Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eagle Valley news. (Richland, Or.) 191?-1919 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1918)
THE DESTROYING ANGEL By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE nlicpp l IIPK ? Old you ever have a piece of really good luck for Instance, help from an entirely unexpected source when you were In deep trouble? Luck, good or bad, Is certain ly on the trail of Hugh Whlta ker. You remember, a corps of eminent surgeons gave him Just six months to live. So he found a girl In trouble, married her to save her good name and disap peared Immediately. Five years later he reappeared In New York from Australia, happy, healthy and prosperous, and started out to find the little girl he married. He discovers her when he goes to the theater she's Sara Law, great actress. Mutual recogni tion across the footlights stops the play and creates wild ex citement among the audience. What next occurs Is told In this installment. Go to Itl CHAPTER V Continued. "Where's Miss Law?" ho asked. "I dunno go nsk Max." "Where Is he?" "You can search mo; Inst I saw of him he was tearing the star dressln' room up by the roots." Whltaker hurried on just In time to see Max disappearing In the direction of the stage door, at which point he caught up with him, nnd from the manager's disjointed catechism of the doorkeeper garnered the Information that the star had hurried out of the building while Max was making his, announcement before the curtain. Max swung angrily upon Whltnker. "Oh, It's you, Is It? Perhaps you can explnlu what this means? She was looking straight at you when she dried up! I saw her " "Perhaps you'd better find Miss Law and ask her," Whltaker Interrupted. "Have you any Idea where she's gone?" "Home, probably," Max snapped In return. "Come on, then." Passing his arm through the manager's, Whltaker drew him out Into the alley. "We'll get a taxi before this mob " "llut, look here what buslness've you got mixing In?" "Ask Miss Law," said Whltaker, shortly. It hud been on the tip of his tongue to tell the man flatly: "Pin her husband." But he retained wit enough to deny himself the satisfaction of this shattering rejoinder. "I know her," he added; "that's enough for the pres ent." At the entrance to tho alley Max paused to listen to the uproar within his well-beloved theater. "I'd give five thousand gold dollars If I hadn't met you this afternoon I" he groaned. "I always knew that wom an was a Jonah !" "You were calling her your mascot two hours ago." "She'll be the death of me, yet," tho little man Insisted gloomily. He stopped short, Jerking his arm free. "Look here, I'm not going. I've got my work cut out for trie back there" with a Jerk of his head toward tho theater. Whltaker hesitated, then without re gret decided to lose him. It would bo as well to get over the Impending In terview without a third factor. "Very well," he said, beckoning a tnxlcab In to the curb. "What's tho address?" Max gave It sullenly. "So long," he ndilud morosely as Whltaker opened the cab door; "sorry I ever laid eyes on you." Whltnker settled back In the cab and, oblivious to the lights of Broad way streaming past, tried to think. It suddenly presented Itself to his reason, with shocking force, that his attitude must be humbly and wholly apologetic. It was a singular case: he had come home to find his wife on the point of marrying another man and she wns the ono entitled to feel nggrlevedl Strange twist of the eternal triangle I Far too soon the machlno swerved Into Fifty-seventh street, slipped half wny down the block, described a wldo arc to the nor Ui era curb and pulled op, trembling, before a modest modern residence between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Reluctantly Whltaker got out and, on suspicion, told the chauffeur to wait Then, with all the alacrity of a condemned man ascending the scaf fold, he ran up tho steps to the front door. A mnn-sorvnnt answered IiIk ring without undue delay. Was Miss Law at homo? lie would see. This Indicated that sho was nt homo. Whltaker tendered a card with his sur name penciled