The Jasper news., 1920-08-04


4 alL Dad found out that her hps-
band was already married, had wlfe
and child right here fn this city. He
had the marriage annulled and man.
aged to keep everything out OF the On.
pers. he threatened Claire's husband
with prison and made him 60 back TO
France. Dad was simply wonderful.
No one knew anything about clnire'a
escapade except ourselves. the prin-
clpal OF the schoM. and the Judge
down In Nassau county, who ordered
the marriageannulIed Dad kept moth
er abroad until after It was all over,
and to this day she never has heard
a word about t."
~Your father must be wonderful
man." ! said enthusiastically.
''He was" she said simply. ~f1e has
been dead two years"
-oh, I'm, 90 sorry. cried. = / did
not know"
IF Dad were alive he would know
what to do. You see, when he died,
there was not much money left. Were
really little better than paupers.
We've been living from day to day on
our tiny capital. and Mother has been
working every wire to arrange good
match for Claire. wanted to do
something. to 60 out and earn living
for myself. but she never would con-
sent. She insisted ia be damaging
Claire's prospects II I went into trada.
a. she calls It. and promised her rd
do nothing until after Claire Is safely
married."
"And is she to be marriedf~ asked.
"She was TO be. but now / don't
know. She is engaged to marry young
Harry D. Thayer, who is worth lot
Of money, but someone has found out
about her secret"
How did they find out9" asked
eagerly. l understood pQw the mystic
rious meeting In the park that had
brought me first into touch with Bar
bara Bradford. Some band Of rascals
was trying to blackmail Claire Brad
ford, and her sister was trying to save
her.
THAT'S the greatest mystery Of all"
exclaimed Miss Bradford. Before
Dad died he turned over to me all the
papers about the nnnulment Of Claire's
marriage. Somehow he seemed to
rely on me far more than on either
Mother OF Claire. He explained to
me the Importance of always keeping
them, in case the past should ever
crop up, but he charged me to see that
they always were safely put away
where no one could find them"
"Where did you keep themr !
asked.
-In the wall safe In my sitting
room"
"In the wall safe ~. I cried. think
ing in bewilderment Of the coinci-
dence that these papers should have
had similar hiding place to the Gas
ton jewels which had vanished 10
strangely.
"Yes," she answered, plainly puzzled
at my bewiIderment "It was an ex-
cellent hiding place. No one but my
self had the combination. I don't see
now who could have taken them. I
found the safe locked as. It always
was"
"when did you first discover the pa
pers were missing7"
LET me see," She pondered.
"ClRfre's engagement was announced
at a dinner three weeks ago last
Thursday. The newspapers on Sun
day carried a brief notice of. 1t. Two
days later the first note came"
"What noter
She reached into the pocket Of her
riding habit and drew forth a folded
slip of paper.
II brought It with me to o-show you;
here. this Is the first one"
Like the mysterious note I myself
had received only the preceding night,
this one was not inclosed In an en-
velope. It was just folded slip. ad-
dressed In typewriting to Miss Claire
Bradford" On the other side was this
message:
sWhnt n Thayer knew about your
being married beforef How much
win you give to get those papers
backf"
-where ala you get thisT" I asked.
81 found It on the floor of my bed
room one morning when got up late.
gave 1t 10 my sister without having
read II. thinking she had dropped It
there. She read 1t and screamed ana
tainted. Fortunately Mother was out
of the house at the time. NaturaliyI
read the note then. ] went to the
safe and found the documents gone.
Claire has been nearly crazy ever