River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-10-08

Hoppington the baby orchid Kismet
placed them in hotels but 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 a 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 it over with to-
night" the captain blurted. I'll go
out there with you. Beastly hour to
call, but I have the orchid, and that
will be sufficient excuse for my visit"
So she yielded to his plan and they
took a 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 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 fashily dressed young woman, who
then flew 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, "is why am cast off,
"And that" again interrupted
&C., J1n Il &c
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 a 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 vio-
Ience.
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.
lie 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 the
dead and the inability to disprove it
let us believe so, she had raised the
knife, the whole force Of his body
came against it, and it sank into his
| heart.
The countess gave piercing scream,
and then the house was still. They
were alone with the dead. When the
horror of the deed had lifted sufficient
| ly for them to think of the future,
Graham drew the knife from the
wound, and, lifting it high over the
table, brought it down with all the
DOW or of his muscular right arm. The
blade sank through the wood up to
the hilt.
There" he said, "no matter what
comes, darling, no woman's hand
did it."
Though innocent in everything, the
very manner Of their being in the
house was against them. They planned
to return to their hotels, keep close
for day to avoid the suspicion of a
quick departure, and then leave Chi
cago with it's mystery unsolved. But
the lost slipper on the stoop, the baby
orchid and Kismet willed otherwise.
And who sent the telephone mes
sage to the police? Was it the wom-
an they had seen who later returned
and discovered the crime? Was it the
countess who shuddered to think Of
the man she once thought she loved,
and whose name she had a right to
bear, lying there dead and alone? Ora
ham did not know, and we did not
| find out.
have no doubt but that Graham's
story, told as we heard it to the cor
oner's jury would have set him scot
free. But some complication, some
fever doubtless that he had picked up
in the tropics, set in and proved too
much for his weakened body. The
law had no chance to correct the error
| of his arrest.
Hon. BERTHE Hoppington came into
his own. Chief Shipp got the credit
for the solution of the mystery, Clarke
got the reward, at least so suppose,
for he is uniformly silent on those
matters, and I, well I got the story.
and now you have that.
Copyright 1908. by w. q. Chapmaul
tCopyrlgnr In Great Brittany