after that of Mr. Hugh Morten In engraved script. He Ma red round him with pardon- ' able wonder. If this were truly the home of Mary Laillslas Whltaker her property he had bullilod far better ( than he could possibly have foreseen J with that Investment of live hundred , dollars six years since. Soft, shaded 1 lights, rare furnishings, the rich yet delicate atmosphere of exquisite taste, the hush anil orderly perfection of a homo made titul maintained with con summate art: these furnished him with dim, provoking Intimations of an hull , tldunllty to which he was a stranger less than a stranger nothing. . . . i Almost Immediately ho bocamn I aware of feminine footsteps on tho j staircase there entered to him a lady , well past middle ago, with tho dignity and poise consistent with her years, her manifest breeding and her Iron-gray hair. "Mr. Whltaker?" He bowed. "I am .Mrs. Socretan, n friend of Miss Law's. She has asked mo to say that she begs to be excused, at least for tonight. And I am further Instruct ed to ask If you will be good enough to leave your address." "Certainly: I'm stopping nt the Kltx Cnrlton ; hut" he demurred "I should like to lenve a note. If I may ?" Mrs. Secretan nodded an assent. "You will find materials In tho desk there," sho added. Indicating an es critoire. Thanking her. Whltaker sat down, and, after some hesitation, wrote a few lines: Please don't think 1 mean to causa you the slightest Inconvenience or distress. I shall be glad to further your wishes In any wny you may care to designate. Please believe In my sincere rejsret . . . Signing and folding this, ho rose nnd delivered It to Mrs. Secretan. He found himself In the street, with his trouble for all reward for his pains. He wondered what to do, where to go. next. The driver of the tnxlcnb was holding the door for him, head bent to catch the address of the next stop. But his fare lingered still In doubt. Dimly he became aware of the vio lent bawllngs of a brace of news ven dors who were ramping through the street, one on either sidewalk. At the spur of a vague wonder If the papers were already noising abroad the news of the fiasco at tho Theater Max, Whlt aker purchased a paper. "Ther'y'are, sir. 'Orrlble moldcr . . . Thanky . . ." The mnn galloped on. howling. But Whltnker stood with his gaze riveted In horror. The news Item so pointedly offered to his attention was clearly legible In the light of the cab lamps: LATEST EXTRA TRAGIC SUICIDE IN HARLEM RIVEn. Stopping his automobile In the middle of Washington bridge at 7:30 p. m.. Car ter S. Drummond, the lawyer, and fiance of Bara Law, the actress, threw himself to his death In the Harlem river. The body has not yet been recovered. CHAPTER VII. A History. Whltaker consulted a telephone book without finding that Drummond had any private residence connection, and then tried at random one of the clubs of which they had been members In common In the days when Hugh Whlt aker was a human entity In tho knowl edge of the town. Here he had better luck luck, that Is, In as far as It put an end to his wanderings for the night; he found a clerk who remem bered his face without remembering his name, and who, consequently, was not unwilling to talk. Drummond, It seemed, hud lived at the club; he had dined alone, that evening. In his room; had ordered his motor car from tho ad jacent garage for seven o'clock; and had left at about that hour with a small handbag and no companion. Nothing further was known of his actions save the police report. Tho car had been found stationary on Wash ington bridge, nnd deserted, Drum mond's motor coat and cap on the driver's seat. Bystanders averred that a mnn had been seen to lenve the car and precipitate himself from the brldgo to the stream below. Tho body was still unrecovered. The club had noti fied by telegraph u brother In San Francisco, the only member of Drum mond's family of whom It had any rec ord. Friends, fellow members of tho club, were looking ufter things doing all that could anil properly ought to be dono under tho circumstances. Whltaker walked back to his hotel. Thero was no other placo to go; no