Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-19

'he worih mas a. natural explanation.
ana 40 don't get frightened at shad-
o"s. and | have no fear OF black cats
or walking under ladders.
Il wish | weren't afraid of things
but am. OH. Miss Fairfax. will you
shrink away from me in disgust II |
tell ycn about myself? We can't keen
any women servants on the placc-bc-
cause they all think I'm going crazy.
IN losing my girl friends. too. Only
David is loyal--and | sometimes think
ought to give him up
Il think you're wrong about that
but suppose you tell me all abou,
yourself. and then IL feel you have
no right TO marry. I'll be honest and
tell YOU So. said L.
I'VE known David for Il long time,
MISS Fairfax. But II was only las.
week he asked me TO marry him. ]
guess he WAS pretty sure Of me-hc
itd the ring But | didn't mind I'd
known for months cared. and was
just waiting for him to ask me whether
l did or not, He came round here a
iot-and Mr.. Harvey never objected.
pdt when we went III to tell him we
were engaged, he acted queer right
away.
lie seemed irri,a,ed over something
when We came IN to tell him. And he
ordered David out OF the house There
was AN awful quarrel David didn't
want TO 20. but In the end he had to-.
Mr.. Harvey and that ugly man-servant
81 his. Jenkins. fairly put him out.
cried and begged Mr. Harvey not
to be so cruel Hut he told me that
sirl whose mother had died insane
had no right To marry
mat made me nervouS--but David
just laughed and kissed me and called
me little foot when told him 1
ought to give him up. So We went
,s1ft
Mr. Wells, and he seemed very happv.
lie never mentioned mothers trouble
Wasn't that queer"
Perhaps II wasn't queer--it sounds
like a clue 10 something" said l. "I'n,
not sure just what. but il seems to me
.hat a clever man like Clifton Wells
"ouid not have congratulated YOU on
your engagement If he had fel, YOU
had no RICH; to marry"
DO You think so-do YOU honestly
think so?' cried the girl eagerly
Ana then she went on in a hammer
tone I" tell me the rest Of her story.
After day or SO Harvey had become
reconcilcd TO her engagement Sbe al
her lover had been very happy in that
bo'h OF her guardians had now given
'heir consent TO her marriage.
one night they had a happy little
ninner party. and after wells and
David had gone. Alice had returned n
the library to thank Harvey for III :
kindness and to wish him good night.
"heh she got TO the foot OF the
stairway leading 10 the upper mar, Of
,he house. the curtain dividing off the
Itit wing had parted slowly and out
came the bowed figure Of a little diva,
VIII queer Snomclike face
AZ hrsi ] couldn't believe il was
reai' ana then suddenly /, gave a hor-
i'o'f smart and started toward mo
N1.er mat must have tainted Pres
eh'i!, when became conscious arain
- 'ihrEeE ana Jenkins and two OF
inc maidScrvants we're all around NO
talking with Grea, excitement
,"id them what had seen and NV
SuaFd'ah vent over To tho curtains
an" Pui!ed them apart. There was
lining ,here-and set had seen that
,!u"ouS niue dwarf Jenkins said he
"sas' was crazy. and saw the
oi"'h-SerNants exchanging plances
NY Guardian vas very angry AZ them
TOT mat and ordered them 10 he si,on,
neh he helped me up 10 bed.
s,a!ed awake all nigh; remember
ing that ugly li,tl" figure. rye seen
~, ,1tn t"icc since, Miss Fairfax But
ne , never there-uo one else secs ri,,.
lnst !. o. don't want to co ipsano
10 you think In, doomed, M va,
,h'nH tha' It's the beginning Of ,ba
"nd: that I'M going to be like my nonr
mother was?" P''
An. And then suddenly Jimmy's mind
icaped across space and ba.L r. 49,
moment when lie had received -.
S'ehncnt anc | had appealed to hin,
i"' an IN working out my prob1cn,
ana appealed in vain. He remembcrod
me letter had given him to road Ha
,n"usht u over again sentence by sen
.ehce ana weighed It's meaning This
IS inc letter as he remembered IL:
pear Miss Fairfax-I am Hyip-
WIN guardian, Mr.. Harvey, who
strongly objected To my engagements
"hth ! went 10 tell him Of il ycstcr
80 Ny other guardian, Mr. Wells
VINO u such a busy man that nc had
l"v"' had amy time TO attend To my
1h.h"'ai affairs. had time to he de
i'ihted over my sentimental one |,
wac only a little while ago that Mr.
harvey TOOK this attitude toward the
'nan 'oN". lie says ! ought not 10
marry because my mother died insane
nave bad several dclusions and now
wonder II ! ought to obey and give
i'aNid NJ because ! may 20 insane lik .
mother Yours sincerely.
ALICE MASTERS"
~ Tue tlmc OF reading the letter il
lad stTuck Jimmy as rather pathe,ic
human docum ent-but now Tho iptar
weaving Of the names Wells and Mas
tors came back to him with a hauptin..
effect 80 ?
Jimmy, my boy" said that gentle
''''''' " 'i''i"'ii suggest folloW
our TREND Beatrice out TO tho H.rycv
estate and SOC ii wc can FIX a few
pieces OF this picture puzzle together
Young collins looks like a nice char
the sort who has mother and a fcu.
SISTERS 10 support. Suppose We do a
niue sleuthinc. Right now i, looks
as II the Collins hoy might he headed
straight for AN electric chair. I,at's
head him off. Jimmy. What saw youY.'
Ana Jimmy answered yes So he
started for tho Harvey estate - mag
innocent place over in BROOKLYN. The
subway bore him part Of the way and
Il taNi carried him out to the heights
above the Sound.
The girl had hallucination
was evident. And of seif-coutrol she
possessed none at all. Was Alice
Masters going mad? or was she
merely "A neurotic. high-strung. terri
hed girl on whose weak nature some
cruel genius was deliberately play-
ing:
determined to east i'm my fortune
win hers Perhaps the events of the
night would reveal some explanation
ct the questions which had puzzled
me.
The revelations of the night we're
70 snow things "undreamed of in my
philosophy"
AS Jimmy roaned chou, ~.