The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-10

| in one of the small private reception
! rooms. Usually they chose a country
1 fidential talks These little reception
rooms were especially unattractive to
Doris.
"a few days ago." he began. you
and at the time 1 promised to have
confidence in you. Doris, it would
take a good deal to shatter that con-
! fidence. You know love you-and
! always shall"
/ Doris first blushed and then turned
pale. She was distinctly ill at ease
and more so because she could see
i that Lawrence was scrutinizing her in
| tently.
IT wish you would tell me a little
i about yourself, Doris Be sure that 1
| shall never reveal anything of it. Let
] me repeat, first, what I have already
learned from you. You were born and
brought up in that little lumber COM
to the nearest high school five miles
away Your father was poor-he had
! lost considerable in California oil
mines, 1 believe you told me. He still
lives simply in the old place. Now is
| that all true, Doris?'
/ Yes, it is, and some time you will
/ go back with me. 1 want you to know
4 and like my father
Lawrence frowned slightly. 81 hope
/ the meeting will be a pleasant one.
1 L
other question. Is your father paying
! for your education?''
/ Suddenly Doris blushed and for the
1 first time showed real annoyance
| Yes" she said. THAT is-no; he is
not!''
From whom do you receive it?''
! Doris refused to answer. Lawrence
! pleaded with her in vain, but no more
/ would she say.
/ This is very hard for me- said
4 II % Inra y efr,1
won't help me by telling all you know
I about it 1 am obliged to make thor
4 ough search of your room. The presi-
i dent of the college authorized it. Let
me do it informally this way and then
+ 1 shall be able to help you out of what
! may be very serious matter. L had
! hoped that would clear the matter,
/ without this-but you have apparently
some reason why you don't want to
tell me the truth. Be sure that 1 will
do every thing, even to the limit, to
get you out of this
More than ever you talk like a de-
tective," Doris flung at him.
81 am a detective in the employ of
the federal government 1t is a coun-
terfeiting case" he still studied her
a face, but she showed no added en-
4 barrassment. MY real name is James
Titus. We traced these counterfeit
4 bills to this town, then to the college
and L entered college to work it down.
4 1t was about four years ago that the
! bills began to circulate, but we didn t
a get around to looking the matter up
i till last summer. A similar issue of
3. counterfeits had suddenly stopped
tabout eight years before. I've watched
every bill that has been paid into the
class treasury, the athletic association,
the tea room and the drug store. That
is how 1 traced it to you. I have sus-
pected you for only a week"
Trembling, and with a face now
pale, now crimson, Doris led James
Titus to her room in the dormitory.
She opened her wardrobe and silently
brought out a suit case, which she
opened and from which she drew out
heavy metal box which she unlocked
with key she wore about her neck
on a long locket chain.
James drew from the box a roll OF
bills and examined them carefully
with a pocket magnifying glass. A
look of satisfaction at having achieved
the object of his quest first showed on
his face, and then a look of pain as
he looked at the detected figure at his
side. ~
, MY father didn't send them
wanted to go to college, no one knows
how much. But then father lost his
. money and he couldn't send me. That
5 was the summer before I was ready to
!; come Then one day when 1 was
5 working out in one of the shanties
) woodland that father owned 1 found
I a trapdoor. I went down and there
! found these. 1t was twelve hundred
dollats-enough to take me through
; college. OF course, couldn't tell that
they were not real. All 1 knew was
5 that the cabin had been occupied by
| a queer old sort of hermit who had
: died without leaving any heirs.
know that for the few pieces of silver
he left in his house we could find nc
claimant. 1 suppose it was very
wrong of me. but 1 thought because
found that money it was mine. 1 am
l so sorry. Shall have to be in prison
all my life?''
The detective drew the frightened
girl toward him as if she had been d
child making a confession.
mo one but you and L and the kind
, hearted president of the college shall
, know. That can be arranged easily
, When 1 make a confidential report OF
. this to the authorities am sure there
will be no further investigation. In
the meantime finish out your yeal
here and then-the very first day you
are through you must become Mrs
Jimmy Titus. "-(Copyright, 1916, by
, Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate)
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