San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-04
(Contiuued from Page f2)

There was the announcement
made by Marcus Bartenstein; there
was the scene with her father;
there was the news of the next
morning. Millicent was the sort
of girl who cherishes no malice
and is ready to forgive on due re-
pentance being made manifest, but
she could scarcely repress a feel
ing of something desperately like
relief and satisfaction when she
heard of Bartenstein's death. AL
though she was naturally courage
Gus she had been afraid of him,
for she Enthusiastically guessed
the cruelty of his nature and the
implacable fashion in which he
pursued anything he desired.
But uppermost in Millicent's
mind was the danger in which her
lover now found himself. 1t was
impossible to deny that things
looked black against him. She had
sufficient knowledge of the world
10 know that twelve unimaginative,
stolid-natured jurors, accustomed
to buy and sell without other than
practical thoughts, would simply
say, "Oh, this case is as plain as
a pikestaff! The young fellow lost
his head when he found Barten-
stein wanted his sweetheart and
meant to have her; they had a row
and he ran him through before he
realized what he was DOING"
It was Sir Nicholas who had
brought the news of BartcnstCin'S
murder to MillicCnt, at an carlN
hour of the day which succeeded
the delivery of the dead mans in
iimation to her. There was little
known then. and il was not until
the afternoon newspapers came out
that they connected Lauderd3le
with it in any way. Then the de-
scription of the young man who
had called so late at night con-
WINGED Millicent that her lover was
the person for whom the police
were now looking, and she had i'm
mediately sent messages in several
directions to him, forgetting that
he was out of town for the day.
II was not until he telephoned to
her late in the afternoon and re-
assured her. that she remembered
her fathers affairs and went to
him to make inquiry about them
But nothing had happened-
nothing. Sir Nicholas was obvious
" bewildered about the matter.
He had expected something very
dreadful catastrophe-to take
Mace at noon. There had been no
catastrophe. And on the following
dav. when Millicent returned from
Bow street after hearing Lauder
daIe's case adjourned, she found
him jubilant. -,
MIIicent was filled with a doubt.
"Fathcr," she said, 81 want to
ask YOU a plain question. DO you
think Mr.. BartenstGin's death had
anything to do with this!
Indirectlr it may have had, my
dear" answered Sir Nicholas. "Hc
was great operator, and his
death, Of course, affected many
things"
MilIicpnt considered matters. y
think" she said presently, 81 think
this is the time to tell you some
thing which. after all, was only
keeping back until ] knew the
truth about your affairs" and she
told him everything that had
passed between BarteinStein and
herself. And as she proceeded Sir
Nicholas's face grew graver and
graver and he began to look more
grim and reflective than was his
wont. ,,. .,
at is terrible to think, Mile"
he said at last, Eyes, worse than
terrible, that a man whom one has
trusted and made friend of could
behave like this, and it has aroused
a train of thought in me. Can 1t
he that Bartenstein can have been
behind the operation that would
have ruined me? If certain deal
had taken place at noon the day
before Yesterday I should have
been ruined. And-it never did
take place. If | thought that he
had devised a cunningly laid trap
in order to get you into his
q am afraid that is so,
father" she said. However, it Is
over and you are safe. The great
thing to think of now is Jacks
safety"
Miilicent refrained at that mo-
mcnt from telling her father of her
own errand that evening. She
made a plausible excuse for abb
senting herself from the house and
left it full of speculation as to
m me