Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 5: what you’re looking at

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man, shrewdly. MY QUEEN. 3 han’somest when they comes down,” said the “But are youse dead sure, Liz, about ther money ?” “Tow could she be a-livin’ there an’ doin’ nothin’ if she didn’t have it?” asked the girl; “an’ what’s more, how's she payin’ that Madame Leopold if she hain’t got money?” “That’s so,” was the answer, with a broad grin. “She’s got it sure, but p’raps it’s all tied up some’ers. P’raps she only has one 0’ them incomes.” “As if Bess hadn’t a-found out all that!” said the girl, impatiently. “And ain’t I a-bin takin’ lessons in deviltry from my brother long eno’ ter be smarter than that! Yer must be daffy ter think me such a graft!” | “Oh, come off, Liz! I was’only a kiddin’,” said the fellow, meekly. “You an’ Bess are smarter’n steel-traps, old gal. Ther ain’t none ter beat yer, but tell me just what yer knows about ther money.”’ | “Well, she got it this way,” said the wo- man, loftily. “She won a reword that was offered fer that there artist man’s wife who was missin’ fer so long. Youse remember her, Terry. Her.name was a high-soundin’ one—Leonie St. Clair—an’ ther reward was paid this girl in clean, cold cash. Ther was three on ‘em got it an’ it was fifteen t’ousand an’ she ain't spent a third o’ her’n.” “An’ youse think you can work her ?” ask- ed the man, delightedly. “Sure,” said the woman, with a toss of her head. youse got ter help me.” She leaned a little nearer to him and be- “I’ve got ther scheme, but 0’ course gan talking rapidly, and as she finished oun. lining her fiendish plan the man was chuck- ling with satisfaction. There ain’t But what did yer say ther young un’s name was? “Be dad, you’re a daisy, Liz! no flies on yer! I don’t want ter make no mistakes in my part o’ ther biz. I’m er most perticular man, I am, in these kind er transactions.” 4 “Her name is Marion Marlowe,” said the woman, distinctly. “She comes from Hick- orytown in Connecticut, an’ she’s as pretty as er peach. Ther joke o’ ther thing is she’s got er rich feller, an’ ‘twouldn‘t s’prise me much if that was ther reason why Bess Ross 1s takin’ such an interes’ in her!” “Bess “ud best look out,” said the man, “She engaged ter me. She'd best not |’? sourly. fool me “Oh, ther won't be no trouble in trappin’ ther littlé fool,” said his sister, quickly, in an effort to change the subject. “She'd break her neck ter get where ther was trouble, Bess says, an’ she’d give up her last cent ter try an’ relieve it.” Yet with such an admission as this on her To fier-2 generous nature was a thing to be despised— lips, the woman did not falter. a kind heart was merely something to be im- posed upon and broken. CHAPTER EH, THE DOCTOR'S PROPOSITION. The parlor of the Hotel Rosedale was par- ticularly well adapted for love scenes, and early one mild October evening two young people seated themselves in one of its inyit- ing alcoves, One of these young people was Dr. Regi- nald brookes, a young physician with a frank, honest face who was quite as good The other was Miss Marion Marlowe, a beautiful and honorable as he was handsome. country girl of seventeen, who was known among her friends as the bravest, noblest girl in creation. Miss Marlowe was living at the Rosedale under the chaperonage of her music-teacher, Madame Leopold, for she had a magnificent voice, and, as Liz O’Connell had said, she was having it trained for grand opera. Marion Marlowe had spent only one winter in the city, but her short stay had been fuli COMICHOOKS»sEO