place, that Is, that wooed his humor In that hour. He was, Indeed, profoundly shocked. He held himself measurably responsible for Drummond's act of des peration. Next to poor Peter Stark, whom his heart mourned without ceas ing, he had cared most for Drummond of all tho men ho had known and liked In the old life. Now ... he felt alone and very lonely, sick of heart nnd forlorn. Thero was, of course, Lynch, his partner In tho Antipodes; Whltnker was fond of Lynch, but not with tho ufteetlnit that a generous-spir ited youth hail ticooriloil Peter Stark and Druiiiniotiil a blind and unreason ing affection that asked no questions and made nothing of faults. Tho en parity for such sentiment was dead In hint, as dead as Poter Stark, as dead as Drtiniiiiond. It was nearly midnight, but tho hour found Whltnker In no humor for bed or tho emptiness of his mom. Ho strolled Into tho lounge, sat down at a detached table In a corner, and ordered kuiiio- thing to drink. A page, hearing some thing on a salvor, ambled through tho lounge, now anil again opening his mouth to bloat, dispassionately: "Mia ta Whltaker, Mlsta Whltaker 1" The owner of that name experienced n Hush of exasperation. What right had tho management to cause him to he advertised In every public room of tho establishment? . But the next Instant his resentment evapor ated, when ho remembered that ho re mained Mr. Hugh Morton In the mana gerial comprehension. He lifted a linger; the hoy swerved toward him, tendered a blue envelope, accepted a gratuity and departed. It was a cable message; very prob ably an answer to his to (irnce Pottlt. Whltaker tore tho envelope nnd un folded the luciosttre. glancing llrst at the signature to verify his surmise. As he did so, ho heard his name a second time. "Pardon me; this Is Mr. Whltaker?" A mnn stood beside the little table ono whom Whltaker had Indifferent ly noticed on entering as an equally lonely lounger at another table. Though he frowned Involuntarily with annoyance, he couldn't well deny his Identity. "Yes," ho said shortly, looking tho man up nnd down with a captious eye. Yet It wns hard to And much fault with this Invader of his preoccupntlon. Ho had the poise and the dress of a gentleman: dignity without aggressive ness, completeness without ostentation. He had n spare, not ungraceful body, a plain, dark face, a humorous mouth, Rtendy eyes: a man easily forgotten or il Whltaker Stood With His Gaze Rlv eted In Horror. overlooked unless ho willed It other wise. "My name Is Ember," he said quiet ly. "If you'll permit mt my card." Ho offered a slip of pasteltoard en graved with the name of Martin Um ber. "And I'll sit down, because 1 want to talk to you for a few min utes." Accordingly he sat down. Whltaker glanced at the card, and quostlonlngly bncl; at Mr. Knitter's face. "I don't know you, hut . . . What an.' we to talk about, please?" The man smiled, not unpleaslngly. "Mrs. Whltaker," he said. "Mrs. Whltaker didn't send you to me? Then how What tho detict I" "I happened to have a seat near your box at the theater tonight," Mr. lum ber explained coolly. "From what I saw there, I inferred that you must bo yourself. Afterwards I got hold of Max, confirmed my suspicion, and ex tracted your address from him." "I see," said Whltaker, slowly. "Who the devil aro you?" ho demanded bluntly. "I was," said the other slowly, "once, a private detective Now I'm a per son of no particular employment, of In dependent means, with u penchant you're ut liberty to assumo for pok ing my nose Into other people's busi ness. Mrs. (Jeorgo Pettlt once cm ployed tne to find her sister, Miss Mary Ladlslas, who had run away with a chauffeur named Morton." "Just n minute," said Whltaker sud denly "by your leave " Umber bowed gravely. For n thought longer Whl taker's gazo bored Into his eyes In vain effort to fathom what was going on behind them, tho animus un discovered by his words; then, remem bering, ho looked down at tho cablo messago In his hand. "Martin Ember (It ran) prlvntr agency H!W Broadway, (Irneo Pettlt." Whltaker folded tho paper and put It away In n pocket. "do on, please," ho said