The Press., 1915-02-03

wedding as arranged must be abandofl- ed. Leona was too distressed to- talk about the future. but she surely would not go back on her lover without the best of reasons.
 The next morning MacKnight went to the office of his lawyer and was much surprised and disheartened to learn that it would be difficult to prove that he was not the man he was SUD- posed to be. True, if he were the criminal, MacKnight must be account ed for. But might not MacKnight be both himself and the criminal? Per sons had been known to lead double lives before, and why not ill this case? At any rate. there must be q trial attention. and. even if the prisoner were acquitted, many persons would believe him guilty.
 Leona had an interview with her parents, in which her father expressed the opinion that there was something wrong about her lover and that his arrest was fortunate in that it had saved her from union with a crim- inal. The girl came from this inter- view feeling that no matter what ver- dict jury might give with respect to the charge against her lover her father would believe him guilty.
 Such was the situation of this young couple on the eve of the wedding day that had been set, with all the attend ant expected happiness. But three days intervened before the intended nuptials. A compromise had been ef- fected between Leona and her parents that the invitations should be recalled the next day. The lovers went for @ final conference with the lawyer. He advised his client to jump his bail, go to a foreign country under an assumed name and begin life anew.
 MacKnight. heartSick over the affair, dreading a trial and his inability to account for his past childhood, decided to act on this advice. It therefore re- mained with Leona whether she would share his fate or endure lifelong separation from the man she loved. It was n question which suffered the more. MacKnight or the girl, whose life would he wrecked if she stood by him and would be blighted If she gave him up. \ few hours of dellberatlon were sufficient for a decision. She agreed to marry her lover secretly and to go into oblivion with him.
 MacKnight was leaving her home after receiving this decision when he met n man coming up the steps. The conner said he was looking for one Arthur MacKnight. "I am Arthur Mac Knight" "I desire to confer with you" The two went back into the house, and the man said:
 "I am John Eldredge of Barker, Smith X Eldredge, attorneys. of your city. A few years ago a matter con- cerning you was left with us, you not to be informed of it till you came to be twenty-five years old. But this charge against you which we have seen print ed in the newspapers has seemed to warrant our communicating with you earlier. You were born in wedlock. but your father and mother are dead. Circumstances stood in the way of your mother acknowledging. you. Short ly before she died she left will in our care leaving you her property, you to be paid a part on reaching the age of twenty five and the rest at thirty. If you need money for your defense of this charge against you I think we can enable you to borrow on your pros- pects."
 Leona, who had heard her lover re- turn to the house, at this juncture en- tered the room, curious to know what. brought him back. MacKnight sprang toward her. folded her in his arms and covered her with kisses.
 ''The tide has turned" he cried. "All will yet come out as we wish. This gentleman has solved the mystery of my childhood"
 It appeared that MacKnight was the son of persons of refinement and that he was heir to an estate of some $50.- 900. The mystery of his birth having been solved, MT. Denton's suspicious were allayed. and he sympathized sin cerely with the young couple. Consid- for the purpose of hunting down the real criminal, and he was found before the date fixed for the trial.
 But long before this the lovers were married. for the invitations to the we'd ding were not recalled, and it occurred on the day that had been fixed.
 After his marriage MacKnight took pains to hunt up more minute informa- tion of his parents and the reasons why he had been abandoned. All he could learn was that there was a se- cret marriage. with circumstances that prevented his acknowledgment till those nearest of kin to him were dead. His inheritance came from his mother, who lived under her maiden name.