The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-24

/ things want you TO find out / fancy
the runaway match, with all its at
| tendant circumstances, created some
| thing of a stir at the time: some of
your older friends should be able and
willing to supply you with the facts"
"Oh, / have 10 doubt that / can
learn all you want to know" agreed
Van vechten. Most of what you have
| just told me is not exactly news. but
l had forgotten tit all happened be-
| fore my time, yen know. Josephine
is generally regarded by her friends as
| q woman who has suffered much. one
deserving pity and sympathy; but
heavens and earth-she is no martyr
to tribulation; she's the jolliest sort
imaginable. But how will this
help you to solve your murder prob
lem, or-what more nearly concerns
me-fnd some trace of my cousin?"
For some moments Mr. Flint sat
silent, gazing meditatively through the
window. Number 1875 dingy front
doomed dingier than ever in the late
; afternoon sunshine; but Mr.. Flint had
no eyes for the old house just at pres
ent. After a bit he turned to Van
Vechten
Before answering your question,
Mr.. Van Vechten, l am going to lay
another matter before you," said he
gravely; sit may seem impertinently
personal, but there are occasions when
tho ordinary civilities and amenities
must be laid aside and disregarded.
know that you and Miss Carew are en-
gagged to be married; do not mention
the sentiment that usually accompa-
MES such a conventionality, for per-
haps l shall pain you; but isn't there
possibility that she has become in
terested in another more recent love
AFFAIR."
Flint" was the prompt response,
! you are not trespassing upon my feel
ings in the least, and l am going to be
frank with you. The engagement you
speak of has always been more or less
of a tacit understanding in our family.
Paige is only distant cousin, you
know; but we are clannish set, we
Van Vechtens, and she and 1 have al
ways been awfully fond of each other.
But as for love. That's another
matter. In strictest confidence, Flint,
| have an idea that we shall never
marry-simply. I am convinced, be-
cause l could not insist without fore
ing myself upon her. No, no; l am
much too fond of her for that. And as
for another love affair, what earthly
reason is there for her making a secret
of it? She is not a girl given to TO-
mantle fancies or schoolgirl senti-
mentality; she is of age, her own mis-
tress; and were she to learn, as
have, that it is possible for either of
us to care for somebody else in way
different from our present feelings to-
ward each other, why, she couldn't let
me know it fast enough. That's Paige
If anybody must be hurt, have it
over and done with as soon as pos
sible''
u am beginning to form a pretty
fair idea of your cousin" observed Mr..
Flint Her intelligence, courage and
independent character make it all the
more necessary that learn everything
possible about Max Willard. l suppose
that she and Mrs. Devereaux are very
much attached to each other?"
Paige and Josephine? l can't say
they are like mother and daughter
Josephine'S heart is much too young
for that-chums would be more nearly
accurate. Yet Mrs. Devereaux has
been mother to Paige, and the very
strongest. ties of affection and conf
dence bind them together
Mr.. Flint slowly nodded his head, as
if these disclosures were right in har-
mony with whatever theory he was
evolving.
"One thing MORE" said he. ut is
strange that it has never occurred to
you, with your intimate understanding
of your cousin, that nothing at all has
happened to her; that her prolonged
absence without communicating with
relatives or friends is an act of her
own free will
But it did occur to me-" Van Vech-
ten contradicted. And it is my knowl-
edge of Paige that renders such a
hypothesis wholly absurd"
Again Mr.. Flint nodded understand
ingly.
Now" said he, sI'll answer your
question as to why l attach so much
Importance to finding Max Willard; al
though what l have already told you
should supply the explanation. / want
to discover the motive that Influenced
Temple Bonner to disregard his own
iron-bound system of doing business
and establish precedent by interpos-
ing personally in the case of the house