The Washington herald., 1919-09-09

anu olschdr8eQ Jonn Rokesmtth FOR
aspiring to the hand of Bella to se-
cure the Harmon fortune. But Bella
took the part OF the dismissed secre-
| tary and cried bitterly as she re-
called the ,lovable Mr.. BONN now
transformed into this terrible mon
ster OF greed. She sought again the
poverty OF her childhood home. II did
not take John Rokesmith long to
find her and the cherubic Mfr. wilfer
felt happily faint when he saw his
Bella's head lind what seemed a
natural resting place upon Johns
breast
Meanwhile Eugene had found Liz
zie's hiding place, near Plashwater
! Weir Mil Lock. Eugene rowed up
the river TO the hamlet. but he did
not notice the interested lock keep
er who swung open the gates for
, him. Nor did he know that a man
dressed like the lock-keeper was
near. watching him with baleful
eyes. The latter was Bradley Head
stone; the gate-keeper was Rogue
Riderhood. who was known to hate
!; Eugene. Riderhood puzzled more
than little when he saw Head
stone. with murder in his eyes. in
clothes precisely like his own.
Eugene walked at nightfall with
Lizzie by the banks of the river
Headstone could not know that Liz
zie had begged Eugene to go away.
but he saw their lips meet. A shad-
owy figure kept close to Eugene after
that until something seemed sud-
denly to crash in his head and the
stars and moon reeled in his sight.
He closed with his assailant. there
was a scuffie and a splash. Lizzie,
tormented by her talk, had not gone
to her room. She heard the splash
and rushed to the riverbank. When
she saw a face in the river, she hur-
rledly leaped into a boat. No man
could have been more skillful with
oars. She reached the floating body.
caught it by the hair, secured 1t and
screamed for help. Help did not
come before she had bound and
kissed that face that was so dear to
her.
Scared and marred as he was.
Eugene struggled back from the
borderland OF death. He did not ex-
peCt to recover when he asked Liz
zie to marry him. but she was as
proud of him when she was made
his wife as though he had been
standing in full strength by her side
instead OF lying heIplessly in bed.
Rogue Riderhood remembered that
Headstone had intended him to suf-
fer for the crime. So he announced
that he would dog Headstone until
he was paid handsomely. Headstone
knew that the scoundrel would trail
BIN forever. as he had trailed Eu
gene. He walked away without a
word, with Riderhood at his heels
He stepped out upon the bridge that
held back the Thames and then sud
denly caught his tormentor with
grip that could not be shaken. They
wrestled back and forth on the brink,
steadily nearing the edge. Riderhood
tried in vain to draw knife. He
fought, he tried to squirm free from
that relentless embrace. At last he
went over backward with Headstone
gripping him. They found the bodies
locked together.
In the meantime Silas Wegg tight
ened his screws upon the hapless Bof-
fn. But the dramatic scene that he
had planned did not work out. for
there was a later will than the one
he had found. giving everything to
Mr.. Bofin. So Mr. Wegg was sud
denly swung out OF the house and
Into a passing sCavenger's cart His
wooden leg waved a gyratlng fare
well as he passed out OF the BOfin
house
Bella Wilfer had become Bella
Rokesmith and there was a wonder
1ul. tiny Bella before she understood
Mr.. Boffin's strange miserliness. Not
till then did she learn that her name
VI al II
m had been troubled by her hardness
OF heart So he had decided TO try
her. 1t was for that reason that he
had been so -yr7Iff and miserly He
was glad he had done it for il had
proved Bella's worth and given her
to the man who loved her. And now.
Though the Harmon fortune had beena
left by the last will to Mr. Bofin. he
resolutely refused to take It. He kept
only money enough to live comfort
ably for the rest of his happy days
The masnificence of the new home
where Bella was to live impressed
even her impressive mother. and the
cherubic father was made Johns sec
retary and released from the numb
ing life that had been his for many
years. But perhaps John and Bella
and the BoffinS too who were living
with them were made happiest by the
long visit that they had from Mr.
and Mrs. Eugene Wrayburn. Eu-
gene was slowly winning his wav
back to health and the old affected
cynicism had departed. He was
prouder Of his wife from the slums
than he was of his own distinguish ID
family and the place in society that
had been his.
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