Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-24


to the window to obtain the full
benefit of the moonlight. He could
just decipher the writing now:
"Polly's papers which is Gods truth
Mrs. Nickes X her mark"
For moment he stood there
motionless, but his eyes had lifted
from the envelope now and were
fixed on the lawn below. The win
dow here gave on the side of the
lawn, with the trees at the rear of
the house in view. A man had just
stepped out from the shadow of the
trees and was coming toward the
house
Locke stared, even the envelope in
his hand temporarily forgotten. as
q frown of perpleXity that deepened
into amazed chagrin gathered on
his forehead. The figure was quite
recognizable, even minutely so. 1t
was Captain Francis Newcombe. 1t
on that French window perhaps
but the man was as perfectly and
Immediately dressed as he had
been that night at dinner. There
was no torn coat-or missing coat
sleeve. The man he had fought with,
the man in the mask. had not been
captain Francis Newcombe.
lie laughed now-not pleasantly.
He had obviously been waiting here
for the wrong man. There was no
need of waiting any longer-unless
he desired to be caught himself,
Queer. Strange. But there was
the envelope. Pollys papers.
What was it that was Gods truth?
At least, he would find that out,
He thrust the envelope into his
rocket. closed the bag and returned
to his own room. He switched on
the lisnt. hurricdIy took the enve-
lope from his pocket again. and
from it drew out two documents.
He studied them while minute after
minute passed, then dropping them
on the table before him, he stood
with drawn face and clenched fists.
staring across the room. Polly'3
birth certificate, The marriage
certificate of her parents, He saw
again the agony in the dark eyes, he
heard again the agony in the vote
that had proclaimed parentage
outside the pale. And a great oath
came from Locke's white lips.
He Hung himself into chair be-
side the table. He fought for cool,
contained reasoning. These papers
-Newcombe, Did it change any
thing, place Newcombe in any bet
ter light. because it was some other
man who had worn that mask to-
night? He shook his head in quick,
emphatic dissent. 1t did not. He
was sure. certain of that. The trail
led too far back. was too we'll de-
night What was Newcombe doing
out Of the house at. 3 o'clock in the
morning All. yes-he had 1t, The
old maniac's words came back with
sudden and sure significance: dig
Observation-Disclosures The
wrong scent The hut in the
woods at the rear of the house."
Locke gnawed savagely at his
lips. That was where Newcombe
had come from-the woods at the
rear of the house. 1t meant that
Newcombe was the one who had
been tricked by the old madmans
cunning. which could never have
happened if Newcombe had not
been stealthily trying to find the
hidden money: It simply meant that
Newcombe was the one who had
been on the wrong scent-and that
some one else had been on the right
one!
His face was set in lines like
chiseled marble now. Who was this
some one else? Was the question
very hard to answer? The field
was very Notwithstanding
limited now. He wasn't wrong.
was he? He couldn't be wrong!
And there was always the torn
sleeve.
Locke's eyes fixed upon the two
documents on the table again. Cap
tain Francis Newcombe No: it
did not make Newcombe any the
less a guilty man because it was
not he who had worn the mask to-
night. Newcombe stood out sharply
defined against the light of evil
Gence which, il only circumstantial,
was strong enough to damn the
man a thousand times over for what
he was. And here, adding to that
evidence, was the proof that Polly's
identity had been, and was being.
deliberately concealed from her. II
opened a vista to uglier and still
more evil things-things that only a
pit of hell, could have conceived
and patiently put into execution.
A child-a guttersnipe. Polly had
called herself-rescued from naked
poverty and the slums of White
chapel by a man such as New
combe. whose only promptings were
the promptings of a fiend. Why?
Was there room to question further
why Captain Francis Newcombe
had years ago adopted such a ward
when now before ones eyes those
years were bearing their poison
fruit? Polly's introduction into
this family here was even at this
moment being traded upon to effect
the theft of half a million dollars.
That was too obvious now to per-
nit denial. Newcombe was making
of a girl. high minded. pure souled,
a hideous cat's-paw. Yes, yes! All
that was clear enough! But why
should Polly have been deprived Of
her rightful name, her claim to
honest parentage? Was it to weld
a stronger bond of gratitude-or
make her the more helpless, and
therefore the more dependent upon
her guardian? Where were these
parents? Dead or living? There
was Mrs. Wickes-Mrs. Wickes' VINO