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”",,,..m..e-es.-.-we--u.u.o.uuuom;‘1:ne‘1Jeaunzu-r1p"1Jetect1ve."‘ ’
all in full d
Suddenly he started as there stepped from a
‘carriage a maiden of rare loveliness, attended
‘ by several gentlemen. . ' '
“What a beautiful facel Where havelmet
met her, before?” and he thought seriously for a
'momen , -
“ I must see her again; I must recall her face
from the past.”
He took from his pocket :1 bill and looked at
it longingly. ,
“ The last two dollars I have in the world,” he
answered as ' 'ng with himself as
“To-murrow [ will
pa k; then I will be a
penniless, homeless, friendless
face betrayed the agony of a proud spirit.
“ But I must--I will see that face again i’
be grasped the bill in his fingers convulsive-
ly. . “I must follow her into the theater and
find her.”
He walked up to the box-odice and laid down
his two dollars:
“The last orchestra seat, sir, and about the
best in the house," said the ticket-seller, and he
handed him fifty cents c nge.
He had intended seeking only admission, but
the party from the carriage must have gone to
a box and his orchestra seat would command a
' and
xes.
to his seat, on the right, B. few
rows from the front, and there, within twenty
feet of him sat the woman whose face so
impress im. e .
She was, indeed, very beautiful in both face
an arm, scarce y over nineteen, and her n
and ears sparkled with rare ems.
in the box with her another lady,
several years her senior, and three gentlemen,
ress. '
Suddenly her eyes
nd
fell upon the man in the
orchestra seat, a e
h purposely averted his
ea .
Quick as a flash she dropped her opera-glass
upon him and said with some excitement:
“ Oh, giletal there is thegentleman who saved
my life.
‘Where is he, J uliai" quickly asked the other
a . I
“go the hfthrow from the iront, the seat next
to t e a s e. ‘, '
“He is not looking this way now.”
"A , . , and what a splendid-looking man I”
said oung Mrs. Stanw Q r’
. "go is, ind ." l‘ K
" And his name you said was-"
“ Cecil Carlyale was the name on his card, but
his place of residence was not given, and he toll
us nothing of imseif, merely, when papa asked
his name, handitg his card, bowing and taking
his leave.” '
“And he saved your life, Miss Herlowe, did I
understand on to say?" asked Melton Reeves
one of ‘ Harlowe's devoted admirers,
though a recent addition to her string of beaux.
h w it was, forI
never heard of it before, and with such a debt
. c , a d h dangerous-
he is, Ishould think he would
d t e last words were
uttered in a low tone by Melton Reeves.
‘ ked how it happened that he saved
eeves?" ,
“ Yes, Miss Ilarlowe.”
"It was on the Sound steamer that caught
lire a year ago.
"Papa nndl had state-rooms that were cut
off by the fire, and that gentleman, enveloped in
wet canvas, came th gh t e ll es carried
m place of safety, and going back for my
father, brought him also through that terrible
fire, after which be aided us into a boat, and
a saved man ther lives, too, but refused
to give his name for publication, and only when
slipping away from us after landing, gave his
i t
can 0 m .
“Papa tried in vain to find him, and now I
have done so by a mere accident, and I wish
you, r. R4-eves, between t e t and second
acts, to kindly go to Mr. Carlysle and ask him to
join us n t e x. . -
“You will do this for me, will you notl"
lllfelton Reeves did not wish to do so, yet said
i y:
P0“ Oh, yes, certainly.” .
He could do no less, for he was Miss Har-
at the theater, and Mrs. Stanwood
gow from the fair lady whose life she asserted
she owed to him.
When the curtain went down upon the first
not, Melton Reeves stood in the aisle by the side
of the strain er. , ‘
Mr. Cecil Carlysle, I believe?” .
The stranger started, arose and said: i
" Yes, a .” a
“Permit me to introduce myself as Melton
Reeves, and to say that Miss Harlowe has sent
me to escort on to her box.” '
The stranger hesitated, then in a constrained
manner sai : = ‘ .
“ Thank you, I will go.” >
He accom nied his escort, the two chatting
pleasantl%on the way, though Melton Reeves
said to arry Stanw
, after ushering the
stranger into the box: ,
“ That was the most generous act of my life,
Stanwood, for that man is a heart-winner. ’
“ He looks it indeed,” replied Stanwood, and,
he stepped forward and greeted Mr. ci1Car-
lysle pleasantly as Julia Marlowe presented
the ’ '
m.. .
" I am glad to meet you again, Mr. Carlysle,
er saving our ivcs; bu you must give me
your add resa and papa will call on the marrow.”
“Than you, but I leave the city early in the
in
“ I am so sorry; but I shall claim you for six
per tonight with us after the theater, and w ll
take no refusal." ‘ 4
CHAPTER II.
' AGAIBO 1).
Tim stranger thus met at the theater seemed
content to drift with the tide, so, urged by all
returned with t a party to the elegant home of
the millionaire, Madison Harlowe. '
Mr. Harluwe a handsome old gentleman ‘of
fifty-five was reading in his libra when he
theater party returned, and went to the hallway
to receive them, for his daughter was the idol of
his life, and her friends always found :2. warm
ar
u a was a maiden of rare personal charms,
with a face full of intelligence and beaut ,
manners that were dignided and fascinating and
form that was the perfection of grace an
symmetry. r .
