2
Tw" Irm* i* No j9
THE MYSTERY
-OF-
A HANSOM CAE
I
BY FKRdI'S W. HI Mil.
CHAPTER X.TYIII— Co nt rn ur' l.
Mrs. Sampson. bavin# at last ex
hausted herself, Avent out of "the
room. and croaker, loudly down the
stairs, leading Brian to read bis tele
gram. Tearing open tbe red marked
envelope, it turned out to he from
Madge, saying flint they had come
back to town, and asking him down
to dinner that evening. Fitzgerald
i
folded up the telegram, then rising
from In- seat, walked moodily up
and dov.n the loom with bis hand
in his pockets.
4 \SM l:c in there." raid (he YOU?;L' '
man aloud ; "and I shaU have to
meet Irru and shake bands with him.
fenowintr all tLe time what he is. P
;
it were not for Madg'c I d leave this '
cursed olace at once. but after the!
way she stood bv me in m\ trouble, i
I should be a coward if I did so."
It was as Madge had predicted]
her father was unable to stav Ion"
o
in oru { lace, ai d had come back to
Mell K urne a week after Brian bad
t
arrived. The plep.sant paity at ihe!
station wr.fi broken up. and, like the '
graves of a household, the '
°
were scattered far and wide. Pater
son had left for New Zealand en
route f r the wonders of the Hot
Lakes, and the old coloni t w.iv |
about to start for England in order
to refresh bis boyish memories. Mr
i
and Mis Kolleston had come back
to Melbourne, where the wretched'
Fe'ix was compelled oncfc more to
plunge into politics, and f>r. ('bins
ton bud resumed hi- u-ual routtm
of fees and patients
Madi'v was g'ad to he 1 aek in
Mell - t:i ne once mere as new that
ber health was r stored she be-ao
. I
to nave craving for the e\; it' mrnt
of town life Tt i i now* more fl n
three months sinca the murder. and
tlio ' i d s' v. vd* ;• tbii
the ] 1. Tic j of a .ar
w 1111 :iI• s I a v. . 11 , I,Vlli*■C l li e a • M J
ing toj ie of the boir\ and th r
nies were busy preparing for tht at
tack of possible enemv. As tb.e
_
Spanish k:i;gs had lrawn their trras
ures fii IN M♦ xico and I\IU.M> might
the "White Czar lav violent 1 avd.» or
the gold'-n stores of Australi i. but
here J: were no umultuicd >;u,.
ges { - f tee. but the sons and graud
{
son.-- . : n.t i: wlu had din mi d ti.
gloiie« of the Kuss an arm- at Alma
and iclava. So in the mie.-t t
Storm \ rumors of wars the tin r ic
°' i
fate i>i \\ h\ te tva- p.ite foi
gotten. After t lio trial. « very one.
including the detective cCice, had
given up the matter, and mentally
regulated it to the list of undiscov
ered crime?. In spite of tin utmost
vigilance, nothing Lew Lad been dit
i
covt l ( I, ar.d it seemt t ikVly that
the assassin of Oliver "W'lnte would
remain a free man. There were ;-l!V
two 1 cople in Melbt urne v.'.. > stib
A k
held the contrary ojit i. r. ar 1 t\ey
were CaUon and Ki ip. ]>■ tl. IK >e
men ; -nJ swoin te 1 •ccvt'i Lai- UL
I*I;ESS AND CAROLIIXAN, JANUARY 24.
knowu murderer. wb» struck
cowardly blow in tne dark, and
though there scee ,r *d ro possible
j
chance of sucre-s. yet rbey worked
ou. Kilsip suspect**! l,og*er More
land the boon companion o? tie
de id man. Hut his gu-pictocs were
vague and uncert*.ir>, anfl there
seemea little hopecf verifying them.
The barrister did ? t as yet suspect
an\ .particuihi p*'i - -,n. tbouefh ibe
' * ~
.death-bed I'onfe.-r i'»i of Mot ivr-r vi ui
tersnipe had tin own .-i ne .v U*;ht on
the subiect, but he thouglrt that
when Fitzgerald t•'»1 I him the-secret
which Romani a Moore; bad collided
to his keeping, ibe ieai murderer
i
v.'ould so(Ki be discovered, at
j
U-, ast, some -bi" would be found that
would lead to his detect ; on. SQ, as
I
the matter stx-d at the time of Mai'k
Frettlby's retc.: ii to Meibourne, Mi*.
CaltAjn was waiting for Fitzgera]£s
confession before making a move,
while Kiisip wolfed stfplthily in the
dark, trying to get evidence against
\r I •
Morel aiii a.
