The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-12-04
CHAPTER iV.-Continued.

wen, lnHt DiHIneU 1uflHy. NHt, i
don't remember ever hearin' that
name before In all my life till just
now. Come ter think of 1t, | believe
that was the name In that La Rue
girls letter. got II ycrc in the
desk; It's torn some, an don't mean
nothIn' TO me- sounds kinder nutty."
He threw open n drawer, rummaging
within, but without pausing In speech.
Then a fellow blew In yere this
morDin off the Limited, asking about
you, Jim, an DANCED If ! don't be-
lieve he said his name was Cavendish.
The register was full so he didn't
write II down, but that was the name
all right And now you tote In an
family reunionY"
You say man by that name was
bcre-asking for me2"
Yep; l reckon he's asleep up
stairs, for he never showed up ut sup
per-"
'In what room, Peter"
mine"
Westcott, with swift word Of ex-
cuse to Stella, dashed into the hall,
and disappeared UP the stairway, TAX
Ing three steps at time. A moment
later those below heard him pounding
Mt door; then his voice sounded:
This Is Jim Westcott; open up"
Timmons stood gazing blankly at
the empty staircase, hopping his face
with bandanna handkerchief. Then
he removed his horn-rimmed specta-
cles, and polished them, rs though what
mind he possessed had become COM
pletely dazed.
He turned around and noticed Miss
Donovan, the sight of her standing
there bringing back n reminder OF his
duty.
HE was a sayin' as how likely yer
wanted to go to bed. miss"
mot now; I'll wait until Mr.. West
colt comes down. What is that paper
in your hand? Is that the letter Miss
La Rue leftT
He held 1t up In surprise, gazing at
1t through his glasses.
"Why, Lord bless met Is, isn't It'll
Must have took 1t out O Their drawer
an never thought Of the darned thing
agin.'
May l see itf"
sure; faint o. no consequence ter
me: reckon the woman sorter packed
in hurry, and this got lost. The
Chink found IL under the bed"
She took it in her hand, and
crossed the room. finding seat be
meath one of the bracket-lamps, but
with her face turned toward the hall
! II was just single sheet OF folded
paper. not inclosed In an envelope
| and had been torn across, so that the
! two parts barely held together. She
| felt that here was the key which was
TO unlock the secret Of this strange
crime. Whoever the man upstairs
might prove to be--the real Cnven
dish or some impostor-this paper she
held In her hands was destined TO be
n link I'm the chain. She unfoded II
slowly and her eyes traced the written
words within. 1t was hasty scrawl
written on the cheap paper of some
/ obscure hotel In Jersey City, extreme
" difficult TO decipher, the hand OF
the man who wrote exhibiting plainly
the excitement under which he In
bored.
II was message of warming; he
was leaving New York, and would sal
that evening for some place in Soutl
America where he did not say. Love
only caused him to tell her what hat
occurred. A strange word puzziet
her. and before she could decipher 1t
voices broke the silence, followed b,
stems on the stairs. She glanced vi
! ouickly. It was Westcott returning
accompanied by tall, rather slender
man with closely trimmed beard
The two crossed the room, and sh'
met them standing the opened lette
still In her hand.
Miss Donovan. this Is Frederlcl
Cavendish--the real Frederick Cav
endish. have told him something 0
the trouble be has been to us ALL
The real Frederick Cavendisl
smiled down into her eyes, while h
held her fingers tightly clasped In hi
own. She believed in him, liked hin
instantly.
"A trouble which l regret yer.
much" he said humbly. "Westcot
has told me little, very little, o
what has occurred since l left Ne'
York so hurriedly two months age
This is the first I knew about It, an
the mystery of the whole affair Is a
puzzling as ever
Her eyes widened wonderingly.
"You cannot explain? Not eve
who the dead man was found mui
dered in your apartmentsY
az haven't the least idea"
erred has told me all he knows,
broke In Westcott, but 1t only es
tends to midnight when he left tn
civ. He was in his apartments les
than ten minutes after his valet rt
fired. He supposed he left everythin
in good order, with note on tn
writing-table instructing Valois wha
TO do during his absence. and inclo'
ING n sum of money. Afterward. 0
the train, he discovered that he ha
mislaid the key to his safe, but thi
accustomed no worry, as he had take
| he oh