The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-11-04


plain white, unmarked commercial
bond paper, and it's three paragraphs
had been neatly written, without
typographical errors, upon a type
writer.
There was no date, no address or
name of the writer. 1t began, with
out salutation, other than the words:
Miss Cherry Lane: You are
young and beautiful. Life holds
many good things in store for you,
if YOU will reconsider your recent
decision to mate with a man VINO
has one foot in the grave. A friend
who must remain anonymous urges
you to publish at once a denial OF
yesterdays printed report of your
engagement to Ralph Cluny. NO
good can come to you or to him II
you persist in your determination
to wed old age and millions.
IF you act quickly and with dig
nifty, to end your unfortunate en-
gagement, you will not be sorry, Will
not go unrewarded in a material way.
IF you do not, certain facts about
your past will undoubtedly be called
to Mr. Clpny's attention. Have you
told him of your . little romance.
eliminating so suddenly at Darrow'
with a certain Albert Ettleson? Per-
haps you have not yet had time to
tell him all the interesting details of
your very interesting past, details OF
which are fully known to many, in
GLIDING the unknown friend who is
giving you this kindly advice
The shameful, insinuating bit of
blackmail ended there, abruptly
withoutIa signature. Faith stared
for long minute at the neatly block
paragraphs, Nbut her eyes. rigid
with horror, could not separate one
letter from another after that first
reading which had turned her blood
cold
| THE .blackmailers! The nerve of
'em-thinking they can scare me off
with cheap tricks like this!' Cherry
snatched at the letter, but Faith laid
a hand. palm down, upon 1t. mo,
don't tear 1t upr' she reused herself
from her trance of horror. Let me
keep it. 1 can't believe that any of
Mr.. Cluny's relatives would have
stopped SOY low as to send you an
anonymous. Matchmaking letter"
Some shyster lawyer did it,"
Cherry's voice was venomous with
anger. "a stenographer-a darned
good stenographer at that-wrote
that letter. See how it's blocked
out. in the latest style in business
correspondence? And not a single
mistake or erasure. I'll bet anything
that hellcat, Alice Albright, went
to see a lawyer yesterday and gave
| him a free hand in frightening me
off,"
But how did lawyer know about
about Ettleson?" Faiths distress
and beyilderment were painful to
see.
Good Lord. I don't know! These
shyster lawyers have tie-ups with
rotten private detectives, who root
around and found out things you'd
never dream of. A dozen people saw
us in barrow. Ettleson himself
might have blabbed. Oh, well. I'm
not going to worry about it. That's
exactly what the towards want me
to do. If they fool with me, I'll
marry the old boy today, and then
they can howl their heads off, for all
1 care"
Don't do THAR Faith begged. be-
tween tears and terror.
"They think I don't dare show the
letter to Mr.. Clunyr Cherry ragged
"But I'll show EN-! I'll take this
letter to him and tell him the whole
story of Albert Ettleson! Nothing
really happened. You can back me
up on that-you and Bob Hathaway.
1 didn't intend for a minute to have
anything to do with Ettleson. and
can make Ralph believe me. Why,
it will convince him of my innocence
if I show him this letter-somethin
they never dreamed I'd do!-and he'll
be all the crazier to protect me,
marry me-"
Faith rose and put her arms
around her angry, trembling sister.
IT believe that's the best thing to do,
honey-if you won't call it off. And
Cherry, honey, tell him everything
else that-that might come up to
cause you trouble. About all your
foolish little affairs-Chester Hart,
Bill Warren, Bob Hathaway, Albert
Ettleson, Chris Wiley"
Color flooded Cherry's face. IT
can't tell him about Chris, Faith. 1
I'D give myself away sure. If I
talked to him about Chris. I'm
afraid of Chris, Faith. He can wrap
me around his finger. He's the only
person in the world I'm afraid of.
If I don't marry old Mr.. Cluny, Chris
will get me. And if I marry Chris,
he'll break me up into little bits and
fling me out in the gutter. I'm
afraid of Chris, Faith
There was a beautiful tenderness
and sympathy In Faiths face as she
bent to kiss the quivering mouth of
her little sister. 'I'll do anything 1
can to help you, Cherry. And l
won't nag you any more about Mr..
'Cluny. Are you going to have a big
wedding?'
81 didn't intend to-" Cherry flung
back her head and her eyes glittered
with anger and pride. but 1 will
now! Trying to blackmail me! I'll
throw the SWEETEST wedding this town