quietly. "In those days," Mr. Ember resumed, "1 did such things Indifferently well. I had little trouble In following tho run away from Southampton to (Ircon port. Thero thoy parted. Ho was want ed for theft In a former position, wns arrested, convicted and sent to Sing Slug; where ho presently died, I'm glad to say. . . . Miss Ladlslas had registered nt tho Commercial house us Mrs. Morton, Sho was there, alone, under that name, for nearly a week before you registered as Hugh Mor ton, and In the spaco of a few hours married her, under your true name, and shipped her off to New York." "Itlght," Whltaker agreed steadily. "And then?" "1 traced her to the Hotel Belmont, where she stopped overnight, then lost her completely; and so reported to Mrs. Pettlt. I eunio Into n little money about that time, and gave up my busi ness: gave It up, that Is, as far an placing myself at the service of tho public was concerned. After some time Mr. Drummond sought me out and begged the to renew my search for Mrs. Whltaker; you were dead, ho told mo; sho wns duo to como Into your estate a comfortable living for an In dependent woman." ASIkj r4 r unit thirsts r9 tVlm man 1 Ember? Is he on tho level, or Is ', I he a smart rascal who has evil I designs on Whltaker? ', (TO m: CONTINUED.) PERSONAL WASTE HEAVY TAX Standard Oil Would Soon Qo Bank rupt on "System" That Most Americans Follow. How many mornings does your cook spoil tho toast? You don't know. Nor do you keep tabs on tho f0 oth er apparently trilling things of orery day. From the moment you draw nn un necessary amount of water for your mottling hath until you have touched the push button and stopped that tire less electric meter at night and retire to rest It Is waste plus "don't know" all along the lino, writes "Olrard" In the Philadelphia Public Ledger. If Standard Oil was as careless with Its pennies iim a man making $10 n week Is with his. It would bo bank rupt before Christmas. But you know well enough that you'vo got to bo wide nwako to Hitatch even one cent from J. I). 11. And here Is President Ben's rail road, which has run passenger trains .'1,000,000 miles without killing n pas senger. Why? Because he has made In three anil one-half years .oOO.OOO tests to see that his trainmen observe tho rules of safety. But, helgb-ho, you never test any thing In your smaller affairs to sec how many little spigots are pouring out pennies needlessly. Just tho same they are taxing you a great deal more than your church pew. Freighter Unloads Quickly. About midsummer tho Italian enrco boat Mllazzo, undoubtedly the largest freighter on tho seas, completed Its maiden voyage rrom Mipios to New York. Tho vessel Is of special Inter est because of Its remarlcahlu unload ing facilities, which enable Its M, 000 ton cargo to bo discharged within forty-eight hours. It Is particularly de signed w the transportation of grain and coal, but because of current condi tions Is now carrying a general cargo. The ship Is Olli feet In length. .'. feet across the beam and when loaded ills places i!0,OIO tons. Its single screw Is turned by a -1,000 horse power quadru ple expansion engine. The ship's un loading equipment Is Its most wonder ful feature according to Popular Me chanics Magazine. The Far-8lghted Woman. You are. let us say, a canaille nte- nnirrimhcr or a teacher: If throiiL'h any untoward circumstances, you should no neroii oi ono or your lac ultles necessary to your vocation, what would you do? Such things do happen, you know, and wlso Is tho woman who cultivates a hobby or an nviiciitlon that employs other facilities than tho ones sho uses dally. If you know notning etso ntti teacning, nun should lose your bearing, you would bo stranded on I bo Island of tho help less; If your dally work Is of tho niiinual sort, cultivate a hohhv for something that requires mental effort. If your mental faculties are In uso dully, give them a rest by doing Homo sort of manuul work. Exchange. Occasionally Useful. Wn all of US clvo tho fn rinnrn n mighty lot of advice, but tho mont of . L. . I . . . It . ...At inem uoui mum ii, sometimes moron a bit of It thoy can uso. Tho