The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-11
> WON WITHOUT WOOlNG By NORMA" SILVER k
Bv R. NORMAN SILVER. .


me. It was a clever plan. that of put l ting his notes into my coat pocket and ! leaving his pocketbook on my desk. He knew that should sec it and return it to 1 him. To miss the notes. accuse me of l abstracting them and have me searched l was simplicity itself "The mean hound"' calculated Leland warmly.
 Richard Mcrivale continued with a cer- l tain embarrassmcnt: ] q could prove nothing" he added; as MT. Abingdon told me in Miss Lelands hearing. and, besides. I thought that she cared for him. So I held my tongue. Had | she not been a witness to his taunts and 1 attempted bribery this afternoon. should never have hoped for vindication But | liberty was sweet. and l made q dash for 1 it, my second since my arrest-hence these ] handcuffs.
 | Tie Colonel frowned. "Why should | Abingdon be jealous of you? he queried. 1 II could have told hlm that any time in l the last two years you would have given l your eyes out of your head for smile l from Sadie here. But I knew you didn't | fiatter yourself it could come to more | than respected admiration. Abington's got 1 a lot of dirty work to do if he means to ruin every man who's sweet on Sadie" | Sadie put her head on one side and | peeped saucily at her father. 1 Perhaps Mir. Abingdon guessed moro 1 than single secret dad" she said soft | ly; perhaps he guessed secret of mine l -a secret that l had scarcely dared to l guess myself"
 Peter Leland started. Sadie" he ex- claimed, "Richard."
 Sadie put her hand over the Australians mouth
 Papa" she said, they used to call you l Peter the Just at home. MT. Merivale is
 an honest man, yet he Is still handcuffeG.
 and the police are looking for him. Don't you think that is the first thing to at tend to?''
 Her father took his hat You're right. l Sadic,' he admitted reluctantly. ''IH go to the police station at once'
 His daughter turned to touch Richard
 Merivale's fettered fingers with a shy
 maidenly tenderness
 | "Will anything ever console you for the | shame of it all?" she murmured. Merivale
 managed to clasp her hand
 'i shouldn't be surprised if it proved
 to have been worth it." he replied senten-
 tiouslY. And it did.
 But Lady Jane will never quite under
 stand what happened during that momen-
 tous afternoon an afternoon which, for
 Mark Abingdon. included also trying in
 tcrview with Peter Leland and hurried
 trip to town in the Coloncrs charge.
 More than one high police authority
 within the next two hours listened with
 polite contempt to his confused cxplana-
 ton and withdrawal of the accusation
 against Richard Merivale.
 It had been too hastily made. he fal-
 tered, with the Australians stern eye
 upon him. probably tine notes were loose in the pockctbook instead, as he had | thought at first. in an inner compart-
 ment That being so. they might easily
 have slipped out into the secretary's 1 pocket when he placed the book there for delivery to its owner. On reflection
 he regretted the precipitation with which
 he had como to d conclusion detrimental
 to Mir. McriVale's honor.
 When Sadie Leland was married to her
 fathers penniless secretary. Mark Ab- ington was lost in amazement. | And that is the little fool who rejected l you Mark Lady Jane exclaimed to her 1 nephew. But Mark Abingdon only crow!cG.