Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-09
CHAPTER XIV.
A Detectives w ork.

Morning.
The living household was about its
tasks for all the horror of the night be-
fore. and the still unrelieved suspense
as to the fate of one of it's members.
The maid, who had sat on watch in
the upper hall for SO many hours the
evening before, was again at her POST,
but this time with her eye fixed only on
one door. the door behind which slept
the exhausted Anitra. Ransoms room was
empty; he was in the sitting room be-
low, closeted with the lawyer.
Some one had been there before them.
The tray of bottles and glasses had been
removed from the table. and in their
place were to be seen a woman's dam
aged hat and a small tortoise-shell comb
Mr. Harper's hand was on the former,
which was wound about with wet veil.
."I think 1 recognize this said he. AT
least 1 have distinct impression of hav-
ing seen it before"
"It was picked up with the veil still on
it near the entrance of the lane" ex-
planned Ransom.
''Then there can be no doubt that it is
the hat Miss HaZen wore during her jour
ney She tossed it off the moment her foot
touched the ground, and taking the shawl
from her neck pulled it over her head in
stead. You remember that she had no hat
II remember. This is Miss Hazen's hat
without any doubt
The lawyer eyed the speaker with curious
interest There was something in his tone
that he did not understand.
and this?' he ventured, laying a re-
spectful finger on the comb.
Found in the open field between the
house and the mill stream"
DO you recognize it?'
mo. Georgian wore such combs, but
cannot absolutely say that this is hers"
= II can You see this little gold work at
the top? Well, 1 have an eye for such
things and 1 noticed this comb in her hair
last night. There were two of them just
alike
Instinctively the two men sat with their
eyes fixed for minute on this comb, then,
equally instinctively, they both looked up
and gazed at each other long and hard. 1t
was the lawyer who first spoke.
II think that we should have no further
secrets between u.s." said he. Here is Mrs.
Ransom's will There is name mentioned
in 1t which 1 do not know. Perhaps you
do" Here he laid the document on the
table.
Mr. Ransom eyed it but did not take it
up. Instead he drew crumpled paper
from his own pocket and, handing 1t to
the lawyer, said: First, L should like you
to read the letter which she left behind
for me. My feelings as a husband would
lead me to hold 1t as a sacred legacy from
all eyes but my own; but there is a mys-
terry hidden in it. a mystery which must
penetrate, and you are the only man who
can assist me in doing so.'
The lawyer, lowering his eyes to hide
their own suspicious CLINT, opened the
paper, and carefully read these lines:
Forgive. My troubles are too much for
me. I'm going to a place Of rest, the only
place and the only rest possible to one in
my position. don't blame anybody. Least
of all do I blame Anitra. 1t was not her
fault that she was brought up rudely, or
that she knows no restraint in love or in
hate. Be kind to her for my sake, and If
any one else claims her or offers to take
her from you, resist them. I give her en-
tirely to you. It's a more priceless gift
than you think; much more priceless than
the one which I take from you by my
death. I could never have been happy
with you; you could never have been hap
by with me. Fate stood between us; a
darker and more memorable fate than you.
in your kindly experience of life, could
imagine. Else why do I plunge to my
death with your ring on my finger and
your love in my heart?
GEORGIAN"
CTo be continued next Saturday,