The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-07-16

the same year, I heard Of the death.
and Immediately visited the grave. AS
I approached 1t, two women came to-
wards me. One was Marian Halcombe,
the other was yelled, but when she
raised this covering from her face,
there looking at me, was Laura, Lady
Clyde. She was pale, nervous and de-
pressed-more perfect than ever IN
her resemblance to the Woman In
White.
Marian Halcombe told me what she
knew. She had found her sister In
an ayslum, and in the grave at
our feet was her mysterious double.
Sir Percival's holiness and Count
Fosco's cleverness had succeeded in
exchanging the destinies Of the two
women. The circumstance had netted
these two gentlemen some 3O,OOO
pounds, derived from the estate OF
Lady Clyde.
The fortune was gone beyond recall,
but Lady Glyde's true identity might
vet be established In the face Of such
evidence as her death certificate and
tombstone, ana the Incredibly OF her
friends and relatives. This deter
mined to do. Cast upon the world
alone, the sisters readily agreed to al
low me to take up their fight. and l
determined that Laura should one day
re-enter her fathers estate recognized
by all.
It soon was apparent that Sir Per
cival and Count Fosco were the per-
SONS / must fight. worked secretly.
but directly, for I had no funds with
which to carry on fight through the
courts. The secret with which the
Woman in White had threatened Sir
Percival seemed to me to be the key to
the whole situation. Through a Sc
ries Of Inquiries, working always I'M
der the watch of spies, found It OPP
perfume to look up the marriage regis
tration Of Sir Percivals parents. l
found it in a little country church.
and 1t was forged. I was no sooner
| in possession of the knowledge OF his
illegitimate birth than Sir Percival, In
furious desperation to destroy the ev
idence, entered the little church by
night, set fire to the structure, ana
through the agency Of his own stupid
ity and an old-fashioned wooden lock,
trarped himself into an awful death.
Laura was free Of her husband, but
she remained an outcast-a woman
dead to her friends and relatives.
was still determined this should not
be. NY only hope Of success lay In
Count Fosco, who alone had the evil
dence which could establish her legal
existence. But to acknowledge Lady
Glyde's identity would be to admit his
guilt of one Of the greatest of crimes
NV task looked difficult, but an I'M
known agency came to my aid.
II Count Fosco was traitor to one Of
the worldwide italian secret societies
The knowledge came to me by chance
but it served me in good stead. Invent
to his house one night and barteret
|. my silence for the evidence Of Laura'i
|. existence. Count Fosco, in a long ex
position, gave the details Of his owl
. and Sir Percivars cunning. Then n
! left England forever. To clear up th'
last shred of mystery surrounding TIT
!. Woman in White, I sought out he
, childhood home. pieced together he
story from her old friends and rela
tives. Fate had made her the illegit
: innate half-sister Of her counterpart
and the chance possessor Of Sir Per
! cival's secret.
NY labors ended, Marian Halcomb
, end her sister, who was now my wife
, returned to the happy companionshil
, Of those days at Limmeridge hous
> before Sir Percival's cunning ha
, usurped the consummation Of our love
On the death Of Laura's uncle som
. months later, her son and mine becam
. the heir Of the estate and fortune o
; the house Of Limmeridge.
3 Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publishin
. Co (The Boston Post). Copyright In tn
United Kingdom, the Dominions, Its Co
). s0nies and dependencies. under the copy
. right act, by the Post Publishing Co
e. Boston, Mass, U. 8. A. All rights n
!. served. Houghton. Mifhin & Co.. ~
thorixed publishers.