The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-01-25

aDle work. Do you deny this 2" Col.
Cheney ended by laying nine letters
on the table. sses< :'s@ Sss. = ...~s'@
When Cheney first; began to talk
Mrs. Abney stopped, looked at him
half over her shoulder, and as his &C.
cusations We're hurled forth at her,
she fully turned. Her color left her
and her eyes moved restlessly from
side to side.. But she was quick
w1tted woman and when he had fin
1shed she had partly regained her
composure.
"A likely story, Col. Cheney, a very
likely story, indeed, you have con-
cocted. Clever detective work" She
was sneering. "You have found out
l bought paper and envelopes, that I
bought stamps. So might any number
of people have done the same. But
you detectives have to accuse some
one, so you accuse me. You get me
in your Office alone, under false pre-
lenses. There are no witnesses to
this interview, and my word will go
as far as yours. You brute! And you
cali yourself a gentleman"
Il expected all this, Mrs. Cheney.
and admire you for the fight you are
making. You accuse me of having
you in my Office alone" Three steps
took Cheney to the alcove. He threw
back the curtain. There sat demure
little Miss Wood, her bright eyes
sparkling with the intensity of the
scene
"You see,' continued the colonel,
I'VE are not alone"
Mrs. Abney had not yet given up the
fight-the fish was still. unlanded, but
the hand net was ready.
| "But tell you did not send those
letters. You can't prove it" she said.
Three days ago you bought so
stamps from Johnson; IS of them are
on the table. You gave them to me.
The remainder of the sheet is in this
drawer: Here they are" he said, pro-
ducing the half sheet Johnson had
sent him. Every one of those stamps
Is marked with indelible ink. 1
marked them. On every other stamp
wrote your name, Grace Abney,'
and on the others marked MY name,
John V. Cheney Here are seven of
the letters you sent with those stamps
on them. Now look"
Mrs. Abney gazed with wide staring
eyes as Col. Cheney lighted a small
alcohol lamp. He took up one letter
and held it so the heat would warm
the stamp. Slowly but surely the
name Grace .Abney" appeared, COM
ing apparently from nowhere Then
John V. Cheney: and so on through
out the entire seven letters (the first
two letters did not have marked
stamps, and then the unused stamps
were treated to similar process, the
names coming out with startling dis
tfnctness.
For several minutes Mrs. Abney
stood irresolute; her composure and
self-possession left her; sobs shook
her frame as she sank in chair. The
fish was landed and the struggle was
over.
what are you going to do with
me-" she sobbed. "Oh, my God, what
an exposure! What shall I do, what
shall I do?"
"Do?" said Col. Cheney. Now the
harshness and tone of command had
gone from his voice; the keen, alert
detective was gone; he was Cheney,
the man and gentleman.
''Do? Why, you are going home, and
be true to the good man whose name
you bear. From this day forth you're
going to be his wife in word, thought,
act and deed; you're going to rise and
sin no more" Gently he took her
hand and led her to the door.
Cowed, beaten and broken, the err
ing woman suffered herself to be led.
''Yes-but," she faltered, "yours sec
rotary. She heard, she knows"
THAT'S true, Mrs.. Abney, she did
hear, she does know, but Miss Wood
is discretion itself She hears every
thing, sees everything, and knows
nothing. Good morning." And the
door closed. The poor little Ash was
once more swimming in untroubled
waters, sadder but wiser. =, :.
WELL" said Stanton at four o'clock
that afternoon, as he burst in upon
Cheney, Ibid you find the sender Of
those 1etters?" .
eyes," terse1y replied Cheney, II
found the sender and you will be
troubled no more
THANK God!" the young man NUT
tered. sseWho was it, and what are
you going to do about it,"
well, Stanton" drawled Cheney.
I'm not going to do anything about
it, It's stopped, that's all you WANT
''Was it Grace Abney?" slowly asked
Stanton =, :r<Is:..
mo, It. wasn't Grace Abney," re-
piled Cheney: = >'<' * *..~>@s =
"Well, you beat me, colonel. But q
suppose you know what you're doing.
Now nothing remains but a settle
ment. What's the fee?" he asked.
reaching for his check book
That's so,'',. said Cheney, smiling:
II forgot, the fee. The fee will be-
your promise to say nothing more
about this case. You will also ex-
tract the same promise from your
ri r1c