The Detroit times., 1912-05-30

night with tnat poor anger
"NurseY" said |. What do you
Inean?"
"oh. | thought you knew. but per-
haps you don't. He told me hrst,
the blackguard: and then she told
me. and kept telling me. that that
poor, lovely, little thing was insane;
not violent you know, or | should
never have taken them. but just that
she had delusions, and that she had
got away from the place where she
was being cured, and that they had
found her and were taking her
back"
Damn hint" said {. did he tell
you that?"
Amen, SIR" said Mrs. Lathrop.
land IL Is just what he told me, and
rhe added more TO IL, that nurse did.
And I, who thought ali my life that
had my wits. believed them. Be
lieved them almost. that is. Thank
heaven, l had grain OF sense left.
Is your name Mason Ellsworth"
l was striding the room now; but.
with the abrupt question | stopped,
my hand almost roughly upon her
shoulder. Yes" sad; "why? Did
Nancy give you anything for me. any
message that YOU have been keeping
from me?" Mrs. Lauhrop WINGED
under my hand and. even in my mad
excitement, gathered sense enough
TO mutter an apology.
"Oh, that's all right" she said.
IF I'd been you, I'd have drowned
me, and small loss 10 world OF SEN
sible folks; just you wait a minute"
She dragged heavy chair across the
kitchen floor, and hopping up on IL,
stood on tiptoes to feel along the.
nigh shelf. and reach down a small
brown jar Here she Said;
take IL. And as | took Ii and put
IL on the table, she hoped down
again beside me. and taking of the
cover with one hand, plunged the
other into Its brown, shallow depths.
Here" she said. lis the letter she
gave me. Heaven only KNOWS when
the poor dear found a chance to
write II, with that fat cat following
around every minute. But she was
clever, too, and slid 1t into my lap
this morning under her very nose.
with a whisper to give IL to you If
y'ou should come, and to write you II
you should not. The woman caught
her at the last part of II, and took
the trouble TO tell me later that il
was all part OF her delusion; and
/ was idiot enough almost to believe
her, and to have sat here all this
morning, twiddling my thumbs.
/ when | ought to have been down at
the telegraph Office. But kept INV
mouth shut about her letter, because
~ was afraid 1t might get the little
lady into trouble; and decisions or
not, | liked her as much as | didn't
like the other one the minute | set
eyes upon her."
! unfolded the scrap OF paper
which she handed me. Nancy's note
was pencil-written and on an irreg-
ular bit OF paper, evidently torn
from the covering OF a chest shelf
or the lining OF bureau drawer. II
read: :
They came while you were away
did my best, but they took me. I
think We are on the way to New
YORK. They are pretending / am
insane. Follow US there IL you can.
but be careful, for | fear, too. for
your safety. He is very angry and
capable OF almost anything. He
calls himself, now. Doctor Morrison
but, as you may have guessed by
this time, he is my
Was this all she gave you?" said
/, glancing up.
Why, yes" said Mrs. Lathrop
l held the note to her, face down.
Have you any paper like this in
the house?" | asked.
airs. Lathrop looked at II closely
feeling its quality between her finger
and thumb. 1T looks like shelf pa.
per" she said after a moment. sand
] lave II pretty much all over the
house"
Then | asked, may see the
loom where the ladies slept last
nigl.,'
Certainly" said Mrs. Lathrop. and
led the way upstairs, where she
pushed open the door of a rather
small, sunny room. This is the room
| aiways give to two ladies' staying
together" she said. 1T is bright and
; Cheerful and t2ere are two beds,
B-ISht and cheerful II certainly
Was. Bureaus, beds, chairs and tables
were alike white enameled: and tn
gay cnintz window curtains matches
the large-fgured paper OF the walls
May | look around?" | asked