Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-17
CHAPTER XVI.

CHAPTER XVI.
EArED on the side OF his bed
his lamp burning on the bureau
Mt his elbow, DR.. Klnross, II
- the small hours of the morn
ing, read the paper he had found il
the haunted
Both the wording of 1t and the pen.
manship gave evidence that the writer
was a person Of some education
though ut times her phraseology was
stilted, bookish and even n little melo'
dramatic.
Tho child. Eunice, is not ours. For the
sake OF the moneyed reward which we
knew would undoubtedly be offered fol
her recovery by her wealthy father we
stole her away from her home. Her moth.
er died ut her birth. and l. being a trained
nurse. was employed by the father tc
come into the house and take entire
charge OF the baby. When she was a year
old I secretly married her fathers secre-
tary. whose learning and brilliant talents
attracted me almost to the point of hyp
nothing me. and together we Matched the
scheme Of stealing the child as a means
Of extracting money from the father. But
an unforeseen event thwarted our wei
laid plan. On the very night OF our flight
with the child her father was killed in q
railroad accident. Somehow the story got
out that he had his child with him. and
the mutilated body Of a year-old girl was
actually found In the wreck and identi-
fed as Eunice by some OF the servants OF
the household. In this turn of affairs his
entire large fortune went to the half sis
ter OF lcunice's father, a single woman OF
about thirty who lived alone in Wash
ington.
We wrote to her and told her h we
had done and offered to give up the child
for a certain sum. but whether she didn't
believe US or whether 1t served her pur-
pose better not to have the child recov-
cred / do not know. We have never had
any answer to our repeated communica-
lions to her. 1t Is now four months since
we came away with the child, and we
have accomplished nothing.
We are living here incognito on this
out of the way Pennsylvania farm.
It Is my wish to take Eunice to her
aunt. The lady has seen the child several
times in her visits Of a few days each &c
her brothers. homo in New York, and OF
course she would remember me as her
caretaker. She always seemed very fond
OF Eunice, who Is her namesake. I dc
not believe she would deliberately do her
the wrong of keeping her out Of her In
heritance. II ! DO not soon take Eunice
to her the child will " changed past
recognition. / cannot longer endure the
burden OF the crime ! have committed. ]
must make amends. But my husband will
not lei: me expose us both to the risk OF
punishment, and he still hopes to make
profit out OF the child. He says he will
murder me before he will let me confess
our crime. I never would have done this
wrong. Of myself. l have been led into II
through my insane passion for this dia
bolically clever and constituencies man.
Tonight must decide my fate. I shall
either depart for Washington with the
child or else / shall die either by my own
hand or that of my husband. I leave this
confession. which I trust will escape my
husba nd's eye and FALL into the hands OF
honest people.
/ shall now write here every fact which
may serve to restore Eunice to her rights.
The sum of 1900 which l took from my
employers desk the night I fled will be
found pinned to the child's clothing, to be
used in paying the expenses which may
be involved In restoring her to her aun
or, In case of failure to prove her iden-
tity, to support her until she Is able to
take care Of herself.
"F0ur thousand .dollars!' unused
Kinross, his face pale with the ex.
element Of the story. "The yearly
interest of that sum would have more
than paid the girls board in this mea'
ger household. And they have made
a slave Of her, not even allowing hel
to go to the public schoolF
He felt a ghoulish glee In the thought
Of confronting old Morningstar with
his discovery.
He read on:
The father of the child was the late s
S. Wolcott. Esq. Of the New York city
bar. His half sister Is Miss Eunice Vol
colt OF - avenue, Washington.
Miss Wolcott can identify the child by
the two tiny moles on her neck just under
her left ear, for I once heard her say
when she had the baby on her lap that
Mr.. Wolcott had two moles in exactly the
same spot.
The little necklace and locket which will
be found on the child were given her by
Miss Wolcott and contain her photograph
and the child's.
I solemnly affirm that what I hav here
written Is true.
BEATRICE DANIELS.
A. date twenty years back was ahx'
ed to the paper.
Esinross' heart thumped in his breast
and he sat transfxed as the hand