The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-03-23
CHAPTER lN.

rIckins te1ycss sObs had ceased and
then he asked Guietly: What had
Miriam anc 10 DO with yOl. vile
Nr. Criswold'
GrswoId raIs,N his head ana Ire de,
t.c.ve had the snock OF his career.
}. had thoIslt tnat the me1uca OF
tiy dogs foou-n pot name had Lled
re mans d.ad VIE. and that ~ was
s,auue gr.ei "'ich had op-rol the
,rusty fiuauCer, long-Close4 rcirt,
Whatever his lrlation 10 The other
woman and his share in the mystery.
Eut it was not resurrected sorrow
which met his amazed eyes; Girls.
wo.ds thin. aciduous face had been
<pr-tormed into that Of an eNultant
tiend and personal fear seemed to be
wholly forsottsn in the sundering OF
the hold which he had held over him
sell.
Miriam Vane" The repetition Of
he name came with a raucous laugh.
Miriam Nane was my wife. my law
ful vile to the hour Of her death, and
she was too clever 10 give me an
opportunity 10 free myself from her.
at least without the notorety that
he knew / could not afford. II took
someone clever than she, less eau
Iious than |, to fire that shot last
nisht, and because OF Il | owe a debt
Tor the first time in my life. debt
Of sratleude which even my money
can never repay
Despite the astounding revelation
BARR did not allow his expression TO
change, and his tones were suavey
persuasive IS he suggested;
Suppose you tell me the whole
story Mr.. Griswold. our knowledge
az the truth may enable US to pre-
vent the notoriety you wish 10 avoid.
How long were you married 10 the
woman Who called herself Marian
N1nc?'
For twenty years, ever since she
was a. girl OF sixteen and law stu
dent or twenty-five down in q little
town called Springvine. in Delaware.
Ive given cut these many years that
was q widoSyer because Of the dis
s1ace Of the whole affair, but 1t IS
evident that the truth must be known
now and you'd find It out sooner or
later
SIX years our marriage lastea-siS
wears that brought disilusionment 10
me in spite OF her beauty.
She was twenty-five, in the iull
lido ot her devflish fascination and
knowledge Of how to use IL when
accepted q clerkshlp in Cleveland with
the law firm OF Venner & Scully''--he
broke off TO add
'Venner had q son, q good.loohns
weakling with q delicate wife who
adored him The chances are that
he would never have amounted 70
qnything. anyway, but the minute he
ilid eyes on Miriam ii was all up with
him.
Hc paused again and his bony hands
cenched- Barry ventured.
DO you mean that she brok. up
their home and yours
I mean that they ran away to-
gctner and his sickly wife went mad
she died in sanitarium within
year"
Bu, VIII ydidnt sou divorce her
Slr. Griswoldr asked Barry.
The other groaned
Because though she was cut OF
my life forever | thought she would
drift the way OF all such women II
the opportunity to rchabnitate herself
ry marriage with another infatuated
fool vas denied her
tIc and she were In some outof.
tneway hole In the south, leading a
cataud.dog's lie. when somehow he
learned Of his wlle's madness and
death, and IN remorse he blew hts
brains out''
So that was the explanation Of the
empty cartridge shell treasured all
these years ike the symbol OF a ghost
chat could not Be laid Barry whisued
softly and then sudden question
came to his mind
AIR. Criswoid. YOU told me a while
AGO that Mrs Vane was too clever TO
give you an opportunity 10 free your
scll legally without notoriety which
you could not afford. Surely her
oiopcment with young Vcnner provid
81 you with evidence enough"
Crswold rose and commenced to
flc- the floor When Ncnncr slipped
through her fingers she remembered
laut she stll had a legal hold on mo
and alt her calculating shrewdness
came TO her aid When she found me
was lying nl with typhoid IN a
Chicago hotel Men do strange things
in dellrium and D mU.. have babtlod
nr' name
some foolish specialist ,hought her
presence would yull m- through the
crisis
when aWoke TO cousoiousness
no was la FUN command and / was
100 weak TO do anything. ln the eyes
OF the Law hli condoncd her Of.
Tense.
The sergeant u..y.I and Gr.swold
resumed.
~, was sheer bgDsmlu ! met her
forms. "A quarterly allowance on con.
aitISn mat she cuanr, uor ume and
leave the country.
He halted In his RESTLESS pacing and
when he spoke again 30 was with his
Taco ayerted from the detective.
Last october the janitor brought
% note 10 tn me, and | found that she
had had the lmpudenre not only to
break our agreement by returning to
America but had actually dom.cilei
heIseu b'heAtn tne Shl" ivol ana lN'
sisted that it was | who had first
broken our agreement by stopping her
allowance and | must come down to
her at once for a personal Interview
4 went and then began series OF
prosecutions which did not cease until
last night she not only demanded
an outrageous income but forced me
To call upou her az REGULAR intervals
On palm Of announcing herself as my
vile and r1,lng up that whole wretch
ed scandal | had 80 carefully lived