THE MYSTERY GIRL
Bj CAKOLYN MhLIO. (topyrlfht, 19B.)
i i out limed from Yr*feriiM>.)
“Ho wdoes anyone g-,»t cold?" she
said, trying to snule “perhaps sitting
m a draught—-perhaps by means of a
germ. It is utmost well now.”
"Perhaps by walking in the snow
n«l getting ones feet wet," Mr. Ad
ams suggested, and the girl turned
frightened eyes upon him
"Don’t," she breathed; "Mr. Adams,
don't.”*
Her voice was piteous; her eye* im
plored him to stop torturing her.
"Why, what's the harm in my say
ing that?" he went on. inexorably.
“You Wouldn't go anywhere that you
wouldn't want known, would you,
Miss Mystery?"
He spoke the last two words in a
meaning way. and the great dark eyes
faced him with the look of a stag at
bay.
Then again by a desperate effort
the girl recovered herself and said
coldly:
"Please speak plain. Mr. Adams. Is
there a special meaning in your
words?'*
“There is, Miss Austin. Perhaps I
have no right to ask you why, but I
do a*K you if you went over to Dr.
Waring’* house late in the evening
night before last?"
“Sunday night, do you mean?"
Miss Mystery controlled her voice,
but her hands were clenched and her
foot tapped the floor in her stifled ex
citement.
"Yes, Sunday night
"No; of course. I did not go over
there at night. I was there in the
afternoon with Mrs. Bates and Mr.
Payne.’*
* "I kno wtlmt. And you then met
Dr. Waring for the first time?"
"For the first time." She spoke
willi downcast lace.
“The first time in your life?’’
“The first time m my life." But if
ever it statement carried its own de
nial that one seemed to. The long
•lark lashes fell on the white cheeks.
The pale lips quivered, and if Anita
Austin had been littering deepest per
jury she could have shown no more
convincing evidence of falsehood.
Yet. Old Salt looked at her benevo
lently. She was so voting, so small,
so alone—and so mysterious.
“I can’t make you out." ho shook
hh head. “But I’m for you. Miss Aus
tin. That is," h" hedged, “unless I
find out something definite against
you. T feel I ought to tell you, that |
> cm*ve enema i—yes." as the girl
locked up surprised, “"ou've made
enemies in tills house. Small wpnder
—^the way you've acted! Now. why
« an t vou be chummy and sociable 1
like?"
“Chummy? Sociable? With whom?”!
“With all the boarders. There’s
young Book wood now—and there’s'
voting Tyler
“Yes. yes. 1 knowy I will—Mr.
Adams —1 will try to be more so
ciable. Now—as to- to L)r. Waring—*
why did he kill himself?''
Old Halt oved her narrowly. "We
don’t know that he did.” he began
“But Mrs. Adams told me all the
details’’—who shuddered, “and if that
room he'whs in was so securely locked
that they bad to break in. how could
it be the work of -of another?”
“Well, Miss Austin, as they found
a bad wound in the man’s neck, just
under his right ear, a wound that pro
duced instant unconsciousness and al
most instant death, and as no weapon
• if any sort could 1*** found in the
mom, how could it have been sui
cide?”
“Which would you rather think
it?" the strange girl asked, looking
gravely at him.
"Well, to me I'm an old fashioned j
chap—suicide always suggests cow- |
ardlce. and T»oe Waring was no cow- ,
ard. that I’ll swear!”
“No. he was not.—-—“
“Mow do you know?"
■ Miss Mystery started at the sudden j
question.
“I heard him lecture, you know."
she iTtiirnol: "and. too. ! saw him in ;
Ids home Sunday afternoon—and he
seemed a tine man—a tine man.”
"Well. Miss Austin. ' old Halt rose
to go. “I’m free to confess you’re a
mystery to me. I consider nVyself a
fair judge of men—yen, and of
women, but when a slip of a girl
like vimi acts so strange, I can’t make
it out. Now. 1 happen o know-“
lie paused at the panic-stricken |
look on her face, and lamely con
cluded:
“Never mind—I won’t toll"
With which cryptic remark ho went
away.
“Well, what you been saying to
her?" demanded his aggrieved spoils*
as the Adamses met in their own
little sitting room.
"Wb> nothing," Old Halt replied,
and his troubled eyes h»oked at her
pleudingfv “I don’t think she’s
wrong. 1’sthcr."
“Well. 1 do And maybe a whole
lot wrong Why, Saltonstall. *Miss 1
Bascoin says she saw Miss Austin
traipsing across the field late Sunday !
night."
