the brilliantly lighted in
e terror of Mr.. Gillespie's den, lying as j
9 did directly under his eye. II so, no,
: much or how little had he seen of wha
: went on there? That is what T no,
9 proposed to find out.
e stranger to me, had given no sign of be
n ing in the possession of facts Withheld
+ from the police, did not deter me fro1
g hoping that should yet learn somethin
!. from him. Many men, among them my
: self, have an invincible dislike to the pub
.licity inseparable from the position
Witness, and II this unknown man imaa