A Man and His Money

r if anything had really happened. For might not what seemed a deep and dire mystery turn out to be nothing so very mysterious afte

Miss Dalrymple's whereabouts; she seemed to have disappeared as completely as if she had

rk city-the girl had failed to appear on the private car at the appointed time, and the train had pulled out, leaving her behind. At the first important stop a telegram had been handed to a gentleman of the party from Miss Dalrymple; it ex

matter until at Denver, after a telegram had been forwarded to the Van Rolsen house, in New York, asking just whe

ate car was attached; neither had been heard from since. The aunt had, of course, presumed her niece had gone as planned; she had received no word from her, but supposing she was

iscover any evidence that the young girl had taken a subsequent train. There was no record of her name at any ticket office; no state-room had be

e, after all, was everything to her. The Van Rolsen millions were ultimately for her, and the old la

pletely disappear nowadays? It seemed impossible, she asserted, sitting behind closed doors i

lack Hand"-Who could say what secret influences had been at work in this case? It was a very important one; Miss Dalrymple had money of her o

the outrage; or she might even receive a few written words from the girl herself. After that it was a question of negotiating, or, while professing to deal with the perpetrators, to ferret them out if one could. The latter course was danger

r leading into the hall and closed by Miss Van Rolsen, moved suddenly, but neither the agent nor Miss Van Rolsen,

d upon a lucky combination of circumstances; for two or three days, while Miss Dalrymple was supposed to be speeding across the continent, they, unsuspected and unmolested, would be afforded every

t the doorway

ants," said the police agent. "I shou

re, for the most par

he phrase. "We will deal first with t

oyed that I have not been at all p

person I met going out of the are

red affir

e not been pleased with him, and, in brief,

ut the visitor did not interrupt her. Instead, he studied carefully her face, pinched and worn; the angular figure, slightly bent; the fingers, nervously clasping and unclasping as she spoke. He watched her through h

way from the house at once," observed Miss Van Rolsen, "without av

his chair; an ironical l

Rolsen, "you attach no s

it. Has it not occurred to you there was a li

dulity. "You must be wrong. Why, the young woman would

ed satirically. "I am afraid two hundred thousand dollars wo

to look over her references-one was from a lady I

f with your niece, to make herself useful. As a mistress of languages she was useful, in fact more so than any ordinary maid. Where did she come from? Find out whom she represents, and-we'll have the key to the mystery. But she, too, has disapp

ke somewhat incoherently-"should these people have been led to settle on m

rry." The old lady stiffened. "Pardon my mentioning it, but Miss Dal

peculation. He is of noble family, very wealthy, no fortune-hunter; which has made it all the more distressing for him and us." She seemed about to say something further; then her l

press and newspaper notoriety, when in their hearts, perhaps, they were not so displeased to be in that terrible lime-light; especially when the person associated with t

te. "I am positive you know eve

dicated a sudden resolution-"there is o

ich

his fellow,

st? W

to be lost. Already-" He

it?" sh

the curtain; it

tening," exclaimed Mis

he spoke he threw back the curtai

one of my old servants-

house and the area way below," he said rapidly. "

N

e room to the front

both ways along the avenue and then letting h

k he will

d ask two or three of my men to step over at once? Not that I doubt my own ability to cope with the case"-

ow

my theory. We shall get at the truth through him. We're

ed. And started back to do so wh

, ma'am!" It

Miss Van Rolse

m, this Mr. Heatherbloom ha

has he be

ver the fence into our neighb

something that sounded like an imprecation he sprang