On receiving iJa Ige's tclegr.ini.
Brian det im'ned ro go down in the
ev nin . but not tu dinner, J he
O 7
sent a tepiy tt) Madge t> tliat afreet.
He did );• ' t>. meet Mark
Frettlby, bui did no-, of course tell
thi> to so ->he ha i li« i dinner
1. , .
|>v b« as her far' cr ;>.ad "one Hi
c
to bis club, and /he L ; me of his re
turn was uncertain. After dinner,
she wrapp 1 a light cloak r iii;d her.
and a i t out on t»> tlx veii. i lah to
w til fur her love). Tl • gulden
i look* u ( I aiming iii tiie UiOou»i.,tii,
I O C 5 ' ;
• with ts t- hla'-k, d use c\ i ?f >-' trees
1
■stan ling u;; against the s by, and the
| great fountain splashing cool and
silvery. There v.as a heavily folia- j
• 'Td oak iu.-t i>v the ''ate, and she
sfrolK 1 tlown the path, and stood j
► •«i j%ll -1 it Hi the shadow, l»sttini) _ to i
. !
the whisj er and rustle of its mr.'ti
duinous leaves. It is curious that
|
lie unearthlv glamour which moon- 1
c O
!;-ht to throw -*. i' (v• ryllling 1
Jo i
and though Madg kn w evuy How- !
er, tree, a». 1 sbru ) in t!i«?
j
yt they a'i looked weird a» 1 fanta-,- \
. ' in M ■ hf. Si
we it up to tlit fe';i , an 1 seating .
. In.is *jr on ;i - ed_, ,;• ustd herself ,
!
. ' •'i : ■ * J - • 1 ■ -• i■ ie CLI. «i- :
. i , •» r ki :i. .!
• V tl . . . . l . .I . _ .1 llj , . . .V. . I I
rai V»a« into 4,1 ba-in. While
thi.s eugag' i l . sl:t heard the iiciij
, ( . .. I ' ' ' 1 '
_. ! • ! a( I Si. . . • J
!
sp i g.iig to her U .. - a ntie
m;in Oi. ing up ,1. . ..Lh ... a light '
cat '■ ts ft wi»i , ; M" ' i •
i
••• - i you . \ ; \u k
rri- \ a.; sl.e ran .1' vn t! o path to '
...
meet him. 4 *\> b5 ili uu not come I
; " !
be!ore .
beiiM* T '{ - iv "at;-
I
swer'-d her father'- voiv
" 1, (l i ur j , i . - •
-n. .ge .-tiit,. uu.
"'A hat an a'» ird mistake."
t
7- ~Tt 1 . T , • 1 .
P.i ian."
' • T 7 T"
iiniettl .
"""• >: in tl it h-.i 1 c at T
o;;Mn t till !' l.Tv: e!:c in the
moonlight."'
"Oh, said her father, with a
1
, ' a,l gb, pushing his hat back, ~m oon:-1
: -1 • • •
is necessary to complete the
spell. I supp'„ ri .
"Of course, answered Lis daucrb
ter. "It there was no moonlight.
O
ala? for lover !"
iud e t d 1" ec lioed her fat he-.
They w u d b« c me as extict as the
moa ; but who.t arc your eyes. Pu—,
, , , . I } " l y• 1
iii - w • 4 . I ;; \ % i In-;© lia
i ': : >
i
"'.Veil, really, papa." answered
j Madge, depreciatingly, "You do look
', so like him in that coat and bat that
; I could not tell the difference till you
spoke."
I 1
-Nonsense, ohild,' said I: rettlby,
■ ' roughly, -you are fanciful" ; and
' ' turning on his'heel, he walked rap
I ■ I!y towards the house, leading
Madge staring efter him in astonish
ment, as well might, for Ler
i
father h*J never spoken so rougiiH
before. Wonderkig at the cause of
i Lis sudden anger. she stood spell
1 ,
bound, uutii there came a step be
| hied her. and a soft, lew whistle.
; turned with a scream, and saw
; Brian smiling at tier.
"Oh. it's you," -he said, with a
pout, as he caught aer in lis arms
ami kissed her.
"Only me," said Brian, ungram
l matically ; "disappointing isn't it?"
"Oh. fearfully," answered the girl,
wiili a gay laugh, as arm-in-arm they
1 walked towards the hous°. '"But
, -do you know I nmde such a curious
j mistake just now ; I thought papa
, v. as you."
How strange." said Brian, absent
ly, for indeed he was admiring her
cuamiing face, which looked so pure
and sweet in the moonlight.
