Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1910 — The Quest of Betty Lancey [ARTICLE]

The Quest of Betty Lancey

By MAGDA. F.WEST

chapter lit ::: i They held - the Inquest that same Afternoon, and In tne room ■where Cerlsae Wayne’s body had been found. Dr. McGann, the coroner, could find no trace of violence on the young and perfect body. N "She died of heart? failure," he ramarked, very simply. “Probably the animal who, caused the police such fright and trouble gained access to the foom, and the sight and shock were too much for her patently fragile constitution to - withstand. Remember, that this apparition has brought on Mrs. Desterle a stroke of paralysis, and may result in the permanent derangement of her mind. I have wired Doubleday, Franz & Co., in San Francisco," he continued. "Their reply Jpst received is thart they know but little about Cerisse Wayne. They declare that they knew her as Mrs. Wayne. Also that ' for five years past $2,000 a month has been deposited to her credit with them. Parke & Gray, solicitors, of London, England, have handled the drafts sent to the San Francisco bankers. Mrs. Wayne drew on amount so freely that at times her balance was practically nothing, and frequently her account showed a small overdraft For the'past several' months, however, her demands on the account have been very slight. Last month $4,000 was •ent for her credit, and her present balance is approximately $6,000. Besides this they haye a casket, said to contain almost priceless Jewels, that belong to her. A copy of a photograph of Mrs. Wayne, which-they have in their possession, has been forwarded, and Henry Franz, one of the Junior members of the firm, is coming East to view the body. They report they have cared for her mail for some time past, and during this time she has had it forwarded to nearly every imaginable point, both in this country In her handbag there was nearly $l5O and nothing to indicate that she had beerwnentally depressed or was in poor health. Qver-indulgence in cigarettes may have unduly excited her mind. It Is patent that she read and smoked till «he grew drowsy and then lightly tossed her book aside. Possibly she wakened from some quiet dream to behold thar creature in the room, and died of fright. There was one second «f Intense horror ancLall was over” "How -did that—that—that—get in doctor?” interrupted the still disheveled Doherty. "Don’t you know that there’s no place on the front of this, nor any other bulldln’ in the block where a cat could crawl up fo* a footin’? Ain’t they all smooth sandstone, worn as slick as me last year’s coat. And wasn’t both of the windows thebe closed and locked In the bargain, and no chimney in the room? Maybe the creature killed the pritty little girl after It got in alright, but how did it get in? Here’s another thing. Will ye look at that bed? Now there’s been two people sleeping in that bed, sir, one of them far heavier and bigger than the poor little girl you’ve Just been lnquesting over. And here, now, is a cigarette stub that’s different from the others stronger; can’t you see?” The policeman held out the stub in question, and it was passed wonderlngly from hand to hand, and later marked exhibit “A.” ! "Entrance might have been effected from the hall,” said the Coroner with A puzzled frown. . f "So? Wasn't the door bolted from the inside? Can’t you see where it was broke to get in?” retorted Doherty. "Ah, someone was inside and rushed out when Mrs. Desterle opened the door,” muttered Larry Morris of the "Times.” S’ Everybody in the room directed his Attention to the corner where the newspaper folk were sitting. There were eight or ten men in the little group and one woman, a fair, calmeyed girl, Betty Lancey of the "Inquirer.” Betty was barely 23, one of those tall, athletic, wholesome girls who demand classification in the mental menu as well-cooked oatmeal with rich cream, country honey, baked apples or new milk. Larry Morris was very much in love with Betty, but he didn’t know it and neither did ■he. Pierre Desterle denied Larry Morris’ suggestion. His wife Annie Desterle could not come as a witness to corroborate his statement Raving and shrieking they had carried her off to the hospital hours before. Pierre, 'for hts wife, and himself, told all he knew of their unfortunate boarder. "She came Monday night,” quavered the little black-skinned fellow. "She was all dressed In green. She had the prettiest eyes you ever saw, they were Just like those of a hurt baby. So many violets were pinned on her breast you’d have thought ’twopld have wearied her to carry them. She brought no trunka only the green bag there. Said she wanted room and bdfcrd for two weeks and would pay well for them. Annlo took her because of what she paid, and because she was so pretty. She slept late mornings and Annie was going to make her move to-morrow because she slept so late it made breakfast drag along till noon. The women in the house didn’t like Miss Wayne They ■aid she painted her face and smoked cigarettes. The men made soft eyes at her and the woman get jealous. Annie said she had awful line things In her valise, and lots of Jewelry#* Annie came up stairs to wake her. for it was lunch time, and then it all happened. There couldn’t anybody have

