The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-02-02


idly as possible She. therefore. sent
little note to the cluhman. asking
that he make It point to see her in
the course OF the evening: and in the
note she gave him list of the several
functions she intended to take In.
The ball Mrs. Missioner attended, and
Mt which Griswold scored what he re.
garded as a distinct gain in paradlng
the wealthy widow before many Of
their acquaintance az receptive re-
cipient OF his attentions, was only one
of the affairs on Dorothy's list. Girls.
void received the note too late IN
come up with Miss March before the
ball, so he decided to meet her at n
later dance. That decision unset one
OF his plans-the most important he
had formed in many months, although
he did not know its Importance at the
time. II had been his intention to 20
from the Fifth Avenue ballroom to the
Hotel Renaissance and II he had not
received the note from Miss March. he
would have done so even though he
might have escorted Mrs. Missioner to
her home and passed a short time with
her in the interval
Dorothy's request fattered the club
mans vanity so greatly. however. that
he did not hesitate to defer his visit
TO the Renaissance in order TO keen
the interesting appointment the debu-
tante. with more conscience than dis.
cretion. made for him The conse-
quence was that by the time Girls.
wold's interview with little Dorothy
March was at an end the hours had
passed beyond point to which even
his ingenuity could stretch convei.-
tionality far enough to make 1t practi-
cable for him to see Mrs. Delarochs
that night
Dorothy was dancing abstractedly
when Griswold found her She was so
impatient to adjust the harm she felt
she had done him that she saw him
from her partners shoulder before ho
picked her out from score of other
comely young women on the floor.
Miss March Instantly wearied OF the
waltz, to the dlsmay Of the youth
rather fancied himself as a dancer.
She lost no time In having herself es.
corted to a small conservatory. where
she dismissed her partner with scant
ceremony, and where, a few moments
stterward, she was Joined by Girls.
void.
Even then the debutante's inviting
tangling Of the threads OF Griswold's
fate might not have had such influence
upon his future n she had approached
her subject with directness. Had she
told Griswold AZ once what she had
said to the detective concerning his
skill as a draughtsman, the clubman's s
suspicious would have been aroused.
and he might have taken steps that
would have had a marked effect upon
the development OF the great Mission
er mystery. But Dorothy was too fiut.
tered. too prettlly remorseful, TO go
straight to the heart of the subject,
and In her innocent endeavor to post
Griswold in respect of her chat with
Britt without making him think she
was a gosslpins little busybody, she
protracted her Interview with the club
man through so many dances that
when II ended Grlswold persuaded him
self the morning would be ample time
TO do that which he felt must be done
to avert the probable consequences of
Dorothys girlish frankness His van.
ity again played its part. too. for when
he had thanked little Miss March for
what he pleased to consider her inter.
est in him, and when Dorothy, having
signally failed to impress upon him the
impersonal nature OF her conscience
stroke, found herself in further nut.
ter OF bewilderment, Curtis Griswold
| proceeded TO parade her up and down
the dancing floor as effectively as he
had shown off the rich and beautiful
widow In the larger ballroom little
farther up the avenue. Griswold
prided himself on his versatility. He
argued that II was as easy for him.
as he would have expressed It to his
club intimates, Ito put Ally through
her PAGES" as II had been TO advertise
the fact before the whole ballroom
that Doris Missioner, the fastldlous
beauty and worshiped possessor OF
many millions, apparently was on the
point OF accepting him as her second
matrimonial venture.
All OF which resulted in Griswold's
long stay at the dance, in his ride with
Dorothy to her home In an automobile
otherwise occupied only by satisfac.
torily self-centered chaperon; and in
his waste Of further time at one OF his
clubs after parting with Miss March
and her duenna--a waste OF hours any
one OF which might have been made as
useful TO him as a year OF ordinary
time. He was further disposed to pro
crastlnate in this crucial moment by
the success of the Headquarters man
in throwing all suspected persons of
their guard by keeping Elinor Hol.
comb In the Tombs Through all his
work on the Missioner case. Britz had
been beset with requests from Mrs.
Missioner, Sands and other friends OF
the widows secretary, TO permit them
TO give bail for her. Sands and Mrs.
Missioner we're particularly inslsteut
In their desire to see Elinor at liberty.
Fitch, though normally his wish to see