"Yc-s, wasn't it ?" she replied. "He |
hal on a light coat and a soft hat.
i ©
|
, just likeyou wear sometimes, and as
; you are both the same height, J
v took you for one another."
f
Brian did not answer, but there!
! was a cold feeling al his heart as he
I ..... i
saw a possibility of his worst suspi- j
cions being confirmed, for j'ist at
J
that moment there came into his j
mind ihe curious coincidence of j
man who got into the hansom cab '
i
being dressed the same as he was. !
I „ , .. . • I
I V. hut if—"Nonsense, he said aloud,
• rousing himself out of the train of
thought the resemblance had sug
° O
gested.
, r>
"I'm it isn't," said Mad_*e, '
I " I
J who hud been talking about some - !
i .
thing else for the la:-t five minutes. ;
iou are a verv rude voung man.
"I beg your paidon," sai 1 Brian,
i
j waking up. "Ye>.; were saying "
"That the horse i:- the most noble '
1
i f ■) i • 1 p . •»
Oi ill 111111x111 IS I'jXil' 4 11 v.
"I don't understand " begau
'Eiia::. rather puzzled.
"Of course you don't." interrupted !
• ' 1
Madge, petulantly; -'considering
I r . 1 ,
I v iji'Oii ;va:- -.lug i:.y eloquence ou
«i deaf man for the lant ten minutes,
1 - i
anu vei j .ik(';\ .uij.c: as web as deaf. 1
and topt v«? 1." truth of the remark
1 • . I
s. . up the pat:; with Brian after
j hr. He ha 1 a long chase of it. for 1
| Madge was nimble and better ac
ij.iaiuU d with the garden than he
was, but at last he caught her iu~f
1 . J ' I
1 -i e wi-i ru T> nin or n T, > the sterns ■
O * ' o iaj i /
; the li 3use,and then -history repeats 1
L
. 1 r
i
. !it*\ w«.iii iiito the drawing-room
h; found that Mr. Frettlby had
1
cup to ':is study, and did not
want to be disturb d. Madge sat
| . •
(' .. nto th A pian.o, but before she
1 j
struck a note. Brian took both her
hands prisoners
"Madge," he said gravely, as she
turned rounJ, "what did your father
»av when vou made that mistake ?"
"
"He was very angry," ans-
I
w» ltd. "Quitt* cross ; I'm sure I
don't know why."
Brian sighed as he released her
hand?, an I about to reply when the
• •
visitors bell sounded: they heard
t .e serv uit answer i:. and then -ome
one was tak- •; upstairs to Mr. Frettl-
I
»
I by's study.
; ( When the footman came in to the
light the gaa Madge asked who it
: was that had come to the door.
1
"I don't know. Miss," he answer
, ed ; "he said he wanted to see Mr.
! Frettlby particularly, so I took him
' up to the study."
"But I thought that papa saitl he
- ; was not to be disturbed*'
• "Yes, Miss, but tie gentleman had
! an appointment with him."
I
"Poor papa," sighed Madge, turn
-1 ing again to the piano. "He has al
ways got such a lot to do."
Left to themselves, Madge began
playing W'aldteufefs last new valse,
a dreamy haunting melod). with a
touch of sadness in it. and Brian.
i
, lying lazily on the sofa, listened,
j Then she sang a gay little French
song about Love and. a Butterfly,
{ with a mocking refrain,-which made
1 Brian laugh.
'•A memory of Offenbach," he said,
rising and coming over to the piano.
| "Y\ e certainly can't touch the French
in writing these airy trifles.''
"They're unsatisfactory, I think"
said Madge, running her fiugers
over the keys; "they mean nothing."
"Of course not," he replied, "but
don't you remember that De Quin- ,
j cev savs there is no moral either big
©
or little in the Illiad. so these light '
chansons are something similar."
"Well, I think there's more music
jin Barbara Allen than all those'
frothy things," said Madge, with fine
, scorn. "Come and bin" - it."
"A five-act funeral, it is," groaned
Brian, as he arose to obt#y ; "let's '
| have Garry Owen instead.''
Nothing else, however, would suit
1 the capricious young person at the
1 . 1
! piano, so Brian, who had a pleasant
voice, song the quaint old ditty of !
cruel Barbara Allen, who treated
her dying love with such disdain.
"Sir John Graham was an ass,"
; said Brian, when he had finished ;
• "or, instead of dying in such a silly
manner, he'd have married her rioht !
!. 0 :
off. without asking her permission."
