The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-07-17

better, and have less to forget"
Just as you say" returned the de-
tective stiffly. He's under our thumb
at present, / can't tell when he may
wriggle out"
Not while your eyes on him. And
your eye won't leave him as long as
you have confidence in the reward
I've promised YOU"
Perhaps not; but you take the life
out of me. Last night you were too
hot; this morning you are too cold.
But it's not for me to complain. You
know where to find me when you want
me-" And without more ado the de.
tective went out.
Mr.. Ransom remained alone and In
no enviable frame of mind. He was
distrustful of himself, distrustful of
the man who had made al this trou.
BILE, and distrustful of her, though he
would not acknowledge it. Every
baser instinct in him drove him to
the meeting he declined. To see the
man-to force from him the akruth.
seemed the only rational thing to do.
But the final words of his wife's let.
ter stood In his way. She had ad.
vised patience. Yes, he would give
her day. That was time enough for
man suffering on the rack of such
an intolerable suspense-one day.
But even that day did not pass
without breaks in his mood and more
than one walk In the direction of the
st. Denis Hotel. In the evening 1t was
the same, bat the next morning he re-
mained stesIdfastly at his hotel. He
had laid ont his future course In
these words: II will extend the time
to three days; then II I do not hear
from her will get that wry-necked
fellow by the throat and twist an ex-
PLANTATION from him." But the three
days passed and he found the situa.
ton unchanged. Then he set as his
limit the end Of the week, but before
the full time had elapsed he was ad.
vised by Gerridge that he himself was
being followed In his turn by a couple
OF private detectives; and while still
under the agitation Of this discovery
was further disconnected by having
the following communication thrust
into his hard in the open street by a
young woman who succeeded In los.
Ing herself in the crowd before he had
got 80 much as good look at her.
You can Judge of his amazement as
he read the few lines 1t contained.
N Read the papers tonight and
forget the stranger at. the st.
Denis.
That was all. But the writing was
hers. The hours passed slowly till
the papers were cried in the street
What Mr.. Ransom read In them in.
creased his establishment, I might say
his anxiety. 1t was paragraph about
his wife. an almost incredible one.
running thus:
A strange explanation is given
OF the disappearance of Mrs.
Ransom on her wedding-day. AS
our readers will remember, she
Ipanied her husband to the
hotel, but managed to slip away
and leave the house while he still
stood at the desk. This act, for
which nothing In her previous
conduct has in any way prepared
her friends. Is now said to have
been due to the shock of hearing.
some time during her wedding.
day, that sister whom she had
supposed dead was really alive
and IN circumstances Of almost de-
grading poverty. AS this sister
had been her own twin the effect
upon her mind was very serious.
To find and rescue this sister she
left her newly made husband in
the sprreptitious manner already
recorded In the papers. That she
is not fully herself is shown by
her continued secrecy as to her
whereabouts. All that she has
been willing to admit to the two
persons she has so far taken into
her confidence-her husband and
the agent who conducts her affairs
lis that she has found her sister
and cannot leave her. Why, she
Goes not state. The case Is GER
tainly curious oae and Mr.. Ran.
som has the sympathy of all his
friends.
Confused. and In a state of mind
bordering on fr,nzy, Mr.. Ransom re.
turned to tNe hotel and sought refuge
In his own room. He put no conf
dence in what he had just read; he
regarded 1t as newspaper story and
@ great fake; but she had bid him
read it, and this fact in itself was
very disturbing. For how could she
have known about it II she had not
been its author, and If she was its
author, what purpose had she expect