The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-02

arm an1lously. 81 was right. after all" triumpned'
at is her first offence. And ! want 20" 10 pron.s'
me something. If 1 can persuade her to nave inc
pin sent back to you will you withdra" the cnafse'
You said you wanted It kept quiet, you Know.
The Solution.
His large, firm mouth went wide with amazement'
He stopped in the street and stood .acins me.
"Youll never get her to talk" l hurried on. i've
found out that much. She's as stubborn as q n'uo
mule. Will YOU promise?' I persisted. MI. COVERT
laughed loud and heartily. "Make her send back tn"
pin first" he rejoined, with the good natureo to'ef'
ance one grants to a chlld's fairy tales.
That night l sat a long time at my desk, ana more
than one sheet Of paper went into the waste nasket
before I commenced laboriously to copy wnat ! ~
written, Disgusting my hand to avoid possible oetec'
ton: ,,n ,hrunt,v. 81 know
that you have fooled and cheated me, ana II you
doubt It the address on this letter will prove that l
know who YOU are, your real name. and all ABOUT
YOU. It's harder to bear than all I've been through
I would have kept quiet and gone to prison 1or Sou'
sake, but now I know that you would nave just oeeh
laughing at me. All I want to tell you Is TINS. Iney
have promised to let me go If the pin Is returned 10
them" Then 1 capped my climax. III 1 am not
Tree IL n lew udyS, i uuS l wal W.
trutl-everything I am sending this through a
friend. 1 know it is dangerous. but why should l be,
the only one to suffer. 1 don't care about anything
any more, but I do mean every word l say. Ill prove
It If you'll come down to see me"
And that 1 knew he would not dare, so I felt safe
in signing it with her name-"Nora."
The following afternoon I trembled in nervous
dread as I called up Laura Danforth and asked
whether I might drop in informally to dine that night.
nra-- H. At,a,1- ,h}k ouvo1opo heavy with SmN0Ce OF
sealing wax the letter was posted by special delivery
to Harvey. It was risky, Of course.
Harvey was in the drawing room when 1 arrived,
his smiling, debonair self, and Harry Richards wnom
Laura had hastily m as a fourth.
played with my food, though I had a gnaw1ng
sense Of hunger I knew a dozen dinners could never
satisfy. Every tinkle Of a bell, every appearance OF
a servant made my heart leap high, then Sink 10
further depths. What If that letter had gone
astray! What If by chance 1t should fall into the
hands of the police! A thousand doubts seized and
racked me. You may think it's amusing to be q
meddler, but I know it isn't.
The courses passed one by one at a funereal pace.
I longed madly for action. l wanted to get up ana
pace the room. At last we were in the library david
ling over the lfgueurs. Laura had left us to arrange
a bridge table in the card room adjoining. I was
laughing wildly at a twenty-year-old Joke of Harrys
when the little Japanese butler stood suddenly in
the doorway, a silver tray in his hand. On 1t lay my
letter! Harvey picked up the envelope. looked it over
in puzzled curiosity, and with a side glance that
took in my apparent wrapped interest iu Harry tore
It open.
Then 1 stole a sldewise glance at Harvey's face as
he read. One look told me he was facing his Nemesis!
Two days later I was called to Mr.. Colvert's private
office. He was at his desk, staring hard at an express
package, just opened; on his face awed wonder. As
I entered he shook his head in bewildered fashion
and rose.
"Too much for mc-the eternal feminine!" he
gasped. Miss Bentleigh." he added, his eyes laugh
ing, you're misplaced. You ought to be on the de-
tective force"
1 did not have to be told what that package con.
tanned.