"I don't think she was worth mar
( ryiug," replied Madge, opening a
book of Mendelssohn's duets: "or,
she wouldu t have made such a fuss
over her health not being drunk."
' |
"Depend upon it, she was a plain
|
j woman," remarked Brian, gravely.
I "and was angry because she wasn't
!
, toasted among the rest ot the coun
try belles. I think the young man
I had a narrow escape myself—she'd .
alwaVs have remitded him about
that unfortunate oversight."
"J ou seem to have analyzed her (
nature pretty well," said Madge a
little dryly: "however, we'll leave
the failings of Barbara Allen alone. '
t
| and sing this.' 1
This was Mendelssohn's duet,
"would that my Love, which was a
great favorite of liiians. Thev
were in the middle of it when Mad&re
suddenly stopped, as she heard a
lot! 1 cry, evidently proceeding from
i " * 0
her father's studv. Recollecting Dr.
C'uinston's warning, ihe lan out of
the room, and upstairs, leaving
Brian rather puzzled by her uncere
monious departure, for though he
had heard the cry, yet he did not at
I *
tach much importance to it.
Madge knocked at the study door,
and then she tried to open it, but it
was locked.
"Who's there*" asked her father
j
sharply, from inside.
"
"Only me, papa," she answere.!.
"I thought vou were—"
I
"No! No —I'm all right,'
* her father, quickly. "Go down
: staiis, I'll join you shortly."'
Madge went back to the drawing*
room only half satisfied with the ex
planation. She fouLd Brian waiting
1 at the door, with rather aL anxious
face.
"W hat * the matter ? he a»ktd, as
she paused a moment at the foot of
the j- taiis.
"Papa says nothing," she replied
k *but I am sure ne must hare been
, startled, or lie would not Lave cried
out like that."
She told him what J)r. Cbinston
had said about the state of her fath
er's heart, a recital which shocked
I Brian greatly. They did not return
to the drawing room but went out
,on to the verandah, where, after
wrapping a cloak around
Fitzgerald lit a cigarette. They sat
j down at the end of the verandah
somewhat in the shadow, and could
i see the hall door wide open, and a
j warm flood of mellow light pouring
therefrom, and beyond the cold
, white moonshine. After about a
j quarter of an hour, Madge s alarm
about bfr father having somewhat
subsided, they were chatting on in
different subjects, when a man came
; out of the hall door, and paused for
a moment 011 the >teps of the veran
dah. He was dressed in a rather
fashinable euit of clothes, but, in
spite of the heat of the night, had a
thick white silk scarf round his
throat.
"That's rather a cool individual,''
said Brian, removing his cigarette
from between bis lips. "I wonder
what —Good God !'' he cried, rising
ito his feet as the stranger turned
rouod to look at the house, and
took oft' his hat for a moment —
"Roger Moreland !'
The man started, and locked
i quickly round into the dark shadow
of the verandah where they were
seated, then, putting on his hat, ran
quicdy down the path, and they
heard the gate clang afte/ him.
Madge felt a sudden fear at the
expression 011 Brian s lace, as re
vealed by a ray of moonlight stream
ing full on it.
"Who is Hoger Moreland she
touching his arm—"Ah ! I re
member, with sudden horror. "Ol
iver Whyte's friend."
"A es, in a hoarse wuisper, "and
one of the witnesses at the trial."
(TO EE CONTINUI TY )
Out lliciiiiusU\otks.
i ATE Swuxtis, Tenn , 1
July 4, IPBB /
The Swift Specific Co., Atlanta, Ga :
Gentlemen—lnclosed pleased find
an order for six bottles of your valu
able medicine. And in sending this
oiuer .et luc tell \o u why I dose 1 .
So en f' - & o 'o I contracted an ex
ceedingly bad case of blood poison.
I tried a physician, the be-t a* com
mand, but secured no benefit. Mv
tlii oat began to get sore, and mv
body covered with sores and ulcers.
Going iio.u :uj to worse, I lha 1
my grave must be Reached in tie
near future. I gave up the doctor's
treatment and with a despairing
hope I commenced taking your med
icine. I began to improve from the
first bottie, and in a short Uluq the
j ulcelS befit ' 1 andfmy skin cleared off
and was entirely well. One year
ago a ca-"e of catarr 1 developed in
my system. The physician done his
best, but could Lot cure me. But
two bottles of Swift's Specific gave
me pc 1 manent relief.
'J- 11. liC'LIX^ON.
Treati-e MI Bioo,] a,,.] SUu D; s „«.
ses mailed f lee . The Swift Specific
Co., .Drawer .i, Atlanta, (_ra.