The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-08
CHAPTER XXI.

QOCDt, surprise yOu.
 CHAPTER XXI.
 Makes a, Strange Disclosure.
 She stirred uneasily in her chair, and for some minutes was silent.
 One tiny, white -gloved hand rested upon the arm of the chair, and on the other her pointed chin was resting as she looked at me thoughtfully. as though debating within herself how much. or how little, she should tell me.
 Elfrida Maynard's beauty was more perfect than that Of any woman I had ever before gazed upon. The one thought now possessing me. above all else. was of her. She admitted that she had once loved the man Garshore.
 Continuing. she told me that a few months after the Bristol affair. Ruff ford was working on a new system or fraud He obtained photographed cop ies of mortgage deeds. and had them signed by a man named Bernard and attested by another man named Lewis. both of whom received two pounds weekly for their trouble He also got into his clutches solicitor who did the conveyancing and for some time the scheme worked admirably. The solicitor, however. came to a tragic ehd by falling down the stairs of his office in Bedford Row. breaking his neck.
 Rilfford's game came thus to a standstil1 and his next move was iu the gEise of a financial agent. With a handsome suite of offices in Regent street hsopened business and acquired a substantial estate called Baddow, near Broxbourne. He started opera tiohs by raising mortgages on this property. going for that purpose. to various solicitors. He obtained over thirty different loans on the same house by forging the deeds. and pro ducing each time a fresh fire insur- ance policy. The amount of money he thus obtained was many thousands of pounds.
 Tt was owing" the girl said. ito one~of the insurance companies sus- pecting something that the game was discovered and a warrant for Rufferd applied for. A detective was sent down to Broxbourne a few hours later to make the arrest Rufford and a companion were walking up from Brox- bourne station when the officer. not knowing Rufford, accosted them and asked the way to Baddow. I'm going that way said the King of Mortgages, chserfly; but what do you want at Baddow? My name is Rufford..' oh, indeed!' said the other. I'm an officer ,ni IL A. ment, and I hold a warrant for your arrest For moments Rufford was taken aback. then he held his breath and said affably: Come inside, I'm a little weak owing to business worries, and want a brandy and soda before I go with you. suppose you have no objection to that?' The detective had no objection. and they walked up the drive and entered the mansion. where Rufford accompanied his unwelcome guest into the drawing room. In an instant the master criminal stepped out of the room again. locking the door. Thus in a flash he had the of ficer of the law a. prisoner. and before, the entrapped detective had realized what had happened Rufford was half way across the big garden. Another officer, who had come up just before the pair had entered the house. at tempted to bar his passage. but was sadly butted ir tie stomach. Then followed a chase through gardens and along the railway line. While running the hunted man threw off his over coat, and when it was picked up later bank notes for fifteen hundred pounds were found Tn one of the pockets. Tn the end. however. he got clear away to the continent with many more notes of a considerable value in his posses sion.''
 "Marvelous!' I calculated. "I had no idea that Rufford-of whom I re- member having read in the newspa- pers-and Ga~shore were the same mann"
 ''Nor has anybody, except myself and one other persona person who will keep the secret.'' she responded. slow ly. ''But let me tell you more. Almost immediately after his escape from Bad- dow I myself made discovery. The man >w bom I and the Stapletons knew at that time as Garshore had year before furnished a fine house at Mid dlethorpe, close to the race course at York. He had never invited me to see the place, but he suddenly disappeared from York, where we had known him as a wealthy man. This caused con- siderable comment Three months later, however, some auctioneers re- ceived instructions from him abroad ordering them to sell the house and it's contents. It was to me apparent that he had prepared this home of luxury for the day when his life's Iabors should have brought him sufficient re-