Charlevoix county herald., 1918-03-08
THE ST. DUNSTAN.
MYSTERY
BY PERRY NEWeERRY..
BY PERRY NEWeERRY.
Copyright.
The Frank A. Munsey Co.

Then I began a systematic survey
OF my connection with this case,
which was beginning to get on my
nerves. Twice had escaped police
suspicion. probably arrest, and these
recurring attempts to make me out
V9minal were not, to my mind, either
practical jokes or malicious pettiness.
II was conspiracy, and 1t was time for
me to take measures to defend my
SELF
have had some success, as Marcus
knew, digging out the solutions OF
Criminal affairs, and that success has
zen largely due TO my theory that the
! past life of any participant In mys-
terry, II II could be spread out and
read, would develop the answer In the
reading. have always begun 10
work back for motive. hunting the
past for clue to the present. In THIS
case my own life was the only posi-
BILE one for study; where in Its pages
did the st. Dunstan horror touchT
Eighteen years in newspaper OF
flee, making the passing friendships
and enmities of a reporter, none SO 30
rious that / might give them second
thought In this connection. NO love
affairs to bear on the solution, Tor al
though not immaculate. had KEPT
clear Of petticoat scandal, and the
more serious heart troubles feminiEa
! never found time TO acquire. Eigh'
teen years OF my life could be oeliter'
ated in a bundle, so far as the st. Dun
stan affair was concerned.
To start at the beginning. my faith
er. John Gilmore, had been a Califor'
MAN pioneer and forty-niner. not H.
nancially successful, but able to take
care of his family fairly well. who died
In his bed when ], the youngest child,
was twelve.
My mother had died at my birth,
and two brothers. much older than ].
lived now in New York. After my faith
er's death had lived with my sister
Marian, the oldest of the children,
who married to a wealthy San Fran.
ciscan, and was given the opportuni-
ty of university education, gradual.
ing into the Sentinel Office.
Marian's husband, an Austrian by
birth, had taken her and the daugh-
IN visit to his ancestral land,
and they decided to remain in Vienna.
L>heard from her occasionally and
sometimes through my brothers. but
we were never much of family for
correspondence, any Of us, and my
sister had never revisited this coun-
try.
There was the story, bald, prosaic
enough, and nowhere in its details
could l discover cause for any one at
tempting to place on me the necessity
OF defending my neck from false
murder charge. Reviewing it care
fully, must believe that ] had been
chosen at random from the occupants
OF tie st. Dunstan to bear the onus
of the murder discovered within its
walls.
All day l remained in my rooms,
packing boxes and trunks, hoping for
a telephone call from the st. Francis
Hotel which never came. At seven j
dressed and went to Brenta's on the
!.
would come again.
I saw her before I entered, through
the windows, and she was sitting as
before watching the entrance door,
but there was a difference in the ex-
preston of her eyes. The anxiety and
fear were gone, and happy smile
came to her lips as / opened the door.
"You have found your friends" l
asked as / reached her side and took
the hand she gave me. l had forgot
ten she was so beautiful, had not real.
ICED how happiness would become her.
81 have heard. II is all right-ev-
erythins is all right now" she replied.
sSit down, please. and order quickly
k-quickly. for / am again starved. All
2day l have been going from place to
place In your city, anxiously search
ing. too worried to eat at all. Then.
when did hear all was well, waited
for you to be with me-"
THAT was delightful" FASTENED
Francis into the kitchen with orders.
"Now. tell me-are your friends hap
PLY married."
She shook her head, Laughing giee-
fully. Il must still be mysterious,
partly to make me interesting. partly
because 1t isn't my secret. partly be-
cause ! really don't know. Will you
forgive me?"
after waiting all day for . tele-
phone call that never camel" ! coun-
tered.
"But I was not ID telephone unless
I needed you; and ] did telephone
when l knew all was right. You had
left"
"Just now7"
"a very few minutes ago. to tell you
that I would be here surely for dinner
and for you to come"
"But you knew I would come" !
said, smiling. You were certain OF
that"
because you would not say good
by? But l wanted to be more than
sure, for / wanted to thank you.
couldn't, somehow, last night"
THAT is unnecessary" l spoke
gruffly, for did not want to receive
gratitude under false pretense. ! had