The Press., 1915-02-03
By JOHN Y. LARNED

|
 Consent that their daughter should
 ally herself with a man of whom shs
 had seen so little and about whose an tecedents so little was known was given by Miss Denton's parents with
 reluctance. MacKnight had been able | to give no information about his fam | fly. had not relative that he had ever
 seen. and his statements about his
 childhood were conflicting. The truth
 was that the poor fellow was n found
 ling. he knew he was foundling and
 shrank from admitting the fact Ney.
 ertheless he finally did so to his fan,
 cee. But she who had come to love
 him with as much fervor as he loved
 her did not dare to communicate the
 fact to her parents lest they insist
 upon her breaking off the match. Con
 sequently he was to be married with | this secret kept by himself and Miss Denton from those who had right tu know it.
 MacKnight reached the city where the Dentons lived too late to see his | 6ancee till morning. Before going to
 bed he sat smoking in the lOungine
 room of the hotel where he stopped. It was not a first class house by any means. He had chosen it because it was the only hOstelry that was not at | considerable distance from the Den tons. While he was smoking a man ell tered the room and looked about him uneasily. His gaze fell upon Mac Knight and he seemed surprised. Mae Knight was also surprised. Between the two men there was striking re
 semblance. Their complexion, hair
 height. build were the same Their
 clothes were entirely different, Mac Knights being plain, those of the other fiashy.
 The man passed out of the room, and
 soon after MacKnight went upstairs
 and to bed.
 He was awakened by a knocking at his door. Rising, he opened it, and there stood couple of policemen. They entered the room and directed MacKnight to dress himself. He asked what it all meant, but the only infor- nation he received was that he was wanted for various offenses. There be ing nothing for him to do except to obey, he turned to a chair on which he had left his clothes and began putting them on. He was so rattled that he did not for a few moments notice that the clothes were not those he had taken off Then he saw that the suit was the ex- act counterpart of the one worn by the man he had seen in the lounging room
 Gradually it came into his head that this person had been hunted by the DO. lice and, having noticed the resem- blance between himself and Mac Knight. had conceived the idea of throwing the officers on false scent. The supposed criminal could easily have learned the number of his room, opened the door with a skeleton key when all in the house were asleep, purloined Mac Knights clothes and left his own in their place.
 Holding up the suit he was ordered to put on. Mcknight gave the police men the above explanation. They look ed at each other as much as to say, Have we been fooled?" Then, with out even consulting, they ordered Mac Knight to put on the clothes, first talk ing the precaution to go through the pockets. in which they found articles to Identify the owner with a prominent criminal. The prisoner was taken to q police station and locked in a cell.
 To be placed in such position only few days before his expected wed ding was, to say the least, distressing MacKnight, who had had no expert ence in criminal law, did not doubt that he could prove his identity as soon as given an opportunity. What he dreaded was that the episode would strengthen the doubts concerning him held by his fancee's parents and that they would withdraw their consent to the marriage.
 He spent a night of torture, and the next morning early sent for an at tern"J. who assured him that he could secure an examination at once and, by giving bail for his appearance when the case came to trial, he would be lib- erated. This was done, and before noon the prisoner, having signed his own bai' bond. was released from custody Calling cab, he drove at once to his tiaacee's.
 He had been expected much earlier, and his not coming had occasiOned some worry. He proposed to give his explanation to Leona privately, and hls not accounting for his delay at once made a bad impression on the rest of the family. As soon as the young couple were left alone he told his bride to be the story of his arrest. She listened eagerly and at his conclusion seemed much dejected. Her parents had not ceased to hold up to her the risk she ran ill marrying man she knew so little about, who had no fam fly connections and whose childhood he had failed to account for. She dreaded lest they would now refuse to permit the wedding to come off as had been arranged.
 The pair. after consultation, joined MT. and Mrs Denton and made clean breast of what had occurred. It was evident that both the father and moth- er regarded the matter as q confirma- lion of their fears. MacKnight was informed that the wedding day must be put off indefinitely. by which he that it would not take place at all with Mir and Mrs. Denton's con- sent After further consultation be- tween the lovers. they agreed that the