The daily Alaskan., 1914-07-10
Her Investigation
By MARTHA V. MONROE

ing girl. She resolved before their en- gagemeut was published to the world Indeed, before 1t was suspected-to inquire about him.
 She had the franknCss to tell him what she was going to dO He said that he would be willing to have her take thatu any other precaution she thought proper and was quite willing to wait for his answer until she had satisfied herself in the matter.
 One thing Alderman insisted on which his dancce baked at. He wish ed to hear the reports she got of him and who made them. Miss MarkIey didn't think this would be honorable in her Alderman replied that there could surely be no harm in her telling him who had spoken well of him, and 1t was his right to know who had spoken i'll of him. She yielded the point and agreed to tell him all.
 The next three months were rather irving time between the lovers. When Miss Markley heard her lover well! spoken of she was very gracious to him. When some one spoke ill of him she could not conceal the effect it had on her When two of the three months had elapsed she wrote him a note, breaking the engagement between them. He called on her and she re- fused to receive him.
 He wrote her a note stating that he supposed some one had spoken i'll of him and reminded her of the agree ment that he should hear the good and the bad. She replied that she had de cIded against him on the testimony of one whose word was mmpcachabie and nothing he could say would serve to eradicate the impression that had been made upon her.
 It now seemed to Mir. AcEcrman that 1t was time to depart from the deteu. sive and take up the offensive. He had well understood from the begin ming that if his faucee could get per sons to talk about him as they really felt there were plenty who would speak iII of him. The shortest way to ueutralize what these persons said was to have a few words spoken by sup. posed friends of Miss MarE.cy when the time came t3 Use them. He there fore made inquiries about her on the same lines she inquired about him. Since he could not get a word with her he fired a preliminary shot
 He wrote her of his investigations. which he said he did not in the least value, but he had kept a written list of them that be would be pleased to compare with what she had gathered about him. This put a different face on the matter. Miss Mark!ey was not only curious to know what people had said about her, but she did not wish the man she had discarded to be prcJ- udiced against her. She consented 10 meeting
 Alderman called with little memo randum book in his pocket. Miss Markley received him coldly and ask ed him to produce his notes
 First" he said, "is what was told me by Miss A. when l asked her what kind of a person you wcre.'
 she hates me-
 Nevertheless she spoke highly of you. Miss Marklcy,' she said. is a lovely girl. "
 "The serpent"
 "Now." said Alderman, "I have Siv- en you one criticism of yourself. l would like to hear one criticism, the one that decided you to drop rue. Per haps I may be content with his name alone"
 Paul Gunter."
 That is quite sufficient hold NIT. Gunter's note for S5OO He gave it to me in lieu of being criminoIIy prose cuted by me for a proceeding which, to say the least, was irregular Alderman, who spoke these words with a change of manner, arose to go.
 Have you the nOtc?' asked Miss Markey.
 "I have, but it is under lock and key, You are the only person except Mr. Gunter and | who knows that l pos, sess it."
 Where are you going"
 There is no necessity of going any | further in this matter Thus far there has been no betrayal of confidence, ai least by me. l have proved that youI plan of getting opinions about the man you would marry is a faiIure.'
 What is a girl to do?' moaned Hel' en. "When she consents to link her life with a man she takes a step in the | dark"
 Alderman had gone to the door and placed his hand upon the knob. He turned and walked back to her
 Tt is that step in the dark that leads me to forgive you for what you have done. Marriage. you know, has been truly called a lottery, a lottery for the man as well as the woman But we must take it OF fail to fulfil our natural destiny. Every woman be fore marriage should, so far as possi ! be learn what she can ahuut the 1 man she expects to marry but she car only learn through others ut his gen