Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-10

keeping watch in the house where
Stella North's father lay, cold in death.
CHAPTER TX.
UNDER COVER OF THE NIGHT.
When the yellow state house dome
next came into Reporter Thomas
view that Sunday after the funeral, he
had gained deal of information about
the people at the North villa.
Quite naturally, one Of the first
places he sought was the quiet Office OF
Detective Lamm.
The door being locked between them
and possible intruders, Mr.. Thomas
began his disclosures.
"At the present time, Lamm," he
sid, giving the Office chair twirl be-
fore sitting down in 1t, there are two
things which strike me as peculiar
There are two men in this case who
naturally come under suspicion-one
Of them because he has no history;
tho other because his history is Pc
cul1ar."
And the man with no history is?"
Thornton Stackhouse. You may OF
may not be aware of the fact that
until he appeared in Boston ten years
ago, he was unknown to anybody in
these parts. and that of his earlier
life there are only extant to-day the
vaguest and most conflicting rumors.
He never refers to anything in his life
more than ten years old. So, as say,
he has no history"
"Umha!" said Lamm; "as you say,
may or may not have been aware Of
the fact. Well, then. as to the other
man whose history is peculiar?"
~ referred, Lamm, to Mr. Richard
Fetridge, the Apollo Belvidere Of
State street, the ideal lady killer, the
man whose personal appearance is the
principal thing about him which
would at once strike an observer"
"And why does this man begin to
appear suspicious to your"
Because can't exactly understand
his relations to the North family, nor
his motives in his relations to them"
Tell me what you know and I'll
try to help YOU"
from what people down at the
shore gossip, it appears that Fetridge
made the acquaintance Of the Norths
at Swampscott three years ago. The
young man was boarding at some hotel,
met the young ladies, seems to have
been particularly struck with Marion,
the elder daughter, and began to 60
to the house good deal People will
talk, you know, and people said that
Fetridge was dead in love with thu
girl, and probably might have mar
| ried her but for old man Norths op-
| position" s
"Ah!" Mr.. Lamm lit new cigar.
"Didn't like the young fellow. eh?"
May have liked him we'll enough,
but didn't want man without money
for son-in-law," rejoined Thomas.
But Marion was not his own daugh.
ter?"
mo. But he adopted her when she
was year old, and he had no expec-
tatson Of having child Of his own;
| and North seemed to think as much
Of her after Stella came as before. OF
| course. one way of showing his liking
was his anxiety to have Marion well
married. At all events, the old man
turned the cold shoulder to Fetridge,
who was only a struggling lawyer, with
nothing but his wits to depend on for
q living. HIS visits to the. house sud-
denly stopped. About two months
after he ceased to call at the place,
Marion North became Marion Stack
house"
There was plenty Of gossip about
that event at Swampscott, I'll be
bound" was the detectives comment.
of course. Everybody said she mar
r1ed Stackhouse for money, although
she was in love with the other fellow.
Some people go SO far as to say that
Marion and Fetridge had some lovers
quarrel, and SO separated. Other peo-
pie, with whom Marion is no favorite,
did not hesitate to say that the young
woman, being one Of the cool and cal
culating kind, agreed with her father
that Stackhouse was certainty and
the young lawyer only possibility SO
lar as money interests were con-
cerned."
"Fetridge is rich man now" oracu-
larly declared Mr.. Lamm.
"Ah! If friend North had dreamed
that in few weeks Fetridge would
fall heir to a very handsome property
in Australia, think our friend Stack
house would have been dismissed for
the lawyer. 1t was an uncle, hear,
that lAft Eatridga his fortuna. Fetridge