Evening star., 1918-08-11
.STY ARROW

awaiting her under her mothers eye.
He remembered his grandchild, ana
made up his mind, as she slid nervous
ly in, that no matter what happened
he would keep this Innocent child out
OF trouble.
The lady who presently came In to
receive him was one who called him
instinctively to his feet In respect
and admiration. She was an Ameri-
can and of the best type, woman
who. IL she told lie, would not tell
1t for her own comfort or gain, but
to help some one else to whom she
owed fealty or love. But would she
lie for any one? AS he studied her
longer, taking in. In his own way, the
candid expression of her eye and the
sweet but firm set of her lips, he be-
gan to think she would not, and the
interest with which he proceeded to
address her was as much due to her
self as to the knowledge he hoped to
gain from her.
MRS Dnclos?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. And you?"
II am a member of the New York
police. My errand is one which you
can probably guess. You have sis
ter-in- law, the widow of your hus-
bands brother. AS her testimony is
OF the utmost Importance In the In
qulry which vs. to be made into the
cause and manner OF her daughters
death, should be very glad to have
few minutes talk with her IL, as
we have every reason to believe, she
is in this house at the present mo-
ment."
Mrs Edward Duclos was a strong
and upright woman, but this direct
address. this open attack. was too
much for her. However, before re-
plying, she had a question Of her
own to put, and she proceeded to ask
1t firmly quietly and apparently with
every expectation of it's being an
swered:
How did you learn that Mr. Duclos
had a brother and that this brother
had left a widow?"
Not from you, madam" he smiled.
Nor from your husband very
much wish we had. We have been
waiting for some such word ever
since our advertisement appeared. 1t
has not come"
She gave him a quick, interrogat-
ing glance, folded her hands and an
swered without further hesitation:
We had our reasons for silence.
reasons which we thought quite justi-
fable. But they don't hold good if
we are to be brought into conflict
with the police. Mr.. Duclos told me
this morning that If we were driven
to speak we must do so with COM
plete honesty and without bubble.
What do you want to known" =,
Everything, First. your sister-in-
laws story. then her reasons for
sending her. child alone to the mu-
scum. as well as the cause of her
fight before she could have heard of
that poor child's fate, More hangs
upon an understanding of these facts
than am at liberty to tell you. She
herself would agree with me in this
If l could have few minutes con-
'versation with her."
"She is not in the house. She left us
late last night without giving us the
least hint as to where she was 60
ing. She is, as you can very we'll
see, as little anxious to talk of her
great trouble as you are to have her,
and recognizing that attempts were
: being made to find her and make her
speak, she fled before it was too late.
] am sorry she did so, sorry for her
approve her course, whatever reasons
she may have for It, At the same
time, I feel bound to assure you that
to her they are all-sufficient. She Is
conscientious woman, with many
fine qualities, and when she says as
she did to us, 1t Is my duty to fiee,'
and again as she bade us final adieu,
I will die rather than speak word
of what is on my mind l know that
1t is no small matter which sends her
wandering about like this"
II should think not. A mother to
the morgue, and never intervene to
protect her from this ignominy or to
see that she has proper burial after
that dread display is over!''
II know--it was dreadful--and we!
Do you not think we felt the horror
of this also?"
your own flesh and blo0d-that is.
your husbands. I wonder you could
stand It,"
I'VE had promised. She made us
promise the first day she came that
we would keep still and make no
move, whatever happened"
"It was here she came then, d.
rectly from the hotel?"
Il am obliged to admit It,"
With her torn dress and her lit
tile bas?"
And you procured her different
clothes and the suit case in which
she now lugs about her effects?"
You seem to know 1t ALL"
Mrs. Duclos. hope you will an
swer my next question as honestly as
you have the previous ones. Had
Nine. Duclos heard of her daughters
death when she first pretended her
self to your"
"Since you ask me this, I must an
swer. She was in great distress, but
did not tell me why, till I asked her
where Angeline was. Then she broke
down utterly and. tlinging herself face
down on the sofa, sobbe1 and walled
and finally conf1ded to US that a terri
BILE accident had happened to the child
and that she was lying dead in one of
the city's great museums"
Did she say what accident?"