St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-10-24


Chicago at the same time to sell to
Hoppington the baby orchid. Kismet
placed them in hotels but a block
apart and Kismet engineered their
meeting on Michigan boulevard.
Would she share his box at the
opera that night? Yes, she had nothing
to conceal, nothing to be ashamed OF,
| and neglected wife's right to do as
she pleased. If her husband was
aware of her presence in the city, he
| had not intimated it. Over the supper
| table after the theater she told him
all, even the name Of the man who
had ruined her life. .
Hang it, let's have 1t over with to-
night" the captain blurted. I'll 60
out there with you. Beastly hour to
call, but | have the orchid, and that
will be sufficient excuse for my visit.
So she yielded to his plan and they
| took carriage and drove out to Hop
! pington's home, laying their plans on
the way They drove past the house
once before stopping, as there already
was a carriage at the door. As they
did so they saw the door open and
Hoppington in the light bidding an
over affectionate good night to rath-
er flashily dressed young woman, who
then few down the steps, jumped into
the cab, and was driven quickly away.
And that" Lady Evelyn had said.
laying her hand on Capt. Graham's
arm, lis why am cast OF"
"And that" again interrupted
Clarke, sis why he drugged his serv.
ants and locked up his maids"
/ Then they executed their coup.
Capt. Graham went in first, leaving
the countess in the carriage and gain
ing easy admittance through the po-
tency of the name Of the baby
orchid
They bargained for awhile, and then
the captain got Hoppington out OF the
room for moment while he signaled
and admitted the countess. When
Hoppington returned he found himself
face to face with his wife. The orchid
seller was gone.
High words followed after his first
surprise was over, bitter words that
coupled the name of the countess with
that of the captain in way that made
Graham clench his fists and grit his
teeth to keep from dashing from the
dark corner behind the stairway where
she had his promise to remain no mat.
ter what happened short of actual VIC
1ence
Then she charged him with the
woman they had seen leaving the
door.
"And you know that, you she devil,
he shouted, rushing upon her with up
lifted fist.
He failed to notice that she was
toying with a keen-pointed hunting
knife, an ornament to his library table
The captain rushed out, but he was
too late Involuntarily, Graham
maintained, and for the sake of ths
dead and the inability to disprove Il
let us believe so, she had raised the
knife, the whole force of his body
came against it, and it sank into hi!
t heart.
; The countess gave piercing scream
e and then the house was still. The.
i were alone with the dead. When thu
a horror of the deed had lifted sufficient
4 Iy for them to think of the future
Y Graham drew the knife from tn
d wound, and, lifting it high over tn
t table, brought it down with all tn
t power of his muscular right arm. TIL
s blade sank through the wood up t
e the hilt.
n There" he said, mo matter wha
: comes, darling, no woman's han
It did it."
;. Though innocent in everything tn
i very manner of their being In til
: house was against them. They planne
to return to their hotels, keep clos
for day to avoid the suspicion of
. quick departure, and then leave Ch
= cago with its mystery unsolved. BIZ
!. the lost slipper on the stoop, the bab
- orchid and Kismet willed otherwis
# And who sent the telephone me
q sage to the police? Was it the won
n OH luCS Aou oSCAA WIZ AutCl
. and discovered the crime? Was it tt
countess who shuddered to think
s the Apan she once thought she love
asand those name she had a right |
a Ef3af3 lying there dead and alone? CIR
4 him did not know, and we did nj
g fhd out.
n. / have no doubt but that Graham
n. story, told as we heard 1t to the co
ID oner's jury would have set him SCI
n free But some complication, son
fe fever doubtless that he had picked /
ut in the tropics, set in and proved Il
d much for his weakened body. II
a law had no chance to correct the err
bit of his arrest.
in Hon. BERTHE Hoppington came In
Id his own. Chief shipp got the cred
at for the solution of the mystery, Clarl
n, got the reward, at least so suppos
90 for he is uniformly silent on tho
ut. matters. and /, well / got the stox
ii and now you have that.
u Copyright. 1908, By Il. g. chapmanl