Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-19
BY SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS
Copyright by Bobbs- Merrill Co.

lev lines, and went direct to Cam
bridge. He found his friend, one o
the finest and profonndest philoso
pliers of his time, sitting In a CLOSED
house over a game of that form o
solitaire appropriately denominateS
Idiots delight"
VERY soothing to. the mind, muir
INJURED the professor. after welcom
ing his guest. $50 many matters
turn out wrong in this world that one
finds relief in problem which usual
" turns out right.
1--WE a little problem Of my owf
which may or may not turn oui
right" said Kent, Nand l want your
help
ut is long since you have done ms
the honor to consult me- said ths
old scholar, smiling. Not, indeed
since the instance of the cabine'
member who was obsessed with
maniacal hatred of apples.
without you l should never have
so much as approached the solution
of Mr. Carolan's recall returned
Kent. But this present affair calls
for aid, not advice"
EITHER is equally at your serv-
ice replied the philosopher court
eously.
Kent outlined the case to him.
you see,o he said, there is an ob.
vious connection between the I'M
known body on the beach, and the
Blair tragedy"
Poor Marjorie." exclaimed the
old man. For her marriage l blame
myself. largely, When Marjorie Dor
rance was left an orphan I was her
nearest relative of an age and posi-
tioi such as to constitute a moral
claim of guardianship. She visited
here when she was IS; came like. a
flood of sunlight into this house. A
beautiful vivid girl, half-child, half
woman; with beautiful vivid mind.
For her mothers sake, if not for her
own. l should have watched over her,
and warded her against the danger
of an advantageous marriage, such
as is always imminent in the set
which she entered. All, well, l live
among the dust and cobwebs Of my
own dim interests-and when re-
turned from one OF my journeys into
the past / found that Marjorie was
engaged to that wretched creature,
Now, he is dead. Let be. I have
seen little of her in late years. God
grant the life with him has not
crushed out of her all her sweetness
and happiness"
"While 1 am no judge of women,
said Kent iudicially, Il should ven
ture to aver that it hasn't. But
about calling on her-my being a
stranger, you see-and in the first
days of her widowhood-social con-
ventions. and that sort of thing"
The old scholar made a sweeping
gesture of surprising swiftness, sug-
costing anonymously the possession
of great muscular power. The cards
flew far and wide, from the stand
Mist and moonshine, my dear sir!
Moonshine and mist. Marjorie is one
of those rare human beings who deal
honestly with themselves. Her hus-
bands death can be nothing but a
welcome release. She feels no grief:
she will pretend to none Not even TO
herself l will take you to her to-
morrow"
Blair ill-treated herr" asked Kent
"Oh. Entertainment! That is a wide
term believe that the poor weak.
ling did his best to keep faith and
honor. But ropes of mud are strong
Those with which he had bound him.
self drew him resistlessly back tc
the sewers. Hers was but marriage
of glamour at best. And. at the first
scent of foulness in her nostrils
1t became only a marriage of law
Society does her the justice to be
lieve her faithful to MIN, and praises
the devotion with which, since hi
breakdown and retirement she hal
given up her world to devote hersel
to his care. Essentially the girl Ii
Puritan in her concepts of duty
Does she know anything of tn
manner of Blair's death?"
mo one knows much of it, from
what l understand, unless 1t be Alex
ander Blair. One of the family, VIII,
went to Hedgerow House for tn
funeral, called upon me, as a cour
tesy due to Mrs. Blair's nearest rela
tive. Alexander Blair, he said, wa
reticent; his dread of publicity i
notorious: but from what he, the rela.
tive, could ascertain, the affair wa
substantially this: On the evening be
| fore the woman's body was foun,
| Wilfrid Blair, who had been exhibit
ing symptoms of melancholia, lef
the house secretly. No one saw hin
| go, but about the time that he lef
the unknown woman was seen in tn
vicinity of Hedgerow House."
"By whom?"
by half-breed Indian, devote
servant of the family, who was prac
tically young Blair's BODY servant"
"Gansett jim! That helps to ex
plain
| Whether or not Wilfrid Blair ha
arranged a meeting with this woma
is not known. AS you know she wa
| found with her skull crushed, on tn
sea beach. Blair was afterward dis
covered by his half-breed servant
mortally injured. and was brough
home to die"
THAT is Alexander Blairs versio
of the tragedy?''
'As I understand it,"
well, it's ingenious"