The Washington times., 1913-01-03
TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
THE RADIUM TERRORS
By Albert Dorrington

, duchess exclaimed, patting the young
girls cheek, have been referring to my
little proteSeC as the heroine of the Big
| RadiUm Mystery. London is talking of
nothing but Violet Cranstone and her
| fearful experiences in the Japanese
chamber of horrors. Good-by, Mr..
| Renwlck. Come and see Miss Gran
stone at Cortillion."
Clifford left them feeling more of "a
failure than ever. The radium gods had
bestowed favorS on several actors in
! the recent drama. Tony Hackett had
strengthened his position at The Inter
national Inquiry Bureau with additional
| increments to his salary. Beatrice Mes
sonier was TeapinG a harvest of fees
from her increasing list of patients.
while Violet Cranstone's popularity had
been considerably enhanced by the
strange story of her experience in tho
adium-poisoned atelier.
For himself there remained the graft
tude of an aristocratic lady whose emo
tons guided her into the most eXtrava-
CANT acts of kindness. He could not
help thrill of joy at the thought OF
Violet Cranstone's escape from BLING
ness. The opportunity of meeting her
again dispelled the gray films CT de-
preston which threatened to cloud his
mind
Returning to his home at Twicken-
ham. Clifford received his final surprise
on the following morning. Il was Il
letter from HardinSe X. Hardinge, the
New York millionaire, who had sur
fered only slightly from 1nouyit's s
shower of raGium molecules. The let
ter was characteristic of the men.
Dear Rnnwick-Prince Hohenhoff was
good enough to mention your name to
me- OF course, / was present at the
Tsarka trial, and am one of the manJ
who APPRECIATE your efforts to check
what might have been a very pitiabe
tragedy. If you could spare an hour
to dine with me this evening" at the
American Club. in Piccadilly. 7 have
il in my hands to assign you a position
of trust which would prove beneficial
to us both.
Clifford joyfullv accepted the invita-
ton and discovered that the assign
, ment'' was really position OF trust in
a firm of financieTs over which Mr..
Hardinge held controlling influence.
A week after his appointment he was
able to paw short visit TO Cortillion,
where Violet Cranstone was preparing
for her coming season at the Comedy
Theater.
The Duchess of Marister already re-
garded Clifford and Violet as her spe-
cial prOteges II needed small effort on
her part. however. to bring them con-
stantlv together during his brief stay at
Cortillion. Her grace lost no time in
discovering that Clifford was the son of
distinguished Indian army captain.
who had rendered ineStImable service TO
her brother during the Sepoy mutiny.
IN The late september. Wnen the
duchess again brought the young people
together at her house, it looked as
though the radium gods were bent on
filling their lives with burning JOY
known only 20 those who have suffered
the pangs of their white-shafted wrath
Violet had ended her brilliantly sue
cessful season at the Comedy Theater
feeling just a triHe weary of the glitter
and stress of her surroundings. Her
manager was thunderstruck by her re-
fusal to renew her contract at n salary
which seemed sufficiently munificent to
tempt a Bernhard
Later. when his eye fell upon a cross
headed announcement in a fashionable
evening journal. he cast the paper from
him in genuine anger
shes going 10 marry fellow named
Renwick," he declared 10 his secretary
And the Duchess Of Marister worked
like a jack-tar TO make her first season
a success. Deuce take II. / thonght We
had the West End society crowd tied TO
our boX-officei'
He might have added that the duchess
had worked with equal enthusiasm TO
secure the lifelong engagement -of-Swo
young people whose love for each other
was more enduring than the limelisht