“fith such attractions, added to the fact that
s ress In‘ t
. n she
a car in t’raveling through the United
was w is n‘ n a un ,
taken fire at night, she had so nearly
lost her life, an , nt or the rescue by ecil
Carlyle, both her father and herself would have
to find their brave deliverer, and now that, by
an accident, ey ha done so, he was certaini,
most welcome guest.
e a quick, searching glance about him
at the grandeur of a spacious pnrlors, library
halls and tiin ng-room, as he was us er '
supper, no ed tb two servants in livery, the
massive solid silver plate upon the table, and
muttered 0 se :
vagnboud a guest inn palace-how pass-
ingstrnngel”
Mr. Barlowe had received him with h
greatest warruth,‘while there was a quiver in his
voice as he said: .
“ W can never thank you, Mr. Carlysle,
never, never
“See! I still hear the scars of that fieryfnr-
, and your
almost to a crisp. ,
s but a temporary suffering, sir, and I
do not even now or the scars -a you 0,"
said Mr. Carlysle,glancing at the scarred hands
if Mr. Harlowe. -
f course with such a record. and a tall,ele-
gant-looking man, with dark, fascinating face
and courtly manners, Mr. rlysle was the hero
that night.and when at last he took his leave,
' resaion behind h in.
was, a door closed n
him and her ot er guests, that Julia remem-
bered that they harl not discovered wherr .
Carlysle was stopping in the city how long he
been I. ere, where he was 0 11:, where he
lived, or in fact anything whatever about him.
s
He had promised to call again when passing
through the city, and that was a . .
He had declined to be driven to his hotel,,and
had gone out to kind it storming. " t
“My God whnta confr s ' -' - .
“ Out into the storm and cold, from that love-
ly scene. e w . -
“ he guest of a millionaire, and yet with but
fifty cents in my pocket, and not enough proper-r
tylin the wide world to pawn for half a hnndredr
o ars. , i , ;
, “ Hal ha! ha! what a situation for a. novelist!
" A an r in a palace, and receiv wi ’t e
warmest of welcomes by both the millionaire,
and his beautiful daughter," ' “
“ ‘ Call again,’ she sa'd. ' '
“ Oh, s .‘I will call again, and again, for
this night is the turning point of my life, and,I , V
shall play my cards to win. for I cannot afford ,,
0 ' . x
“ The past must be forgotten now, the future ‘ 1
is allm own.” ' ‘ ‘ J .
He strolled along through the driving, sleet,
around his form to keep
is cloak drawn close
out the cold. 7 , .
hus e wandered from street to street until ,
suddenly be halted in the fashionable part of the , '
city known as Murra Hill. , '
“ The night is going and I have not where to .
lay my head, and only a few cents to buy break- "
fast Wit . ‘
“ And theni I ‘ i ,
i “ Last night I had almost thought I would end . ‘ '
h river. ’ 1
o-night I am full of hope, for there is
a beacon light ahead and i will not despair.
“ 1 w’ seek one who, in spite of his vow, shall
give me money. ' -
“ But how am I to reach him, so far, very far
away, while I have no mone ? ,
“ will, I must ilnda way; I will not now be
do‘v‘vnedt-In,ow,upon the very threshold of success.
0 . - A
He strolled on once more until turning a. ; ’ ‘
corner the fierce wind cut him to the bone with
cold, and he shrunk for shelter against the lee "
of a large tree.
It was a breaking-up storm of along anii‘R’-+‘
n
. son, on 210- , .
count of he temperate breezes of the pust few - e ‘
days, the cold seem more severe, and the way- ' i
farer clun close to the tree, his eyes watching
the flickering lig '1. ;
“M G believe I am freezin . Not a ’"
soul is out this fearful night, save -a vaga-
bond- an w‘ on a ome. ot even the
watchmen dare leave their cozy retreats.
' “What would the beautiful Julia Harlowe'
say now did she see Cecil Cariysle, her res-
cuer .
"By Heaven! I believe she has it in her to. '
help me, for she]; is no society butterfly, as heart- ' '
lessas beauti u . ‘
“ I must move on, or I will perish with cold-
Ah some one is out, for there comes a form
through the driving storm.” 4
ne moment after the lamplights revealed a ..
struggle in the snow a fall: a. cry rung out '
a dying utterance, and while one man lay pros-
rate upon the snowy bed the other lied likes
deer from the scene where a trngedyhad been
, CHAPTER Ill.
MYSTERIOIZS smnnim.
ere gathered in the
private office of the chief of police, on the mom-
ing after the scene at the theater, where Miss
Harlowe had recognized the rescuer of her fa-
ther und horse
a chief sat there with a face that looked "‘ “,“
disturbed, and was listenin to the report of his
men upon a mysterious murder which had been
committed under the shadows of the night, and -‘
during the snow-storm. ‘ ‘
Each Ofllcer had told his story of how he had
been called to the scene about awn by Patrol-
. been going on his
r e snow, almost knee-
deep, something that looked ike a human
form.
He had brushed away the snow and discovs
cred that it was a man tnve oped in storm-coat
but a patently atone dead.
10 U19 Wlilil “IR is call was unheard
cold, he raised tihci“ ergo in his strong arms and
seven! ocstoad - re "
he aroused the clerk. . tug ' “he,”
’ form there howed a deep ’
e neck, nud'thus revealed the .
te a fee that the man had n murdered. .
Leaving the body there with the trembling
- 2 J‘.a ........
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