Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-10-08
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. - - E.W. HORNUNG,
49, ~ OK - Author Of "Raffes
Eva H@V e. ~ he amateur Cracks
Il AO3A S3 - ~ ma .Stinsaree."
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March. sc. :::: :: : $. So.
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and felt the trigger.
'I've good mind to fire through the
4 window again." he snarled, ito see il
you have loaded it, but I'll trust you,
Thomas. You're the one man in this
world do trust. And now put OH your
hat and come in with me to Sydney"
Tom drew back. This was not In the
programme. On the contrary, he was
to stay ana mind the house.
On the housew cried Daintree.
"The girl can look after the house.
Your place is at your masters side or
| else you are the foulest Migrate in New
South Wales! But you are. have al
ways known you were. You have only
waited for this hour to turn and rend
mev'
you are wrong" said Tom grirnly.
II do not leave your side again." for
the man must be mad, and Tom no
longer shirked the ceremony, but for
one instant had mad design himself;
the next, his right hand was warmly
4 held.
THANK Godv' cried Daintree In a
breaking voice. II knew you didn't
mean 1t. No more did mean any
thing l said. Forgive me, Thomas,
and don't desert me at the last"
And Toms heart sank as it once
more softened to the man who was not
mad, but only unstrung, and again he
longed to eschew the church, but he
kept his word, and fortune was yet to
prove his friend. A mile they had
driven when loud cry broke from
Datntree. In his agitation he had for
gotten the ring. He burst into tears
at the discovery.
Never mind! Never mindw cried
Tom in his oldest role. Eve can turn
back. What, isn't there time? No, /
4 know 1t would never do to keep her
waiting. Then look here, I'll run back
and gallop in again on your horse.
I'll be there almost as soon as you,
and the ring isn't wanted till quite
/ the end"
Daintree thanked him through his
tears-the first Tom had ever seen in
those fiery eyes--and he sped back
strangely touched. but strangely COM
man might be egotistical and vain and
| overbearing, all three to the verge OF
lunacy, but that he was marrying for
sheer love was even more palpable
than It had been before. Tears in
those eyesi Tears ut the thought of
losing her for one more day Then
God grant that with Claire at least
he might be unselfsh, meek and gen
tie. though an egotist, coxcomb and
a tyrant to all the world besidet
i So praying as he ran, forgetful of his
own debt to Daintree-for the moment
self forgetting altogether Tom was at
the bungalow gate in time that would
not have shamed the bridegroom in his
athletic youth. And in the very gate
way he stopped dead. He had caught
glimpse Of ragged coattails disap-
l pearing through the study windows.
A crazy skiff lay hauled up on the
strand.
Tom kicked off his shoes. He made
no sound on the veranda, but he vast
ed some seconds, and heard two draw
ers burst open as he crept nearer and
nearer. He was totally unarmed; his
one chance lay in taking the thief by
surprise.
4 The yeranda on this side was In deep
shadow all the morning. In the cool
| dusk Of the study masked man was
/ rifing drawer after drawer and tossing
the contents right and left. The floor
was strewn with papers as Tom leaped
across it and hurled himself upon the
thief. They crashed to the ground to-
gether. The mans head caught the
corner Of the bookshelf, and he lay SUI
pine, with mouthful of crumbling
i teeth grinning horribly below the mask.
His nerxeless fingers still clutched a
packet of blush letters half torn from
their wrapper, Tom took them from
him aud rose up painting. a moment
later they might have heard his shout
at Piper's point,
/ All but one letter had slipped from
his trembling hand. On the back Of
that letter few lines had been scrawl.
4 ed with lead pencil.
4 TWAS the receipt,
| Peneiled by Blaydes on the back Of q
| letter, signed by Tom In the moonlit
| Hampstead fields and taken by the
murderer from his Victims person, /,
was neither more nor less than the
missing document whose production
would have acquitted Erickson at the
Old Bailey. And now after eighteen
months and here on these outlandisll
shores 1t had cast up at4his very feet
He held it-held his frcedom-in his
own trembling hands.
The words spun like midges as the
paper rustled aud shook. He had to
set it on the chimney piece to read il
throughi
Received from j, Montgomery Blaydca
late captain. Goldstream guards, his
watch and chain. etc, In settlement Of
all claims. and in consideration Of which
! undertake to return pawn ticket 70,
same to said j. M, Blaydes, Ivy cottage
West End. within three days from thi.
date. e. ERICHSEN.
April q. 1887.
He forgot the wedding ring, forgot
the wedding He was an innocent
man. He could prove it now before al
the world by this Incompatible testi
mony, this inanimate witness tina,
could not lie. Tint was TOMS frs
reflection. His first emotion was /,
rush Of thankfulness, ineffable and un
mixed. Curiosity succeeded. How
came the receipt here? But as he
wondered, as his thoughts few from
the broken headed robBer to his FRIEND
Dalntree, 1t was not the bridegroom