The Cook County herald., 1905-08-12
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The SOrCerer:'.
Of St. Giles IS
By PROF. WILLIAM HI. PECK.

Sosia would have lost no time after
prostrating the Osreds in retaining
possession of this packet had he for
an instant suspected that Lord Gen.
lis was speaking falsely when saying
it was destroyed. That Lord Genlis
should have lost no time in destroying
it as soon as it got into his hands
seemed most undoubtedly true to So
sia, who certainly, under similar cir
cumstances, would have destroyed it.
Lord Genlis had retained it for this
reason-the latter part of the CON-
munication told where the private pa
pers of the sorcerer could be found in
his house in London, and those papers
Lord Genlis believed would be of great
value.
There was no mention made of Clar-
enCe Darrell nor of Helen's love for
him, in the contents of the packet.
Sosia's sole purpose in writing what
he had, and in leaving it with the Gal
way magistrate, was to destroy the
Osreds, if they succeeded in silencing
him-as he shrewdly suspected they
might attempt to do-and to use the
fact as a shield against their violence,
were he to detect danger from them in
time to menace them with the exist
ence Of this confession. And in the
event of his death by the hands Of the
Osreds, not only would their villainy
be revealed by the confession, when
oh 1oo 1xyf fhn
istrate, but the private papers in Lon
don-pointed out by the confession
would reveal the names OF many per-
sons with whom Sosia had been con-
nected in dark deeds during his life
of secret crime.
,''If I perish,' was the thought of the
vindictive sorcerer, many gentle
man and many a lady, whose heads
are high now, shall mourn my, death.
My sting shall poison their pride and
peace even from my grave. The stakes
for which I play my Dun Aengus game
are worth all the risks I may incur.
Five thousand pounds from the Os-
reds, if they do not play me false; a
hold upon them which they can never
shake of-twenty thousand pounds
will I. extort from their fears and
crime, after the wealth or. Helen
Beauclair is in their hands; fresh vex-
alton for the heart of Robert de La
vet, cheated of his rich bride; revenge,
too, upon Lady Ida Beauclair, for her
scorn of years ago, and agony for the
soul of Clarence Darrell, who so loves
this beautiful girl. Riches and re-
venge are in my scheme, and if per-
ish, l leave woe and ruin after me!
And still, do not think these Osreds
will dare harm ME, if I see fit to tell
them of what have written, and with
whom l leave it. Within less than
two days I shall reclaim the writing
of Justice Lynch, who would sooner
cut his own throat-the foo1-than
violate trust!"
And now, at Dun Aengus, the sor-
cerer knew that the packet was no
longer in the magistrates hands, or
else Lork Genlis would never have
dared attempt to delay Sosia's depart
ure, after hearing his menace, and not
doubling that it was destroyed utter
ly, he was in no haste to leave Dun
Aengus.
Clarence told Helen the purport: of
the confession, and she related to him
all that she could recall of the words
spoken by the Osreds and Sosia in
her presence.
go" said Clarence, carefully fold
ing up the packet and placing it in his
bosom, Lord Genlis lied. He did not
destroy the confession of Sosia. I
have it here, and it may be of use to
me hereafter. But let ME read these
! letters, which are signed w. o.
doubtless letters of Capt. Osred to
Lord Genlis.''
Clarence having read the letters to
himself, remarked:
II know now why Lady Ida Beau-
clair took you to Galway. She must
have been alarmed by an ANONYMOUS
note, written by Sosia, stating that
her former lover, Oscar Osred, had a.
plan afoot for the abduction of your
self, to marry you by force to his son.
the captain; also that you were about
to elope with young man of great
daring-meaning me, though my name
is not mentioned in the letters, nor in
Sosia's confession. Lord de Lavet was
also to be deceived. He was to per-
suade Lady Ida to hurry you to Gal
way. The whole affair appears to
have been a plot of Sosia's, in which
he made tools of Lady Ida, Lord de
Lavet, yourself and the Osreds, to
serve his own ends. BY means of your
wealth the Osredsr hoped to purchase
a recall from exile for Lord Genlis,
and the restoration of the Genlis es-
| tate, now held by the crown: also the
pardon of Wilford Osred for gambling
away the funds of his regiment. You
now perceive why they were so des-
perately eager to make you Mrs. Will.
ford Osred-and by the tone of the
captains letters think your beauty
had also greatly charmed him."
| why, I never saw him till saw
him yesterday" said Helen.