Censor. The censor is not tho man who puts ths news In tho newspapers, and hi doesn't havo much luck keeping It out COMB SAGE TEA IN AT DARKEN IT It's Grnntlmolher'H Kcclno keep her LockH Dark, (Hussy, Itcautiful. to Tho old-tlmo mixture of Sago Ten and Sulphur for darkening gray, streaked nnd faded hair Ih grand mother's recipe, and folks nro again using It to keep their hair n good, oven color, which Is quite sensible, as wo are living In an ago when n youth ful nppenrnucu Is of tho greatest ad vantage. Nowadays, though, wo don't hnvo the troublesome task or gathering tho sago and the tnussy mixing nt bom?. All drug stores sell tho roadyto-UHo product. Improved by the addition of other Ingredients, cnlled "Wyeth's Hugo nnd Sulphur Compound" for about CO cents a bottle. It Is very popular because nobody can discover It ban boon applied. Simply moisten your comb or a soft brush with tt and draw this through your hair, taking one small strand at n time; by morn ing tho gray hair disappears, but what delights tho lu.lles with Wyeth's Bnge and Sulphur Compound, Is that, be sides beautifully darkening the hair after a few applications, It also pro duces that soft lustre and nppearanco of abundance which Is so attractive. This rendy-to-uso preparation Is a de lightful toilet requisite for thono who desire a more youthful appearance. It Is not Intended for tho cure, mltlgntton or prevention of dlsonso. Adv. Room, or Company? With all propor respect to membors of congress, wo wish they'd quit coin lug homo ho much and give tho rail roads a chance to haul a Utile coal. Kansas City Star. Dr. Pierce's Pellets aro best for liver, bowels and stomach. Ono little Pellet for a laxative three for a cathartic. A Grave Situation. "So Marie Is engaged?" "Yes, to an undertaker." "An undertaker? Sho must ho dead In lovo." Exchange 8wlnglng Round tho Circle. Mrs. A. Our cook has lived In soma of tho best families. Mrs. Ours has lived In all of them and In now on circuit for tho second time. Exchange. Chronic Constipation In asdangorous an disagreeable. Garflold Tea cures It. Adv. Locating the Action. "And Flzzlepalo ran through a for tune?" "No; ho novor did anything so onor gotlc. He stood still and lot tho for tune show tho speed." Exchange Soothe Itching Scalps. On retiring gently rub spots of dan druff and Itching with Cutlcurn Oint ment. Next morning shampoo with Cutlcurn Soap and hot water. For free samples address, "Cutlcurn, Dept. X, Boston." At druggists und by mall. Soap U5, Ointment 28 and W). Adv. A Rapid Flrer. Mrs. Peck I always think twlco bo fore I speak onco. Peck Exactly, my dear but then you aro such a quick thinker, Ex change. KIDNEYS, USE SALTS If your Buck hurls or Iilntldcr bothers, drink lots of water. Whon your kldnoys hurt and your back feels sore, don't get scared and prococd to load your stomach with a lot of drugs that oxclto the kldnoys und Irritate tho entire urinary tracL Keep your kldnoys clean llko you keep your bowels clean, by flushing them with a mild, harmless salts which re moves tho body's urinous wnsto and stimulates thorn to their normal activ ity. Tho function of tho kldnoys Is to filter tho blood. In 24 hours thoy strain from It 600 grains of acid and waste, no wo can readily understand tho vital Importance of kooplng tho kldnoys nctlvo. Drink lots of water you can't drink too much; also got from any pharma cist about four ounces of Jad Salts; tako a tablcupoonful In a glasB of wator boforo breakfast each morning for a few days and your kidneys will act fine. This famous salts Is mado from tho acid of grapes and lomon Julco, combined with llthla, and haa boon usod for generations to clean and stlmulato clogged kldnoys; also to noutrallzo tho acids In urlno so It no longer Is a sourco of Irritation, thus ending hladdor woaknoss, Jad Salts Is lnoxponslvo; cannot In Juro; makes ft delightful offorvoscont llthlft-wator drink which ovoryono should tako now and then to koop their kidneys clean and active Try this, also kcop up tho wator drinking, and no doubt you will wondor what bocarao of your kidney troublo and backache. Adv. DRUGS EXCITE YOUR