Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-07-20
THURMONT, FREDERICK
smape n, symmetry ana grace. He pro.

|
The aunt, who admired the gentle.
man, and had an unbounded confidence
in her niece, listened, but did not fol.
low their talk too closely. She was
| soon startled into attention, however,
not by what they said. but by the sud.
den silence which had fallen between
them, and looking UP she saw that her
niece, anxious to show book or pic.
ture In illustration of what she had
been saying, had risen and was limpine
across the room. The sight seemed to
affect the gentleman strangely, for at
this indisputable token of deformity
he at first started and then showed so
much discontinue that the aunt grew
instantly angry. This feeling. which
was perhaps natural in one who knew
the young ladys virtues, was not des.
tined to pass away very soon. For,
| when her niece faced the stranger With
the book she had brought he was SO
| changed from his former self that Ii"
scarcely noticed what she showed
him, but hurriedly took out his wat b
| Win tllC IN tillt is ii'ih ii'bo
tant engagement and should have to
| 60. This change coming so quickly
| after an interest as marked as it was
respectful struck the young girl most
painfully, and she blushed deeply as
| she returned his bow. But she con-
trived to say that she hoped to see him
again, even though she had been
obliged to refuse the request he had
urged. TO which be replied by a hasty
II hardly think shall be able to come
again." instantly covered by the more
polite remark: II shall do myself the
honor, certainly" After which he
backed out OF the room and house with
an assumption Of cordiality which, not
being real left only the most unpleas.
ant recollections behind it. What had
1t all meant? They never knew, for
he never came again, nor did they ever
have an opportunity to obtain my eX'
planation from the friend who dad
given him his letter Of Introduction,
for this person had sailed for Europe on
or about this time and had not yet re.
turned. The letter, signed by this
friend and containing the name Of
their strange visitor, was all that re-
manned to prove that the affair had
not been perplexng dream.
The next fact that engaged the detcc.
tive's attention was n more serious
one. In the room of the girl who had
perished in the alley had been found a
box of bonbonS of make and quality
so superior to what are usually in
dulged in by the daughters of toll that
attention was at once attracted To
them. The physician especially who
had conducted the autopsy over the
poor girls remains had shown the
greatest interest in it, finally carrying
1t home and subjecting the sweets To
a test that effcctually proved the pres
ence of poison in them. This discovery
altered the whole character of the af
fair, and eventually affected the yer.
dict. For the poison there found was
a subtle one, capable of producing the
very effects noticed in the young girl.
She had, therefore. without doubt, died
from poison, and the person who gave
her these sweets was open to the
charge of murder.
Feeling that the affair was bccom.
ing somewhat oppressive Mr.. Grycc
turned to the consideration Of the sec
ond group of facts given to him by the
inspector. Hitherto attention had been
given solely to such girls rs had been
proven to be victims of the plot. But
the time had now come for study
into the characters and actions Of
those who, from their manner of life
or the circumstances surrounding them,
gave evidence Of being sufficiently de-
PRAYED to make it cXcusablo in the pO.
lice to search among them for the par.
ticular Jenny Rogers in whose behalf
this conspiracy had been formed.
A list Of such girls lay before him,
together with such data as served 10
individualize them and show why they
had been regarded with doubt. In
number they Were three, and In cir
cumstances differed as much as their
possible victims had done. One was Il
fashionable belle, yelling her wicked
ness behind show Of luxury and su-
perlicial glitter; another. a clairvoyant,
suspected of very shady operations,
but never convicted of anything worse
than deceiving the weak and trusting
ones who consulted her wisdom and re.
lied upon her skill; the third, Il we'll
known adventures, whose beauty and
whose means were both OH the wanc.
and who. of the three. Mr.. Gryce ut
once decided to be tie woman he was
in search of.
His reasons for this We're simple.
The woman, to whom the promise had
bnen- made that il = Month there
should not be another of her, name left
in town, was walking at that time in
Il well lighted street at very late
hour. Now the fashionable belle al
iudcd TO never walked. She boasted
that the pavement did not know the
touch Of her feet; consequently he did
not believe that she would have been
led to tread the streets so late with
any companion or on any preteXt what
ever. The clairvoyant was a different
sort of being. You could as little i'm.
agne her riding as the other walking.
But she was one Of those deep, far
seeing ones who would as soon give
away her soul as discuss any plan she
had formed in the public street. The
adventures, on the contrary, was i'm.
petuous, and. if as wicked as the 9th
crs. was neither as fastidious- nor as
wise.
To he continued.
A Natural Mistake.