Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-07-25

She shook her head, and Waite,
giar1ng impotently at the two OF them,
swore sharply.
Good God, man! my girl! Hope,
alone with that damn villain. Come
on, Sheriff; we've get to find her.
walt, thought" and he strobe almost
menacingly across the room. First,
l want to know who the devil you
are?"
Keith Strengthened up, looking d.
rectly into the fierce questioning eyes.
have told you my name-Jack
Keith he replied. quietly. Doctor
falrbain knows something of me, but
Tor your further information will add
that when we met before / was Cap
tain Keith, Third Virginia Cavalry,
and bearing dispatches from Long
street to Stonewall Jackson"
The gruff old soldier, half-crazed by
the news of his daughters peril, the
CLEAN of his eyes still revealing I'M
controlled temper, stared at the young
er face fronting him; then slowly he
held out his hand
"keith-Keith," he repeated, as
though bringing back the name with
! an effort. by God, that's so-old JEFF
| ferson Keith's boy-killed at An
tietam. And you know Hope?"
Yes, General"
He looked about as though dazed,
and the sheriff broke in not unkindly.
Well, Waite, If we are going to
search for your daughter we better
be at it. Come on, all of you; Miss
Maclaire will be safe enough here
alone"
He took, hold of Keith's arm, ques-
tioning him briefly as they passed
down the hall. On the stairs the lat
ter took his turn, still confused by
what he had just heard
Who is Miss Maclaire?" he asked
Phyllis Gale"
"Of course, but who is Phyllis Gale?
What has she to do with General
Waite? His daughter has told me she
never heard Of any enc by that name"
We'll, Keith, the cid man has never
told me very much; he's pretty close
mouthed, except for swearing, but I've
read his papers. and picked up point
or two. l reckon the daughter, Miss
Hope, maybe never heard word
about 1t, but the boy-the one that
was shot-must have stumbled onto
the story and repeated it to Hawley.
That's what set that fellow going 1t
seems Mrs. Waite's maiden name was
!! Pierpont, and when she was seven
teen years old she was married to the
son OF rich North Carolina planter.
The fellow was drunken, dissolute,
good-for-nothing. They had daugh-
ter born-this Phyllis-and when the
child was three years old her father.
In fit OF drunken rage, ran away, and
to spite his wife took the little girl
with him. All efforts to trace them
failed. and the mother finally secured
divorce and. two years later, mar
ried Willis Waite Waite, of course,
knew these facts, but probably they
were never told the children. When
the father of Mrs. Waite's first hus-
band died, he left all his large proper
! ty to his grandchild, providing she
/ could be found and identified within a
certain time, failing which the proper
ty was to be distributed among GER
tain designated charities. Waite was
named sole administrator. Well, the
old man took as much interest in II as
though it was his own girl, but made
mighty little progress. He did dis
cover that the father had taken the
child to st. Louis and left here there
with woman named Raymond, but
after the woman died the girl COM
pletely disappeared"
Then Miss Maclaire is Hope
Waites half-sister?"
That's the way 1t looks now"
And Hawley merely happened to
stumble on to the right party?"
Sure; it's clear enough how that
! came about. The boy told him about
the lost heiress his father was search
ing after, and showed him his sisters
picture. Black Bart instantly recog-
nized her resemblance to Christie
Maclaire, and thought he saw good
chance for some easy money. He
needed the papers, however, to ascer.
tain exactly the terms of the will
and what would be necessary for the
identification. He never intended to
go 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 his profits. When
Waite played into his hands by COM
ing to Carson City the chance was too
good to be lost. I'm not sure he meant
to Kill him, but he did mean to have
those papers ut any cost. Probably
you know the rest-the girl was easy,
| because she was SO ignorant Of her
parentage. and nothing prevented
Hawley from winning except that
| Waite got mad and decided to fight.