Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-03-05

us SHe GIRLS IL, uuu pioniSeu hcT 4
do nothing until after Claire Is safely
married"
"And Is she to be married?' I,asked.
A troubled expression came into her
face.
"She was to be. hut now ! don't
know. She is engaged to marry young
Harry ID. Thayer, who is worth a lot
of money, but someone has found out
about her secret"
'How did they find Out?" I asked
eagerly. I understood now 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 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 themr
asked.
"In the wall safe In my sitting
room"
"In the wall safe" I cried, think
ing in bewflderment Of the coinci.
dence that these papers should have
had similar hiding place to the Cas-
ton Jewels which had vanished so
strangely.
Eyes" she answered. plainly puzzled
at my bewilderment at was an ex-
cellent hiding place. No one but my,
self had the combination. don't see
now who could have taken them.
found the safe locked as II always
was"
"When did you first discover the pa
pers were missingT"
Let me see." she pondered.
"Claire's engagement was announced
at dinner three weeks ago last
Thursday. The newspapers on Sun
day carried 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 folded
slip of paper.
81 brought 1t with me to show you;
here. this is the first one."
Like the mysterious note l myself
had received only the preceding night.
this one was not inclOsed In an en-
velope. 1t was just folded slip, ad-
dressed in typewriting to Miss Claire
Bradford" On the other side was this
message:
"What II Thayer knew about your
being married before? How much
will you give to get those papers
back?"
"Where did you get this?" I asked.
~ found it on the floor Of my bed
room one morning when got up late.
l gave IL to my sister without having
read 1t, thinking she had dropped II
there She read II and screamed and
tainted Fortunately Mother was out
Of the house at the time. Naturally I
read the note then. went to the
safe and found the documents gone.
Claire has been nearly crazy ever
since She insists that II is all my
fault. She says l ought to have de-
stroyed the papers, but couldn't,
could I?'
"Of course not" replied warmly.
you did quite right in keeping them.
1t was not your fault they were
stolen"
81 couldn't destroy them. Dad had
told me to keep Them" she said simply.
"What did you do them Did you
toll your mother|
"Oh no, she must never know. Dad
did not want her ever told anything
about IL. We talked 1t over, Claire
and I. and decided to put a personal
advertisement in the papers. II sim
ply said. Liberal reward and no ques-
tons asked for return Of important
papers,
"Were there any answersr'
Eyes and no. One morning there
was a second note"
delivered like the firstT'
"Yes, ! found II, too, on the floor
of my bedroom. Here II is"
More amazed and perplexed than
ever by the growing ramiflcation of
the plots Of the thieves that seemed
to involve us both. ] took the paper
and read:
"Ten thousand Is our price for the
papers. Pay It or you'll never marry
Thayer."
did you go then to meet the map
In the park?"
Not until after l got third note,
more threatening than the first and
second. Claire and / talked II over
and over, trying to think who could
have taken the papers. We only keep
two servants now, Sarah and Mary,
and they both have been with us since
we were children. II could not have
been either OF them. They think as
much OF us as our own mother does"
/ unn NON ouppaoa tho man that che