Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-05

he would have fallen to an unknown
depth.
Every member OF the party agreed
| that Wallace must have slid into the
! crevasse. AS fc,ps e. / said nothing,
thinking the A4A either way were
even. We returned 70 Interlaken, and
the party reported the result of their
Investigations, with tire opinion that
the body. being in the crevasse, could
not easily be recovered 1 resolved TO
await developments. If Wallace had
escaped we should hear from him with
in reasonable time.
A few days later an old gentleman
came up TO me while I was standing
beside my telescope and asked me If
the place from which the American
had fallen was visible from where we
stood 1 assured him that It was and
directed my telescope toward 1t. He
put his eye to the glass and since IT
was in the center OF the field of view
seemed to recognize it at once.
eff any one had been looking through
your glass at the time the accident
occurred, would he have seen it," he
asked.
Certainly" 1 replied.
"Can figures and faces be distin-
guished up there through your tele-
scope so as o. know them?"
mot surely"
could you see an act in which two
figures were involved?"
Not very clearly"
Something in the mans voice was
familiar to me. AS he turned and
faced me I saw that he was made
up" as the theatrical people say. Then
something suddenly burst upon me.
Was it a droop of one shoulder? Was
it the interest he had manifested in
the tragedy? 1 could not tell, but I
knew the old man was young Wallace
disguised.
81 was Ioking through my glass"
1 said. when that tragedy occurred"
felt grip on my arm, and the man
was fairly glaring at me.
Were you? What did you seer he
said, trying to master his emotion.
I told him what 1 had seen as have
told it here. He would not permit me
to leave out the slightest detail. When
1 had finished / added:
''You are Mr.. Wallace, and you were
pushed over that cliff. 1 saw enough
to convince me that what witnessed
was an attempted murder. Now tell
me Of the mans motive"
He told me that Miss Clark was an
American millionairess; that he had
known her at home and they had re
Gently become engaged. In Paris LIE
verian had been introduced to the
girl, had joined the party with whom
ID
to win her. Doubtless recognizing that
Wallace was the main obstacle in the
way of getting her and her millions,
he had attempted to put him out Of
the way.
Wallace had landed where 1 sup
posed he would land, being only shak-
en- up by the glance he had made at
the bottom of the cliff. Realizing that
il he accused lie Verian Of trying to
murder him he would have no evil
dence of the fact, he had disguised
himself and returned with a view to
watching his rival without being
known to him. He had not yet made
himself known to Miss Clark, being
DESTROYS to discover how she felt to-
ward his would be murderer. From
what he had observed he feared that
lie Verian was making some Roadway
in his suit, but could not tell. His
fiancee had been apparently much
shocked.
Having learned that would be able
to testify, Mr.. Wallace resolved to
make himself known to lie Verian
and Miss Clark He came to see me
the next day and described the scene
Z al 10 no Il
taken a private parlor and sent mes
sage to LIE Verian and Miss Clark that
If they would come to the apartment
they would learn something of George
Wallace
They came. the girl looking hopeful
ly anxious, the man very much aSi-
tated. Wallace. who was dressed as
an old man. threw off his disguise and
stood before them as himself. The
girl started toward him with a cry and
fell in 4 swoon in his arms. The man
stood looking like serpent about to
strike a final blow for life.
Wallace put out his hand and touch
ed a bell lie Verian stood trembling
like a leaf waiter entered, and
Wallace told him to call the proprietor
He came, and Wallace declared him
self to be the missing American and
denounced lie Verian as his would be
murderer.
At that moment Miss Clark came to
herself and heard his accusation.
I never learned what became of lie
verian ! heard nothing about a trial
and Inferred that Mr. Wallace and his
lancee shrank from prosecuting him.
But the next summer while ! was
showing the Jungfrau to some tour
lists l heard familiar voice say:
"Can you show me the cliff from
which Wallace, the American, fell?"
I turned. There stood Mr.. Wallace
himself with the American girl on his
arm
'AIrs. Wallace and would like to
see the place" he added.
But the lady shrank away with a
shudder. and her husband failed to in
duce her to take even q glance