, 1924-07-16
P v
A Message Received.

Three days after Archman's abrupt
departure with Nellie. Mrs. Archman
and Bess were sitting at the breakfast
table. The murder of Morbach had
created a sensation. Reporters in
droves had descended upon the Arch
ran home and. falling TO obtain inter
views with any of the family, had built
towering fabrics of surmise on the I'M
concealable fact that Mr.. Archman and
Nellie had left the country abruptly,
Immediately after coming from the
scene of the crime. The inquest fol
lowed and the three Archmans, and
Akin as well. had been obliged to ap-
pear and testify. None of them could
give any Information as to the murder
itself. but Mrs. Archman had been
compelled to admit that the sudden de
parture of Mr.. Archman and Nellie
had been due to II. Her assertion th6t
she did not know the wherefores Of
the situation, nor even the place for
which her daughter and husband had
set out, naturally added to the interest
of the case. The coroner urged on by
the newspapers, went beyond all rea-
scnable bounds in his ~questionings,
aad drove Mrs. Archman to the verge
OF collapse.
He was much more merciful in his
examination of Miss Grant that young
lady being an actress, the papers were
much less DESTROYS of advertising her.
Nothing as 10 her relations to Harry
Archman came out. Henry Harrison.
sho had played so important and yet.
90 all appearances, SO casual a part in
the events of the evening, had disap-
peared utterly; pe'haps-so said the
papers-merely TO avoid annoyance
and perhaps for some more significant
reason. The pretended secretary had
also disappeared. leaving no trace.
Aside from these annoyances, each
of the three Archmans had much to
worry them. Mrs. Archman had heard
nothing from Nellie and had received
only one brief note from her husband.
and that one. dated ut New York.
merely declared that he had seen Cap
tain Bunker and had given him his or
ders. and that he and Nellie were
about to leave town and he would
not write again. ito avoid giving In
formation of his movements to possible
spies"
The intimntion that he might be
watched and followed was naturally
not comforting, and Mrs. Archman was
very glad that the letter came after
the conclusion OF the inquest, so that
she had not been compelled to mention
II TO the coroner. Moreover, she was
worrying over both Bess and Harry.
With Nellie's departure the girls re-
mark about splendid Americans who
made their way by their own efforts
would naturally have ceased TO trouble
her. Unfortunately for her peace OF
mind, however, Bess took 1t up n
echoed 1t constantly, with the vague
intention of smoothing Nellie's way in
case OF necessity. until Mrs. Archman
began TO believe that II was Bess and
no Nellie who had fallen in love with
a poor man.
Then, too. she had sounded Harry
about his inamorata, and had received
evnslve replies that added to her
alarm. Her whole world was crashing
around her.
Bess. too. had her troubles. Her
promise to Nellie TO visit the FL Rio
snnd see Carr had seemed simple
enough when she made IL. but had so
far turned out to he beyond her power
to keep. The rush OF reporters and de-
t~ectives and the suspense OF the inquest
had taken up every available moment.
Even when this was over Mrs. Arch