The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1912-10-11

suasion to make you accompany Doris
anywhere" she said with smile, anC
| she was not at all remorseful whef
she noted the dark flush of pleasure
that spread over his features. Blu
l cannot help taking comfort in the
fact that you have come to see me
anr that very evidently it has cost
you no struggle to do so. II all OF
you could only know what these lone
weeks have been to me, you would
understand how deeply the sight Of
old friends affects me. Here | have
been in a world apart. The pool
creatures who share this dreadful
home with me only make my situa
! tion worse, for l can do nothing for
them, and yet the sight of their mis-
| cry distresses me beyond words"
| Blinor did not know how much she
| had been spared by the constderate'
| mess of the warden In assigning her TIC
| a tier of cells in which the more bru.
tai inmates of the Tombs never were
confined. She had had only glance
of the neither depths. Grave though
the charge against her was, the good
old man, whom an accident Of poll
tics had placed in control of the pris'
on, had recognized from the first that
she was OF finer mould than anyone
who had been entrusted to his Gus.
tody In his whole term Of office, and
he had seen to 1t that her eyes and
ears were not assaulted by the sights
and scenes of the blacker depths
Years passed, and Elinor was woman
of much graver maturity ere she knew
how much of misery she had escaped,
The visit of Mrs. Missioner and
Sands did Elinor so much coed that
when they went away, 1t was with
lighter heart she returned to her CELL
with renewed courage she steeled her
self to await the efforts of the good
friends and the devoted lover she
knew were working to clear her name
of the frightful charge Donnelly and
Carson had lodged against her.
Her confidence in DR.. Fitch was not
misplaced, for in the short time when
Mrs. Missioner in her limousine was
speeding back to her home in Million
aires Row, and Sands, in brougham,
was returning to his office in the
Bowling Green building, Fitch and
Britt were standing on a Fourth Ave
nue. corner a short distance north of
Twenty-third Street, gazing with dis
may at a twenty-story skyscraper that
stood on the site of the little old curio
shop to which duty had called the
young ambulance surgeon years be
fore.
"You are sure this Is the place"
asked the detective.
Absolutely" said the doctor. 81
went over there to get some brandy
for the old man when I was working
him out of his stupor."
"Well.'' said the sleuth, 80 far as
that old curiosity shop is concerned,
we're up against It; or, what is worse,
we are not up against it. We are con
fronted by this steel and stone mon.
strosity, and I guess there's no use
wasting time making inquiries there;
but there may be a few old-timers
with memories along this block, and
we'll see what we can find out. You
take that side Of the street, and I'll
take this"
Britz and Fitch went into one shop
after another, patiently repeating per.
sistent inquiries a. to what had be
come OF the veteran curio dealer.
Blank stares and equally blank an;
nwers were the result until Britt, In a
siny tobacco shop that was the center
Of all the old-times places huddled to-
gether for protection against the en-
eroachment of progress, unearthed
memory incarnate in a man, who,
Fitch said, might have been the twin
brother of the amateur alchemist
YES" said the man, "T remember
him, and It's funny thing to me that
anybody who ever saw him could ever
forget him. He was the queerest little |
old duck | ever ran across"
Britt thought If anyone could be |
queerer than the ancient tobacconist |
he would have to step out of a page
Of Dickens.
The incarnate memory recalled that |
the curio dealer had been taken away |
week or two before his shop was
torn down to clear the ground for the |
foundation work of the great sky |
scraper. No. he didn't go away. He |
was taken away.
Anything wrong with him." asked
Britt.
We'll, not exactly what you might
call wrong, so to speak," quavered the
old tobacco merchant. 81 wouldn't |
go so far as TO say there was anything
you might exactly call wrong with
him. but neither would undertake to
tell you that he was altogether what
you might call right" and he touched
his forQlead significantly.
"Oh!" said Britt, Wards or Ran
dalrs?"
Huh" said the old tobacconist, Il
don't know what you mean"
Why" said the detective, what
mean is did they take him to the Asy-
lum or to the Workhouse7"
Il reckon It wouldn't have been any
use to take him to the Workhouse,"
said the tobacco dealer, because, so
Tar as know, he never done no work
In all his life, and he was too old a
dog to learn the habit by that time.
No, 1 guess they took him to the other