Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-06
Who Stole the Bride? And Why?
The Night of the Wedding
By C. N. and A. M. WILLIAMSON
Authors of 1.-THE Lightning Conductor and other tase'-
mating romances of mystery and lore
Copyright, 1924, by Public Company
By C. N. and A. M. WILLIAMS

, "This is too awful" he groaned
~ don't know how to bear it,"
Don't mind so much. Don dear
| the girl said, leaning against hin
for a moment. Il can bear 1t! Dc
you remember how you used to say
| If 1 fell down and hurt myself wher
1 was a kid, It will be all the same
a hundred years hence? We'll
that's what I'm telling myself now
There's no use in your trying te
make me believe that you've done
any harm to Eve Carroll. l cant
and WON'T" Rawdon burst out.
Pan was silent, as she had been
before when he had protested thai
she could not possibly have COM
mitted any crime. And In heI
silence Rawdon recalled Anson's
| warning. Quickly he explained to
her that she should have his
solicitor, that everything should be
done for her. Soon she would be
out Of this "abominable pit Of mis-
understanding"
II wish. to heaven could Sc
through this instead Of you!" he
groaned at last. II am as guilty as
you are!"
Pan made no answer. She looked
at him with the same strange look
6liG Adu SANGh "hCAl hC SutSA GU thS
room. and. smiled her smile Of a
young sphinx.
One Of his constables Arson left
: at Hidden Hall Court that night, and
he, with the other, took the girl in
their car to the police station at
Ardry- le- Mare. 1t was not until
after they had gone that Haste re-
covered full consciousness and re-
called all that had happened. Re-
Numbering made of him almost a
mailman. He cursed himself for the
time he had wasted. Eve must be
found. She couldn't be dead! Such
things didn't happen. Somebody
was playing a vile trick upon him
the cruelest trick ever played on "A
man. Why, OF course!-it was COM
ing back to him: Rawdon Wells had
done the thing.
NO" Fanny Gillett explained soft
ly. Not Sir Rawdon after all.
He's not suspected now. I've heard
from my mother everything that's
happened since I've been here in the
library with you. Some one has
confessed
who? And what has he con-
fessed?" Ken demanded, getting to
his feet.
1T isn't he. It's a woman" Miss
Gillett said with secret pleasure.
What woman could it be-" Haste
questioned, blankly. There's no one
here who-who hated Eve, except
-" His eyes lit as he flashed a
look of suspicion on her. There
in Ewes room you were saying"
well, it wasn't I who had to con-
fess, anyhow" the nurse caught him
up. at was your adopted sister,
Ntco oofo ,~&
hate your wife whole lot worse
than I do, for she's been taken off
to prison for numbering her. You'd
have to hear the truth soon. 1t
may as we'll be now"
1t was all that Pan could do not
to scream when the door of her cell
was shut. Only pride. and the know
ledge that this was but the begin
| ming, prevented her from beating on
the door and begging to be let out,
il but for minute. Instead; she
sank down on the hard bench which
ran along one side Of the little room,
and tried to think.
What will become of me? What
will they do to me?" she asked her
self in a whisper, to have the human
comfort of her own voice. But she
| and for hours she sat there, scarcely
moving, till the early summer dawn
rose like a gray tide.
A faint light filtered into the cell,
and as the girls sad eyes wandered
over her dreary quarters, which they
fell upon a small white pellet, which
lay close to her limp hand on the
bench. The girl reached YEARLY out
and touched the thing. 1t was q tiny
ball of, paper.
1t seemed incredible that it should
be meant for her to find, and yet,
| Pan felt that it had been placed
where 1t was with precisely that OBJ
jeet In view.
She picked it up. and opening IT
carefully saw a piece of neatly cut
letter paper, about three inches
square. Then she looked closely and
discovered that very fine cut clear
handwriting spread to- top and bot
tom and close to the margins, on
one side.
Even when she had seen the writ
ing, Pan could hardly believe that
the message was for her. 1t SEEM
ed much more likely that it had been
| meant for her predecessor in the
cell, and that. being small, the ball
of paper had been overlooked
There was not light enough yet to
read the almost microscopic words:
but, as dawn frightened. Pans ewes
were able slowly to make out the
words.
Great pains had been taken evil
IDENTIFY to render them clear. They
mad been written with a peculiarly
fine-pointed pen. with very black
ink, and each letter was carefully
formed as If in print.
After all, the thing was for her,
AS soon as she began to read she
saw this. and was bewildered by the
discovery. Who, that knew what
| had happened. could have known
also that she was to be put into this
cell. and have had time to greet her
! here with a letter? She could think
| OF no answer to that question, YET
the letter was in her hand!