The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1920-09-10

| the marriage annulled. Dad kept moth.
err abroad until after it was all over
and to this day she never has heard
a word about it."
your father must be a wonderful
man." l said enthusiastically.
ii was" she said simply. "He has
been dead two years.
"Oh, I'm so sorry" l cried, " l did
not know"
IF Dad were alive he would know
what to do. You see, when he died,
there was not much money left. We're
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 a good
match for Claire. I wanted to do
something, to go out and earn q living
for myself, but she never would con-
sent. She insisted I'd be damaging
Claire's prospects If l went into trade,
as she calls it. and I promised her I'd
do nothing until after Claire is safely
married"
And is she to be marriedy" I asked.
A troubled expression came into her
face.
'She was to be, but now l don't
know. She is engaged t marry young
Harry d. Thayer, who Is worth a lot
Of money. but someone has found out
about her secret"
"How did they find out?" I asked
aropI ,J "a. ,,~.. A.
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 annulment Of Claire's
marriage. Somehow he seemed to
rely on me far more than on either
Mother or 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 them?" I
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 a similar hiding place to the Gas
ton jewels which had vanished so
strangely.
"Yes," she answered, plainly puzzled
at my bewilderment. ut was an e.
cellent hiding place. No one but my
self had the combination. l don't see
found the safe locked as it always
was"
"When did you first discover the pa
pers were missing"
LET me see" she pondered.
"Claire's engagement was announced
at a dinner three weeks ago last
Thursday. The newspapers on Sun
day carried a brief notice Of it. Two
days later the first note came"
"What note?"
She reached into the pocket Of her
riding habit and drew forth a folded
slip Of paper.
II brought it with me to 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. 1t was just a folded slip, ad-
dressed in typewriting to Miss Claire
Bradford" On the other side was this
message:
"What If Thayer knew about your
being married before? How much
will you give to get those papers
back?"
"Where did you get this?" I asked.
II found it on the floor OF my bed
room one morning when l got up late.
I gave 1t to my sister without having
read 1t. thinking she had dropped it
there. She read it and screamed and
tainted. Fortunately Mother was out
of the house at the time. Naturally
read the note then. I went to the
safe and found the documents gone.
Claire has been nearly crazy ever
since. She insists that it is all my
fault. She says I ought to have de-
strOyed the papers, but l couldn't,
could II"
"Of course not" I replied warmly.
"You did quite right In keeping them.
1t was not your fault they were
stolen"
II couldn't destroy them. Dad had
told me to keep them" she said simply.
what did you do then? Did you
tell your mother?"