“She didn’t! 1 don't believe a word |
• •f it! She’s a meddling old maid—a j
snooping busybody!"
“There, now, you carry on like thAt
because you’re afraid we will discover
something wrong about Miss Mys
tery.”
“Look here. Ksther.” Adams spoke
sternly: “vou remember she’s a young !
girl, without anybody to stand up for ;
tier, hereabouts Now. you know what
a bobbery a few words can kick -up. .
And we don’t want that poor child's
Paine touched by a breath of idle gos- i
sip that i.-ii’t true 1 don't believe
liisui Bascoin saw her out on Sunday
night! 1 don’t even believe she
thought she did!"
“Well. 1 believe it. Liza Bascom's j
no fool-"
"She’s worse, she's a knave! And j
•lie hates little Austin, and she’d say |
anything, true or false, to harm the J
Tin.”
“But. Halt, she says she saw Miss j
Austin, all in her fur coat and cap
going cross lots to the Waring house i
Sunday ovciting— late ’
•Van she prove it?"
“I don't know about that. But she
saw her." f
“How does she know it was Miss
Austin? It might have been somebody
who looked like neY.’*
“You know those footprints.”
“The .lap's?"
“You can't say they're the .laps.
Miss Case on says they’re the Austin
girl's.
•'KetheC ’ Old Saltonstall Adams
io*e hi his wrath, "you ought to he
: shamed of yourself to let that girl's
name gel into the Waring matter at
all. la veil if she did g" out Sunday
night. If Miss Uasconi did see her.
tup keep still about It. If that girls
v long it'll 1> discovered without our
help. If she isn't, we must not be
the ones to bring Iter into notice."
“She couldn't be—be Implicated—
could she Salt'.’ ’
"No"’ he thundered. ‘Tlsther, you
astound me. Tlml Bascom woman
luis turned your brain. She's a viper,
that's what she is!"
lie stormed out of the room, and
getting into his great coat, tramped
down to the village.
Cordon Lockwood was in his room.
This was much to the annoyance of
faille. the impatient chambermaid.
Who wanted to get her work done.
lavekwodd was himself impatient to
fcet over to the Waring house, for he
Fad much to do with the mass of
mining mail and the necessary inter
views with reporter* and other callers.
Tet he tarried, in hi* pleasant bed
room at Mrs. Adams’, hts door se
curely locked, and hts own attitude
one of stupefaction.
For the hundredth time h- p read
th* crumpled paper that he hftd taken
from the study wastebasket under the
very nose of Detective Morton.
Had that sleuth been a little more
worthy of his profession he novel
would have allowed the bare-faced
theft.
And now that Lockwood had it he
scarce knew what to do with it.
And truly it was an astonishing
missive.
Hor it read thus:
“My Darling Anita:
“At the first glance of your brown ■,
'\v«'w this afternoon love was born in :
mv heart. Life is worth living—with i
you in the world! And vet-”
That was all. The unfinished letter
had been crumpled into a ha (I and
thrown iu the basket. Had another
been started—fend completed? Had
Anita Austin received it—and was
that why she kept to her room for
two days? Was she a-*-he hated the
word!—a vamp? Had she secretly be
come acquainted with John Waring
during her presence in Corinth, and
had so charmed him that lie wrote to
her thus? Or had they known each
other * before? What a mystery!
There was not the slightest doubt
of ihe writing. Lockwood knew it as
well as he knew his own. And on top
of all the other scraps in the waste
basket it must have been the last
missive the de id man wrote—or.
rather, the last he threw away.
This meant he had been writing it
on the Sunday evening. Then. Lock
wood reasoned, knowing the routine,
if he had written another, which he
completed and addressd. it would, in
natural course, have been put with
the letters for the mail, and 4’oUld
have been posted by I to that next
morning. j
What an oversight, never to have
asked dlto about that matter.
it was an inviolable custom for the
butler to take all letters laid on a
certain small table and put them in
the pillar box early in the morning.
Had lto done this? It must be in
quired into.
Hut far more absorbing was the ac
tual letter before him. How could
it be possible that John Waring, the
dignified scholar, the confirmed ba^fee
lor. should have loved this mystery
girl?
Vet. even as he formulated the ques
tion, Gordon Lockwood knew the an
swer. lie knew that from his own
point of view it would not ho ini
possible or even difficult for any man
with two eyes In his head to love
that fascinating, enchanting person
ality.
And as he pondered he know that
he loved her himself. Yes. he had
loved her almost from the moment
he first saw her. Certainly front the
time he sat behind her at the lecture
end counted the queer little hall
ft iqges in the back of her dainty
gown.
