Oxford Democrat., 1908-02-04
CHAPTER WI.

ut his elbow. DR.. Kinross. In
- the small hours of the morn
ing. read the paper he had found IN
the haunted room.
Both the wording of 1t and the pen
manship gave evidence that the writer
was a person Of some education.
though at times her phraseology was
stilted, bookish and even little melo-
dramatic.
The child, Eunice is not ours. For the
sake of the moneyed reward which we
knew would undoubtedly be offered for
her recovery by her wealthy father we
stole her away from her home. Her moth
er died at her birth. and !. being trained
nurse. was employed by the father to
come into the house and take entire
charge Of the baby When she was year
old secretly married her fathers secrc.
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 froEi the father But
an unforeseen event thwarted our wei!
laid plan. On the very night of our n!EAi
with the child her father was killed In
railroad accident Somehow the story got
the mut,lated body of year-old girl was
actually found in the wreck and ident-
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 Eunices father. a single woman oil
about thirty who lived alone in Wash
ington.
We wrote to he: and told her what we
had done and offered to give up the child
for a certain sum. but whether she didn't
believe US or whether It served her pur-
pose better not to have the child recov-
cred ] do not know. We have never had
any answer to our repeated communlca-
tions 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 to
her brothers home in New York. and o!
course she would remember me as her
taretaker. She always seemed very fond
If Eunice. who is her namesa!:e. do
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 have changed past
recognition. cannot longer endure the
burden of the crime ! have committed. ]
must make amends. But my husband will
not let 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. 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. / shall
either depart for Washington with the
child or else | shall die either by my own
hand or that of my husband. leave this
confession. which ! trust will escape my
husbands eye AMI fail into the hands OF
honest people.
/ shall now write here every fact wh'ch
may serve TO restore Eunice TO her rights.
The sum Of $i0CO which | took from my
employers desk the night / fled will be
found pinned to the child's clothing, TO be
used in paying the expenses which may
DC involved In restoring her TO her aunt
or In Gaze OF failure TO prove her iden-
tity. to support her until she is able to
cake care Of herself.
-Four thousand dollars" mused
Kinross, his face pale with the ex-
citement 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
slave Of her, not even allowing her
10 go TO the public school,
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 5.
g. wolcott. ESD. of the New York city
bar. His half sister Is Miss Eunice VOL
cott OF - avenue. Washington.
Miss wolcott can identify the child by
the two tiny moles on her neck just under
her left ear, for ! 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 VIII
be found on the child were given her by
Miss wolcott and contain her photograph
and the child's.
| / solemnly affirm that what have here
written II true.
BEATRICE DANIELS.
A date twenty years back was afiix-
ed to the paper.
Kinross' heart thumped In his breast.
and he sat transfxed as the hand
which held the paper fell to his Knees
| Eunicc was Tie niece or Miss Eunlce
WolcOtt, whom he had known all his
life. They had lived neighbors In the
city of Washington. Eunice a VOL
colt! Incredible! The foster child Of
the Morningstars a Woicott. than
whom a prouder race had never de-
yeloped out Of that boat load OF ilm!
grants that the Aiaytiower had dump
ed OIL Plymouth Rock! Eunice was
an heiress If her Identity could be
proved, and Miss Wolcott would own
her. He suddenly saw. with clearness.
the plight of Miss Wo!cott In this dis
covery of her niece. and cold fear
crept over him that there might be
some difficulty in restoring to Eunice
her inheritance. 1t would have been
difficult enough II 1. had been attempt
ed at the time this confession was
made. But after all these years? He
had been youth Of eighteen when
Miss Wolcott had come into her for
tune. and he remembered well how 1t