The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-06
and lavo body in peace. Keep them
manners and yer kisses for yer Lon

manners and yer kisses for yer Lon
don girls"
II have no girl, Moillo, in London
or anywhere" he declared, with sud
den earnestness. II swear haven't"
III Olive wlnked sasely. Sure Two heard
that sort Of tale before many'a the
stoimo. and from bhoys widout half
your handsome looks"
Tho uglest man may safely be COM
plimented on his good looks and
iDawleigh was no exception. Ho put
down tho broom and etraightened his
collar with an air OF great self-com-
Dlncency.
"Of course, ono has no end OF
chances In town, but don't care for
London girls. I like-1 like girls with
spirit and witA-llke--like Irish girls"
"sure there must be another blarney
stone somewhere In London, and that's
tho truth. and you've kissed 1t, Mr..
Dawleigh."
At this moment the cook came into
the Kitchen. ".Ah. cook. and it's mesilf
that's glad to BE yes this mornln';
here's Mr.. Merridew's man maxim
love to mo and hinderin mo to say
things till don't rightly know wheth-
or It's my head or my heels which are
on tho top end o. me body"
The cook happened to be very cross
with q bad bilious attack that morn
Ing, and soon sent tho valet out of
the Kitchen. But the Incident set Olive
thinking. It was certain that IL she
could make a friend of Dawleigh he
would know many things about his
master which she might be able to
worm out OF him.
All that day and tho next she en-
couraged him with glances and n word
or two when they met-and the man
made 1t his business to throw himself
In her way whenever he could; fiat
tering himself that his London mans
ner had made very deep impression
on her.
Meanwhile she watched vigilantly at
night: but with no result. Merridew
and his mother remained on bad terms.
He spent the days riding and motoring.
and the evenings In his rooms alone.
Dawleigh was constantly about the
house. turning up unexpectedly IN Ill
parts OF 1t in search Of Olive; and In
the evening going to and from SIS mas
ter's rooms! so that shn was afraid
OF his discovering her. She had more
than one narrow escape. indeed, when
only her knowledge OF the house en-
abled her to evade him.
On the third night. however. she re-
solved to take advantage OF chance
that arose. Merridew had been away
all day, and returned the worse for
drink; the valet had been sent up 70
town, and Mrs. Merridew- after another
quarrel with her son, had gone to bed
Ill and agitated. having taken q Steep
| Ing draught.
| In the dead of the night Olive went
down to her sitting-room to- make a
search among all her private papers.
She had learned where these We're kept.
and the keys she had found made the
thing easy enough.
She did not find much that promised
Ito help her; while one discovery filled
Iher with dismay, and did more to shake
| her disbelief about that marriage than
anything which had ever occurred.
1t was a portrait of her father MS a
young man, and on the back was writ
| ten: ITO my dearest Rachel; my Wife
THAT IS to be: with fondcst love. Greg
DRY Pnrmenter.
She turned almost sick at heart with
a chill OF dismay as she gazed at It.
"n1y wife that Is to be- It was like a
sentence Of death to all her hopes.
Supervising heavy sigh she laid
the photograph down and continued her
search OF the packet from which she
had taken 1t. With t was the photo
graph of another man Of about the
Same -age. In the corner We're the
Initials &c. p" 1t was probably a
L I1l6lnenLOs 4SOIuS bOlIleEt VI
Mrs. Merridew's. but without any furth-
Ter clew was OF no consequence or help
to- Olive
The discovery OF her fathers por-
| trait with such an Endorsement had SO
disturbed her that she turned to the
remaining paper Of the little packet
with scant Interest. 1t was only q
newspaper cutting. but she caught the
name of ''Puryis" and then her In
Iterest revived. II
It was the report OF the trial Of
George Purvis for forgery, and MS she
! read 1t she remembered that Purvls
Ihad been the name OF the clerk whom
Mr.. Ringrose had told her had been
the cause of her fathers ruin. The
initials. too, We're those on the photo
/ graph. She read the report. It was a
| had case and the sentence a terrible
one. Twenty years penal seryitudels
At the bottom Of the cutting were
1 the words THANK God!" This was in
n woman's hand, and Olive recognized
|. tho writing as that Of Mrs Merrdew.
IS She looked at the date 4of#the paper
/ and saw that 1t was Just fifteen years
4 old. At that a thought occurred to
1 her. She had heard or read somewhere
that prisoners We're released when
about three-nunrters Of their sentences
! had been completed IL their conduct
was good, and in that case this man
would be on the eve Of his release.
Putting the papers back carefully
MS she had found them. she hurried
away to heriroom to think over the re-
suits Of this discovery. y
That "Thnnls God!" at tho end Of
the trial was eloquent indeed. It
meant that Mrs. Merridew had cause
to fear the man. and In second Olive
resolved that no must DO brought into
4 hers lfe3agaln. How could she amannge
1 this? She thought OF Mr.. Easement.
Tie might be able to find out In what
i prison Purvis was serving and the time
OF his liberation, Then means might
DO found to conveyto him the informa-
/. tion where he would find Mrs. Merri-
dew on his release. s
4 She wrote a long letter to the law
4 yer. explaining everything. telling HIN
I iher wish, and urging him to do his ut
i most to carry out the plan which had
i occurred to her. 5
4 Tor tho rest OF the night md al
1.-The following day she could think q
3i5little but the fateful discovery she had
i made among Mrs. Mcrridew's papers
d That portrait of her father hauntet
I liner; and the words-"My wife 8thnt61!
to be'--rang In her ears Ike q dlrEe
depressing ,her,Sillntll 1t was only witt
( n great effort that she could play he
J. part as the light-hearted5I rlsh girl,