Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-03

was captured and would receive a
term of years in prison. There are
four copies of this clipping, which no
doubt means that 1t Is the one which
Thompson was sometimes In the habit
of sending TO Tremane to remind him
Of TINT Australian experience.
Now, don't you sec. we reconstruct
the whole story. Tremaine. starting
out rs defaulter and robber, escapes
from prison. leaving his partner in the
lurch, treacherously, no doubt, since 1t
| awakened his violent anger There isn't
any hatred more vindictive than that
of one criminal toward another who
has betrayed him. Tremaine finally
goes back TO France and succeeds in
cntangllng Edith Croydon, then only
about sixteen. in marriage. We know
how fascinating he is, and it's not
wonderful that he should be able TO
mislead an inexperienced girl. OF
course what he wants is money, and so
she writes to her father. He comes
for her and takes her home, no doubt
paying Tremaine n handsome sum to
take himself off-in fact mortgaging
his home to do II,
Miss Croydon gradually RECEIVERS;
but she is Tremainc's wife. Yet in
1900 she marries Delroy. She must,
therefore, have had good reason TO be-
lieve Tremainc dead"
Don't you see?' cried. THAT'S the
meaning of that item about the foun-
dering of the Centaur with all on
board. Tremaine was passenger and
she knew it."
Good" nodded Godfrey. "1hat's
undoubtedly It. Let me see" and he
turned back to the clipping; that was
in 1892. His name, perhaps, appeared
among the missing; she waited eight
years, and at last, believing his death
established beyond doubt, married
again.
Now let us see what Tremaine was
doing. In 1896 he was in Australia,
planning u bank robbery. He meets
Thompson, descended from his estate
of captain to that OF common sailor.
Tremnine takes Thompson in on the
plan, and Thompson, to get even for
that trcachery at Sing Sing. gives him
away. Tremaine, no doubt, got pcni-
tertiary sentence. He probably broke
jail again. for in 1899 he appears at
Martinique, supposedly from South
America He has considera bic money,
which he no doubt stole somewhere,
and perhaps he chose St. Pierre as a
safe place to stay in hiding until the
hue and cry after him was over He
would have some acquaintance with
the island if he landed there from the
wreck.
Thompson learns where he is-per-
haps even sees him at St Pierre-and
puts a bouquet to his revenge by driv-
ing him into fits of rage by remind
ing him of that Australian treach-
cry. But at last he sends him mes
sage which brings him to New York"
Yes" | said, and l have cudgeled
my brain in vain trying to imagine
what that message could have been"
Well remarked Godfrey, while
VIZ cHH l, VI COURSE, give It's J'tiul
text, I don't think it very difficult to
guess its general tenor. We know
what Tremaine came here to do-he
came to blackmail Mrs. Deroy. It's
pretty safe, then, to suppose that the
message told him that she was black
mailable--in other words, that she had
married rich man. No doubt Ire
maine's money was running low, and he
jumped at this chance of replenishinC
his purse. Thompson was working his
way toward ST. Pierre to join him, and
actually reached there on the Parma
just as Tremaine was leaving. Per-
haps Tremaine had tried to play
Thompson false second time.
"Now," he continued, "let us see how
nearly we can reconstruct the scene
which occurred in this room. IRE
maine supplies Thompson on the voy-
age up with whisky and agrees to
keep him supplied, believing that he
may he useful-not daring. al any rate
to make an open enemy of him lest he
spoil his game here. Thompson had
only to speak word to the police to
put Tremaine back in Sing Sing to
serve out his uneXpred term. Arrived
at New York. he establishes himself in
that suit across the hall and spends a
week or two in looking over the
ground, ostensibly boosting his railroad
scheme. Thompson, who has been IN
Jail, joins him and takes these rooms.
"At last 1remaine is ready-or per
haps his lack of money forces him to
act He writes a note to Mrs. Delroy
telling her that he's alive and wishes
to share in her prosperity. He de-
mands that she meet him in these
rooms, asking for Thompson. That
leaves him free from suspicion should
she show the note 10 her husband and
[HN,y(1V OLY7NLl |