The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-09-17
CHAPTER VIlI-Continued,

wei, tHe last | received only a
fortnight ago. If you will wait a mo-
ment will go and get it. 1t was so
strange that haven't DESTROYED it,"
And she went out, and heard by
the the frou-frOu of her skirts that she
was ascending the stairs.
After i've minutes of GREATNESS anXi.
ETY. she rojained me, and handing me
the letter to read. said:
1T is not in her handwriting-I won.
der Why"
The paper was of foreign make, with
blue lines ruled in squares. Written
IN a hand that was evidently foreign,
1or the mistakes in the orthography
were many, was the following curious
communication:
My Dear Lydia:
ferhaps you may never get this letter.
the last l shall ever be able to send Won.
tnueed run great risks in sending It.
All! you 90 not Know the awful disaster
that has happened to me- all the terrors
assist me. and l am now, looking forward
TO the time when 1t will all be over, Do
you recollect our old peaceful days in the
garden at Chichester? 1 think of them
always, always, and compare that sweet
peace of the past with my own terrible
su1erngs Of today. All, how | wish
might see you once again; how that I
might feel your hand upon my brow. and
hear your words of hope and encourage
ment! But happiness is now debarred
from me, and l am only sinking to the
grave under this slow torture of body and
of soul.
This will pass through many hands be-
fore 1t reaches the post. If, however. It
ever does get dispatched and you receive
IT, Will you do me one last favor-a favor
to an unfortunate girl who is friendless
and helpless, a. I'D who will no longer trou-
BILE the world? 1t is this: Take this let
ter to London, and call upon Mr. Martin
Woodroffe at IS Cork street, Piccadilly.
Show him my letter, and tell him from
me that through it all l have kept my
promise, and that the secret Is still safe
He will Understandable also know WHY I
cannot write this with my own hand. If
he Is abroad, keep it until he returns
1t Is all / ask Of you, Lydia, and I
know that If this reaches you, you will
not refuse me. You have been my only
friend and confidante, but l now bid you
farewell. for the unknown beckons me-
and from the grave l cannot write Again
farewell, and for ever.
Your loving and affectionate friend.
ELMA.
"A very strange letter, is it not?" re.
marked the girl at my side. Il can't
make it out You see there is no ad-
dress, but the postmark is Russian
She is evidently in Russia"
In Finland" said, examining the
stamp and making out the post town to
be Abo. But have you been to Lon
don and executed this strange commits
sion2"
mo. We are going up next week.
intend to call upon this person named
Woodroffe."
/ made no remark. He was, knew,
abroad, but ! was glad at having OBJ
taiRed two very important clues: first,
the address of the mysterious yachts
man, Woodroffe, alias Horribly, and,
secondly, ascertaining that the young
girl | sought was somewhere in the
vicinity of the town of Abo, the Fin
nish port on the Baltic.
Poor Elma, you see. speaks in her
letter of some secret, Mr.. Gregg" my
companion said. She says she wishes
this MIR. Woodroffe, whoever he is, to
know that she has kept her promise
and has not divulged it. This only
bears out what | have all along sus-
pected."
WHAT are your suspicions?"
well, from her deep, thoughtful
manner, and from certain remarks she
at times made to me, believe Elma
is In possession of some great and ter
rible secret-a secret which her uncle.
Baron Oberg, is DESTROYS of learning
! know she holds him in deadly fear
she is in terror that she may inadyer-
tently betray to him the truth"