Those fringes! Lockwood gave a
groan as a, sudden thought came to
hint.
He jumped up and with a deter
mined air set about burning the inex
plicable letter that John Waring had
written and thrown away.
In the empty fireplace of the old
fashioned room. Lockwood touched a
match to the sheet and burned it to
an ash.
Then he went over to the Waring
house.
It was an hour or so later that
Callie reported to Miss Baseom.
“Queer goin's on." the girl said. '
rolling ifor eyes at her eager listener.
"Mr. Lockwood, now. he burnt some
papers, and Miss Austin, too, she
burnt some papers.”
“What queer about that?”
snapped Miss Baseom, who had hoped
for something more sensational.
“Well, it's sorta strange they’re
both hurnln’ paper at the same time.
And both so sly about it. Mr. Lock
wood be kep* lookin' back at the fire
place as he went oula the ilpor, and
Miss Austin, she jumped like she was
shot when I come iu suddently an’
found her stoopin' over ttw- fireplace.
An’ too. Miss Basconi. whatever else
she burnt, she burnt that picture she
had of Dr. Waring.”
“Did she have his picture?"
“Yep. one Mr. Lockwood guv her,
after Nora carried off the one she cut
out of a paper."
“What til the world did that girl
want of Dr. AVaring's picture?”
(To It,. Continued Tomorrow.1
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The Good News Has Hit Old Omaha Like a Thunderbolt:
Buying WINTER APPAREL at HALF and Less than HALF
and Then Enjoying the Easiest Sort of Credit Terms is Enough to Shock Any Ci«.y
BUT THERE’S A BIG REASON BEHIND IT ALL
We’re Expanding to the Tune of 4,000 Square Feet
Carpenters, Brick Masons, Painters, Cabinet Makers Must Have Room Regardless of
Cost—They Demand It--We’ll Give It to Them and Give It Quick
NOW
ON
Men’s and Young Men’s
Suits and Overcoats
In Four Amazing Sale Groups
A Regular Battle Ground of
Value Giving-and the Easiest of
Payments Will Care for Any
thing You May Buy.
Action on the First Floor—and plenty
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busy. Stocks must be cleared out to ,
make room for expansion work.
Less Than
HALF PRICE
Startling Value* in
Boys’ Suits at $9.00
Boys’ Overcoats at
$8.00 to $10.00
ft
Every Garment Worth Double
LOT 1
’16s1
LOT 2
$195°
LOT 3
$24s°
LOT 4
*32“
Ladies’ Cloth Winter Coats
Placed in Eight‘Quick Sell’ Lots
Luxurious fabrics, rich colors, newest styles—worth two and three1
times prices quoted.
One Lot at
$14.50
One I.ot at
$39.50
One Lot at
$18.50
One Lot at
$49.50
Less Than Half Price
One Lot at
$24.50
One Lot at
59.50
One Lot at
$29.50
One Lot at
$69.50
Less Than Half Price
Ladies’ Dresses in a Mighty Sale
The very prettiest dresses ever gathered by Beddeo. Master*
pieces of grace, line, color and finish will be placed into—
Four Choice Lots As Follows
One Lot at
$8.50
One Lot at
$12.50
One Lot at
$16.50
One Lot at
$22.50
Every dress worth two and three times these daring low prices.
/
\
And here,too, it a bit of pleasant news to women of Omaha and vicinity.
You may choose
Any Ladies’ Suit in the House at
One-Half Price
♦
Railroad Fare Will
Be Refunded
TO THOSE LIVING
OUT OF THE CITY
Bfddta wants hi* numerous out-of-town
friends to participate in THE EXPANSION
SALE, so he offers to REFUND Railroad or
Bus Fare ONE WAY on any purchase of $25
or BOTH ways on purchase* of $50 or over.
It will PAY you and pay you BIG to come ft
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In addition to the startling values
in this sale we shall give away one
of these 7-piece Cut Glass Water
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more. Quantity is limited, so get
yours early.
Fur Coats
Exquisite thing’s—too late for regular selling, yet
useful to you for months to come—all
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Cut Prices
Brown French C?<hiey Natural Muskrat, 48
Coat—40-in. length inches long—
$29.50 $139.50
Sealine Coats, 40 Arctic Seal, Opossum, Squirt
inches long— rel or Beaver Trimmed—
$89.50 $169.50
Ladies’ Plush Coats
You have choice of the house, in three lots—
$19.50 $24.50 $34.50
Your
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Buy On
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NOW
ON
