The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-09


down the hall. On the stairs the lat.
ter took his turn. still confused by
what he had Just heard
Who is Miss Maclairey. he asked.
Phyllis Gale"
"Of course. but who IL Phyllis Gale!
WHAT has she to do with General
Water His daughter has told me she
never heard Of any one BY that name"
Well, Keith, the old man has never
told me very much; he's pretty close
mouthed, except for swearing, but rye
read his papers, and picked up q point
or two. I reckon the daughter, Miss
Hope. maybe never heard q word
about It but the boy@the one that
was shot-must have stumbled onto
tho story and repeated II 10 Hawiey.
That's what set that fellow going It
seems Mira Waite's maiden name was
Pterpont and when she was seven
teen years old she was married to the
son Of . rich North Carolina planter.
The fellow was Q drunken, dtssolute.
good{or-uothin9 They had q daugh-
ter horn-<his Phyilie-aDd when the
child was three years Old her father,
In At o6 drunken rkse. ran away, and
TO spite his wife took the little girl
with him All Efforts 10 trace them
failed, and the mother finally secured
Q divorce and, two pears later, mar
ried Wills WattA Waita Of course,
knew these facts. but probably they
wcre never told the children. When
the father Of Mn. Waite's frvt hus-
band died, he left all hts large proper.
ty TO his grandchild, providing she
could be found and identified within q
certain time. failing which the proper
" was TO be distributed among cer-
tNin designated charitiea Waite was
named sole administrator. Well the
old man took a. much interest In II as
though II was his own girl. but made
mighty little progress He did dis
cover that the father had taken the
child TO s. Louis and left here there
with q woman named Raymond, but
after the woman died the giri com
pletsiy disappeared
Then Miss Maciaf,e h Hope
Waite's halfeister?"
ThatAS the way II looks now"
And Ha ~ley merely happened to
stumble On 70 the right partyr"
Sure; itS clear enough bow that
came about The boy told him about
the lost heiress hts father was search
ing after, and showed. him his sisters
picture. Black Bart instantly reooe-
nized her resemblance To Christie
Maclaire, end thought he saw q good
chance Tor some easy money. He
needed tho papers. however, 70 sscsr-
tain exactly the terms Of the will.
and what you'd be necessary tu1 the
Identification He newer Intended to
90 into court. but hoped TO either get
Waite out Of the way. or else convince
him that Christie was the girl, relying
on her gratitude for hts proflta When
Waats played into his hands BY com.
ing TO Carson City the chance WIS too
good TO be lost I'm not sure he meant
TO kill him. but he did mean To have
those papers at apy cost Probably
you ncw the rest-the gfri wa cay.
becarSe abe was 30 ignorant OF her
parentag@ and nothing prevented
Havfey from winning excep< that
Waite got mad and decided TO ngha.
That knocked over the whole thing"
They we're ouesads now. and the
frst touch Of the Good night air, the
nrss glance up and down the noisy
street. brought Keith to himself, his
mind ready TO grapple with the prob
lem OF Hopes disappearanca II
seemed 70 him he had already looked
everyvhere. yet there was nothing to
do except to continue the search, only
more systematically. The sheriff as
snmed control-clear headed, and 90
customed 70 that sort Of thing-call
ing In Hickock and bis deputies to
assist. and fairly combing the town
from one end to the other. Not q rat
could have clipped unobserved
through tho net he dragged down that
long street, or its intersecting alleys
but u was without result: nowhere
was there found q trace Of either the
o~ - MAO OOAkt<AAbOu
Tney dug into saloons. bagntos.
dancehails. saarch1ng back rooms
and questioning inmates: they routed
out every occupant Of the hotel In
vadsd boarding houses. and explored
shacks and tents, Indifferent TO the
protests Of those dtsturbed-but with
Out result They found several who
knew Haw1ey. others VINO bad seen the
two together passing by the lighted
windows Of the Trocadero. but beyond
that--nothtng. Convinced. at last. that
the parties sought were not alive In
Sheridan. and beginning to fear the
worst, tho searchers separated, and
began spreading forth over the black
surrounding prairie. and by the light
OF -snterns seeking any semblance OF
trail There was no Lack Of volun-
teeis for this work, but It was oay-
light before the slightest clue pre-