rushed down the staiEKr I was in the hail when Annie fell, and Doherty was with me, and he came right up here after We’d carried Annie to her room. That was.the only time the hall was alone.” * “How long did that take you, Doherty?” asked Johnny Johnson of the newspaper coterie. He was thinking that the Coronepwas a shade too judicial and prosy about the inquiry. “Some six minutes or so,” slowly answered Doherty. "Mrs. Desterle’s a weight to carry; she’s pretty fat, you, know, lately. Her too, it’s clear back on the second flooi\ They read the betters aloud. The' enterprising newspaper boys had already had them photographed so that their papers might reproduce them. The longer of the two was undated, the other bore date of eight months previous, in mid-August and ran: • "Cerisse Dear—Heart of mine, I have so-longed for a letter. Do you still refuse to remember? Will you riot forgive or must. I die without word or sign feom you? Forgive me, Cerisse, dear, forgive me.” The other, couched more foripally, though in the same writing, read: "Cerisse —So the wander-lust still pervades your heart? Can you calm your restless mind and soul and body sufficiently long to realize that home, husband, children and the development of womanhood’s Ideals is the tithe life exacts from each of your ae^? “You must'pay now, Cerisse, or pay at the end. If you defer payment of your indebtedness to the scheme of all creation till the end you will find the interest hard to handle. I shall appeal no more. Entreaties do not move you. Neither do threats and commands are naught to you. But let me impress Ofie thing upon you. If you do not return to me before the first Of the coming year, I will kill you. Do you understand what I mean when I write this? I have never seemed able to make yon comprehend anything I have ever written or said. You won’t understand this, you won’t realize that you Vill be dead, murdered, before the blossbms weight the orchards if you still persist in absenting yourself from H.” “Seems to me that ’H,’ whoever ‘H’ is, must have been intoxicated, deranged or doped on his correspondence course,” whispered Larry Morris to Betty Lancey. "Oh, don’t Joke,” replied Betty. “How can you at such time? Such a beautiful woman as she was, too. I’d have loved to have seen ]ser *® she must have been when she was alive.” “Death from causes unknown. Probably heart failure superinduced by fright,” came the Coroner’s verdict This ultimatum disposed of the body, which was burled next day. But It didn’t of the Monster. That was in a cage In the municipal zoological gardens, snarling, whining and making the hours hideous. And It didn’t dispose of the story. That went flashing around the world on the wires, while newspapers the country over seized the scent to track the “greatest crime mystery of the age.” CHAPTTER TV. . - Early next morning Larry Morris sat in Le Roy’s case, an all night restaurant and rendezvous of t]ie newspaper men, Industriously disposing of a roast beef sandwich. , Larry’s forehead was twisted Into half a dozen corrugations. He was hoping none of the boys would come in till he had got this Wayne story little clearer in his head. Larry and two photographers had made three trips out to the Park to see the awful Thing which some apt reporter had christened the Man-aperilla. . * j • One by one the boys came trooping in. And the Wayne murder was the topic of the night * ’Til tell you what it is, boys,” said Hank Smith. “That Man-AperlUa is half-human and I know it. When those white and black eyes were turner upon me I felt my soul crawl out from under me, and I was left there hanging In space. Tell you what it is, there’s a story there.” “Cut It. Hank, cut It,” called little red-headed John ; Johnston, the best police report#? In town. “Here, Mamie,” to the waitress, ’’bring Hank some eatings so the rest of us can take • rubber mt the conversational game. Wasn't that girl a stunner, though? And did you notice, too, what a dead match that her hair was for the color of ihe pelt on the beast?” Now every man at the table had noted Just that point It was so obvious a point that It was startling. Each had been loath to launch-an opinion on It But Johnny had- a tray with him of pumping all you knew by bold plays. Each man took counsel with himself wondering what Johnny would do next For ten years theee boys and Johnny had met every Monday night, and the crowd bad-learned when to ghre hlfri rope. But Just now Johnny and hta bowl of rice and milk relapsed Into silence while his companions ranged far In wild theories of who “H” waa, what part he had in the life and death of Ceriaae Wayne, whether ahe was wife, widow, murdered pr simply another victim of the suicide list By and by Johnny dug down Into one of the ever bulging pockets of hla always baggy trousers. The by-word waa that Johnny, always looked ao much like a burglar that he never bad any trouble gaining the confidence of

