The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-01

son, she denied
Here 1t is" he said as he reached
into his pocket and drew out wallet.
He placed letter in her hand. The
folds were scanned by friction. but In
the light from the interior Of the
building she could make out It's con.
tents.
THAT looks like my handwriting"
she said when she had done but !
never wrote any such letter. When
did you go to WyomingT she added as
she studied the envelope and noted
that the letter had been forwarded
from his California address.
81 wrote you at the time" he ex
planned in surprise "Jim Bolan took
1t TO town with him and mailed It
there. 1t was shortly after | got out
there. The company changed. and !
went over TO Wyoming to prospect"
"Did you meet your wife there or
after you went to Arizona?" she asked.
"Well, that's a good one" he laughed.
"Who told you that l was married"
"You wrote that you were tired of
hard work and that you had married a
half breed woman who had n mine"
"Did the letter come from ArizonaT'
mo; II came from San Hernandez.
You explained that you were going to
Arizona the next week"
"when did this happcnp he cried.
"Do you remember the datew
"It was some time in February" she
,In1v TnI
entine's day"
THAT was a pretty sort Of valen.
tine" he commented. Ruth, did Jim
Boland ever ask you TO marry him?"
Twice" she said, "once before you
went away and again when he was on
here last summer"
IL thlnk | can see how It was" he
said quietly. "Jim was bookkecper at
the mine and made up the mail He
must have forged my letter to you, and
when he received one OF yours after
left he steamed open the flap, inserted
a forgery and forwarded it TO me.
HE knew us well enough to feel GER
tain that we should not write each
other and compare notes. and he
thought he had disposed Of me and
would be able to gain your consent TO
marriage to him"
II don't think he Is clever enough TO
forge" she declared.
"IIe was sent TO prison for forging"
he said. when he came east last
summer they went over his accounts
and found that he had been forging
signatures TO vouchers right along.
They sent him to Jail, but he escaped
somehow and has never been located" D."
"Then that is the way 1t was" she
said Somehow l could not believe
that II was true"
"And there is no one elsef" he asked.
She shook her head.
There never has been any one else, "
she said softly. Unmindful of the
crowd, he caught her I'm his arms.
There never has been any one else
here" he said. "and there never will
be-"
Just as their lips met revolver shot
rang out above the din Of horns. There
was q cry, and in an instant ring
had formed on the outer edge OF the
sidewalk.
Berrlan, with a hasty injunction not
to move away, sprang into the crowd,
pressing his way through the crush.
Presently he came back, with a white
face.
Another one of those fools who did
not know It was loaded" he said
gravely. Lets get out of this as
quickly as we can"
With Jeff's huge bulk It was an easy
matter to stem the crowd, and pres
emily they found themselves out Of the
din in side street A sleepy cabmau
dozed in his seat in the hope of getting
fare. JEFF woke him up and, giving
him an order, helped Ruth into the
cab. taking his place beside her.
81 have told him TO drive TO DR..
Mountford's," he said. I'VE do not
need n license, and I want to begin the
new year a married man. Is It all
right. dear"
"It seems almost too good TO be
true" she whispered as she pressed
the arm through which she had thrust
hNl wv IL ~ lHlllh NAldl bllu lDOldlb >
reachery might have kept us separat-
ed forever"
Don't let's speak of that" he said,
with a slight shudder. "It was jim
who was killed by that pistol shooting
fool. He had grown a beard, but
recognized him by the scar on his fore
head"
Poor Jlmw she shuddered. After
all It was because Of his love for her
that he had committed crime.
Don't let's think about IT," he plead
ed as he put his arm about her "The
clocks are striking. Let us think Of
the Joy that the new year is bringing
to u.s."
ITS such a different New Years
from what | anticipated" she smiled
up at him as the cab drew up in front
Of the minister's residence.
The Keepsake Cabinet.