Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-25
CONTINUED from u last issue)

tCOntnucd from our las iSsue)
Il could not stop Mark drinking
Cayley's letter went on, but
kept him within certain bounds
Yes, l kept him outwardly decent
and perhaps now / was becoming
Ike the cannibal who keeps his vic
tim in good condition for his owl
ends l used to gloat over Mark
thinking how utterly he was minC
to ruin as 1 pleased, financially
morally, whatever way would give
me most satisfaction. 1 had but C
take my hand away from him and
he sank. But again / was in nc
hurry.
"Then he killed himself. That flu
tile little drunkard, eaten up with
his w selfishness and vanity,
offered his beastliness to the truest
and purest woman or this earth.
You have seen her, Mr.. Dillingham;,
but you never knew Mark Albeit.
Even If he had not been a %drunkard
there was no chance for her of
happiness with him.
II had known him for many
years, but never once had | seen
him moved by any generous emo
ton. To have lived with that shriv-
eled little soul would have been hell
III Nv anu Il AIiCb9eilld NllllC9 WI X
hell when he began to drink.
$50 he had to be killed. | was the
only n left to protect her, for her
mother was in league with Mark to
bring about her ruin. l would have
shot him openly for her sake. and
with what gladness, but l had no
mind to sacrifice myself needlessly.
He was in my power: / could per-
suade him to almost anything by
battery: surely it would not be diff
cult to give his death the appear
ance of an accident.
II need not take up your time by
telling you of the many plans /
made and rejected. For some days
I inclined toward an unfortunate
boating accident in the pond-Mark,
4 very Indifferent swimmer, myself
almost exhausted in a gallant at
tempt to hold him up.
And then he himself gave me the
Idea, he and Miss Norris between
hem, and so put himself in my
hands; without risk of discovery. /
should have said, had you not dis
covered me.
"We were talking about ghosts.
Mark had been even more vain,
pompous and absurd than usual and
I could see that Miss Norris was ir-
ritated by it. After dinner she sug-
gested dressing up as a ghost and
frightening him. l thought it my
duty to warn her hat Mark took
any joke against himself badly, but
she vas determined 10 do it. / gave
way reluctantly. Reluctantly. also, |
told her the secret of the passage.
There is an underground passage
from the library to the bowling
green. You should exercise your in
genuity. Mr. Dillingham;, in trying to
discover it.. Mark came upon it by
accident a year ago. 1t was a god
send to him; he could drink there in
greater secrecy. But he had to tell
L-e about 1t. o. He wanted an audi
ence. even for his vices.
II told Miss Norris, then, because
tt was necessary for my plan that
Mark should be thoroughly fright
ened. Without the passage she could
never have got close enough to the
bowhng-green to alarm him proper
ly, but as / arranged it with her
h made the most effective appear
apce, and Mark was in just the state
OF rage and vindictiveness which /
required. Miss Norris, you under
stand, is a professional actress. /
need not say that to her | appeared
to be animated by no other feeling
than a boyish desire to bring off a
good Joke-a joke directed as much
against the others as against Mark.
Fl came to me that night, as |
expected, still quivering with indig-
nation. Miss Norris must never be
asked to the house again: l was to
make a special note of it: never
again. 1t was outrageous. Had he
nat n xAnYttAffan aC i. hash. g. I-aA-
UP he would pack her off next morn
ing.
II comforted him, I smoothed
down his ruffled feathers. She had
behaved very badly, but he was
quite right: he must try not to show
how much he disapproved of her.
And of course she would never
come again-that was obvious. And
then suddenly ! began to laugh. He
looked VI at M Indignantly.
rs there a joke?" he said coldly.
/ laughed gently again.
II was just thinking, I said, that
1t would be rather amusing If YOU
we'll, had your revenge
mean?'
well, paid her back in her own
COIN
10 you mean try ana frlShten
her?'
"sNo. no: but dressed up and
pulled her leg a bit. Made her look
q fool in front of the others |
laughed to myself again. Serve her
jolly well right
"He jumped up %excitedly.
"By jove. Cay" he cried. IF
could! How? You must think of q
way
Il don't know If Beverley has
told you about Marks acting. He
was an amateur of all the arts, and
vain of his little talents, but as ar
actor he seemed TO himself mos
wonderful. Certainly he had some
ability for the stage, SO long as he
had the stage to himself and was
playing to an admiring audience. A
a professional actor in a small par
he would have been hopeless; as az
amateur playing the leading part. he
deserved all that the local papers
had ever said about him.
And so the idea of giving us {
private performance, directed
against a professional actress who
had made fun of him. appealed
equally TO his vanity and his desir,
for retaliation. II he, Mark Albeit