th* rather reticent people of that pi*, session. • “Hunting for a quarter, Johnny, or a toothpick?” questioned Larry Morris. “Here, look at this,” answered Johnny. * Into their midst he twilled the something he had drawn from his pocket It was a man's garter of lavender silk elastic, the buckle hand wrought from rose gold, set round with amethysts and on the face the initial “H,” worked out in emeralds and amethysts of excessive smallness but exceedingly great brilliancy.*•*. \ . “Where did you get that?” dame the chorus. “Well,” said Johnny, “listen. I picked this up In the Desterle house about an hour ago. Saw, everybody about that house has got stage fright They are all moving out An earthquake couldn’t move them quicker than they are going. The death watch has got its grip on the whole thirty-flve boarders. More than halfjof them are speed-. ing away to spend the night with hand-baggage only. Great show, too, to watch them hustle out I’m /going to sheep up there to-night- I picked this garter up In the closet where it had rolled down behind a little shelf. Now women, you know, don't wear - garters like this.”' “Might,” bellowed Hank Smith. •“Saw a telegraph story the other day that they had taken to wearing half hose in New York.” ‘ “But here’s the question," continued Johnny, “no man in the house knew Mrs. Wayne nor anything about her. Why, the only decent word any one of those curious passed about her was that no one had come to see her since she arrived, and that she had appeared embarrassed when her fellow boarders of the sex masculine attempted to pay her any attention.” ‘Til just wager that she was some poor, sweet little girl who had married some old fool for his money,” interposed Philip Hartley, whose sympathetic heart beat for all -the mistreated women in the world. “She’s found him unbearable, and refused to live with him, and he’s Just hounded her to death. That have stood for ‘Hubby,” in the letter that had the threat to kill her. I believe she’s been taking slow poison, and came here where she wasn't known to snuff It off quietly.” "How about the Man-Aperiila?” flouted Larry Morris. “Proceed, Jules Verne 11. Why- don't you go farther, and have it a trained ape sent carrier pigeon, bloodhound-fn shinn by the ogre-husband, to choke her to death?” "Because she wasn’t choked," contended Hartley. “Heavens, what a woman she must have been.” ** “Oh, to kill from Jealousy,” added Hank Smith. “Why, hallo; here’s Betty Lancey at this hour of the morning. Betty, don’t you ever get- through work? And you’re all out of breath. What’s wrong. 'Mamie, get her some 15*£r What is the matter, Betty?’ Betty, white as print paper, sunk on a chair.* Her big blue eyes were opened “Boys,” she said. “Come with come quick, don’t say a word, but tell me, am I crazed of dreaming; has it really happened or am I h&v----lons? Oh, no! don’t stop to finish eating; come quick or It will be too late. I am afraid to stop alone in that awful room* You know I missed my train home and stopped at the hotel tonight, and, oh, it startled me- so.” “What’s up t anyhow?” asked Johnny. “Tell the rest of them, Betty. I’m going up to get chummy with the. mystery, Bleeping all night in the Desterle house. , Maybe Til have a visitation, seeing as how my own head is some reddish. ’Tisn’t like you to have stage fright, Betty.’’ “I haven’t got it.” she snapped. "But Just as I started to get into bed a*nd went over to raise the shade, I looked across the court of the other rooms of the hotel. And in there what do you think I saw?” Womanlike Betty paused to give her audience a thrill. “Oh, nonsense; out with it,” commanded the boys. "Cerisse Wayne, her ghost or her double, and the handsomest man I ever saw!” i (To be continued.)