The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-02
NEW hooks.
A Dark and Devious Tale.

yelled under the literary habit. Mrs. Octa-
gon, in Fergus Hume's story Of "The Secret
Passage "a. w. Dillingham; Company
was as grand as Juno. Her literary circle
in London was boldly called 1.-THE Shrine Of
the Muses." She herself wrote novels
under the pen name OF "Rowena." She was
really more like the Rebecca OF SCOTS
story. Her brow was dark and she had the
narrative gift. We are sure that she
would have acclaimed dramatic situation
to Ivanhoe II she had had the opportunity.
oubtless she esteemed the fair appearance
because she herself was swarthy. Rowena,
by all that has come to our understanding,
was not literary. She never would have
shone in any shrine Of the M ses Our opin-
ion is that her complexion was her chief
asset. Her hair mado nice braids.
Mrs. Octagon was not really like Rowena.
She Was more like one Of the black clouds
that come rafting on over the Caspian. She
was fraught with heavens artillery. She
talked blank verse offhand. She rumbled.
Anybody listening to her might we'll be ex-
cused for thinking that she had the power
! to blast Her husband, Mr.. Peter Octagon,
was small man, -as meek as rabbit. fond
Of his garden and freeide and nervous in
soci ety." Mrs. Octagon cherished In the
knowledge of her own experience the cir
cumstances OF a tremendous and compli-
Gated tragedy. She was Selina's sister
Selma had been hurled off a plank in an up
per story Of an unfinished house. The Saul
family. OF Sf anish and jewish extraction
and engaged in coming counterfeit money.
we're mixed up in the case.
Who killed Miss Loach2 That is one OF
the early problems in the tale. Miss Loach
was found murdered in her house at Kexton.
A bowie knife had been plunged in her
bosom. The newly engaged domestic.
Susan Grant, found her sitting dead in her
chair, a pack Of cards in her lap. Some
body rang Miss Loach's bell Susan Grant
answered the bell and found Miss Loach
sitting as described. Who rang the bell3
The story says. at rage 70: 1.-The bell rang
at II, and the girl was in the room two min
utes later. Some one must have rung it.
But why did some one do this, and how did
some one escape after ringing in 30 fool
hardy manner"
Even jennings. the detective. was UNI
able to answer this question. The bell
did ring" said Jennings (page ~. 3and
the assassin could not have escaped at the
time 1t sounded. Nor could the deceased
have rung it. Therein lies the mystery.
and l can't guess how the business was
managed or course Jennings was not
aware of the title Of the story. If he had
known of a secret Passage" he might have
had clue.
We turn from this difficulty to the striking
circumstance that Susan Grant was In pos
session OF photograph of young Cuthbert
Malow, nephew Of the Earl OF Casanby
The photograph bore an inscription, with
my dear love-" in Cuthberts handwriting
Cuthbert was engaged to Juliet Mrs. Octa-
CONS daughter. Was 1t possible that he
had given his photograph, with accom-
panying words Of love. to parlor maidF
We were glad to find, 30 early as page III,
an explanation Of this. Susan had fallen
in love with Cuthbert without any en-
enlargement at all from that young gen.
tleman. Susan recognized the hopeless
ness OF her passion. "A poor servant like
me has to look on and keep her heart up
with the Church SERVICE" she said to Jen-
nings, the detective.
Both Susan and Maraquita, the beautiful
Span ish lady, loved young Mallow. He
seems to have been great charm and
provocation to the ladies. If he had been
a marshmallow in confectioner's box
he could hardly have attracted them more.
He had given this photograph to Juliet.
The Spanish lady had stolen 1t from that
lovely girl, and Susan had stolen 1t from
the Spanish lady. she had that photo
Rraph In her room and kissed it, said poor
Susan, speaking Of the Spanish lady, "as
saw with my own eyes. took 1t the
last thing before I went, as I loved Mr..
Mallow, too, and was not going to let that
Spanish lady kiss him even In picture"
Susan, we are glad to cay. reformed her
aspirations and married comfortably In
her own station in life. The Spanish lady
was less flexible and she met with tragic
end.
IL is a pity that anybody so handsome
eh Guild ha We been 80 evil. For purposes
that were not honest she pretended to be
cripple. sShe was indeed a handsome
voraan-so much of her as could be SEEM
says the story. Half sitting, half recli-
ming on her couch, the lower part OF her
frame was swathed In Eastern stuffs,
sparkling with gold threads. She wore
yellow silk dress trimmed about the shoul-
ders with black lace and glittering with
valuable jewels. Her neck and arms were
finely nodded and OF dazzling white
ness. Her lips were full and
rich, her eyes large and black.
From the gorgeous coverlet her bust rose
like splendid flower. Her smile
was aluring, and she looked like the Lur-
line drawing men to destruction" She
set out to destroy our heroine, Juliet.
Like other ladies', she had no pockets,
but she carried bag. In the bag was
bottle OF vitri, On the appearance Of
Juliet she grabbed the bottle and flung
It full at that beautiful girl. The elderly
Lord Caranby interposed himself in the
nick OF time. In the words Of the story:
@She flung the bottle straight at Juliet.
It would have struck her in the face. but
Caranby. throwing himself between the
two, received Il fair on his cheek. 1t
smashed and he uttered a cry. 'Vitriol!
Vitrio!' he shrieked, his hands to his face,
and fell prone on the hearth rug. His
head struck against the bars OF the CRATE,
and squirt OF fame caught his hair. Juliet
seized him and dragged him away, calling
loudly for help. You devil' cried Mara
quita, striking the girl on the face. i dare