Who's Who?

f COPYKlOHfj I8f 6V TE ArfTHOB (Gontiinied.) CHAPTER VI. A LETTER. Again my horse Jack showed his devilish temper. Urge him as I naight, ho ■wtrald not place me besido the heads of the running horses. Whcn at their haunches, he began falling baok. But I saw that one of the gallant policemen, who have done yeornan service so many times in similar cases of peril, was on the other side of the frenzied animáis, had seized the bit of the horse nearest him and was fighiihg like a tiger with the furious beast. But my interest centered in the middle aged woroan, who was not only struggling to leap from the sicie door of the carriage but in the act of doing so. "Save her, oh, Harold, save her, or she will be killed!" called the daughter in agony, still clinging with desperate but waning strength to the loved form. I was directly beside the woman and, extending my lef t hand, gave her ashove so violent that she feil backward into the lap of the daughter, who flung her arms about her mother and held her motionless. But in the act of leaning ovor to make my push effective the infernal Jack made a quick shy to the right. That brute knew that it was not his master who was in the saddle and resented it. As he swerved the girth snapped, and out I went upon the gravel with a forcé that it would seem onght to have drivea the breath of life from my body. And it came mighty near doing so. There was a shock as if I had been struck by an express train, and all became darkness and oblivion. It was some two hours later that my senses carne back to me. I was lying on a cot in the hospital, with my hcad bandaged and a floree pain flitting back and forth down my left side. The physician who had examined my hurts was gone, but one of the sweet faced nurses was seated in a chair, looking kindiy into nay face. Meeting my inquiring stare, she said in her low, soft voice: ' 'You had a severe f all." ' ' Yes. It is a wonder I was not killed. Do you know whether I have any bones broken?" "The doctor said not. You are suffering from severe bruises and the shock." I moved my limbs. The sharp twinge made me wince. "I wonld not do that," gently remonstrated my attendant. "It cmly adds to your suffering and can do no güod. " "Teil me how the people in "the oarriage fared. They were in great darger at the time I was flung f rom my horse. " "The policeman mauaged to stop the carriage before anything serious occurred. The coachman had both legs broken and is in a dangerous condition, but neither the daughter nor her mother suffered in jury. " "Thauk God for that!" was my fervent exclamation as I settled back on my pillow. My attendant gave me a soothing lotion, and I soon sank into a refreshiug slumber, which lasted until the following morning. By that time I was astonished at my own condition. The physician made another examiuation and pronounced me Iree from serious injury. "I was af raid of a fracture of your left leg, but I find it all right. You have been pretty well bruised and will be stiff and sore for several days, but there is nothing beyond that. By the way, are you the possessor of a a-emarkable degree of strength?" I flushed, but answered: "Yes; I am said to, be unusually strong. Why do you ask?" "Yoar muscles are not abnormally large, but there is something very peculiar abont them. They are literally as hard as iron. I never saw anything like it." "I have devoted no more of my life to exercise thau do many young men, but nature gave me great muscular power f rom the first." ' 'I heard, JMr. Westcott, that at your club last week you nearly killed a professioual pugilist, knocking him off the stage and half way across the room. " "Yes, that was cleverly done, though it is I who say it, but there's a good deal of humbug about these professioual pugilists. They acquire a certain degree of skill, and their reputation is their oapital. They indulge in excesses and dissipation and go back as fast as they went forward. This fellow thought he had au easy thiug in me and was careless. He gave an opening, and I took iidvantage of it. That's all there was to it." "Nevertheless it was a raarvelous performance. I should hate to run agaiust yonr fist, Mr. Westcott" "There is no danger of that, "Iremarked, with a laugh, turning in bed with so little inconvenience that I immediately sat upright. ' ' But did you tend the ladies who were in the carriage?' ' "No, I am not their physician, bnt I nnderstand they were not injnred, though the eider would have leaped to certaia death had yon not thrnst her back when she was in the act of doing 80. The ladies" - The medical man paused, and I tmderstood why. He did not know their names and haltedfor me to prompt him. But I was silent, for I was as ignorant Ias he. "There was unexpected good f ortnne jj tmA. exceütiiu? in thej?gie__of the onver, vno seems to Iiave "Deen prcrrr well battered np. " "Whon can I go home, doctor?" "At once if you wish, bnt why not rcuxaii) here for a few days? Yon could not bc in better hands." "I will think it over." A fev.' minutes later he bade me good uay. I !ay for some minutes in thought. Who were the ladies in the carriage? Evidently they were old acqnaintances of Harold, for the younger addressed me by his name. The circunistances were not favorable, and I did not get a good view of her face, though I saw enough to show tliat she had an unusnally attrnctive peisonality. "It is odd that Harold told me nothing nbout her, bnt he gave little information of his female friends. The most particulars which I received were concerning Mrs. Murphy. " It waa all important that I should know sómething about the two whom I had atfcempted to rescue, with the result that the job was complcted by the policeman. "It will be easy enough," I reflected as I began adjusting mj garments, which the attendant, with some geutle prctcstations, placed within reach. A few minutes later I went out from the hospital. I would not use a carriage, for that, would have been a confession of wealcness, and for the same reason I refused to accept the cane that was offered to me. It took some resolution aud compression of the lips for me to -.valk with my usual gait and without the appearance of suffering, but I eucceeded, and it was a good thing for me, for the exercise did wonders in limbering the muscles, so that when I reachcd my apartments scarce a trace of my hurts remained. It was to be expected that before Harold lef t the country he arranged matters so aa to prevent any letters falling into 137 hands whose secrets he wished to keep. I know that he sent out many missives which presumably were for that mirpose, for it was understood that wliatever missives reached his rooms were to be opened by me, and I was to do with them as I saw fit. When I passed into the attractive apartnïents, I fonnd two letters which had come during my brief absence. The ■writiug, of course, was unfamiliar, buta glauce showed that one was from a uroman aud the other from a man. "That," I niused, holding off the delicate white envelope, with its pretty superscription, "is from the young lady whom I tried to help yesterday. Sometbiiig tells me that it is the oppning of an era in my life. I will leave it to the ast, and meanwhile find out what this iellow is driving at." It was an ordinary envelope, the direction in an ordinary business hand, and I sat down, with my elbow leauing on the table and my si de toward the light, crossed my legs (somewhat ?erly) and deliberately read the following astoundiiig missive, which was dated two days before in the city of Chicago: Deah Jed- All promises well, but matters are still in a delicate sitnation. Sorae oí the farmers have settled in Kansas and wil] reap good crope if the grasshoppers don 't bother thom. The same ia true of the Dakotas, of Texas and the Southwest. Maybe the good work wHl extend to California. We're snre to win iu the long run, bnt it's- expensive. Only trup stuff can le used at this stage of the gam. Send ten thousand by return mail to my address at the Auditorium. Bddd. I read this extraordinary missive through severa! times, un til every word ■was irupressed tipon my memory. I tnrned the sheet over and looked at the Other side. Kot another word was writteii, nor was there the slightesi clew to the identityof "Bndd" of the Auditorium hotel, at Chicago. I held the velope tip to the light, but nothmg was there to enlighten me. The direction was to Mr. H. O. Westcott, so there could be no doubt that it ■was intended for the owner of these rooms, who was then npon the ocean, acd that it was in accordauce with our understaiiding that the letter was opened by me and was to be disposed of by no other person. But what in the name of the seven wrmclers could it mean? Except for the closing sentences, I would have been xuiable to raate even a conjecture. The "true stuff" could signify nothing else but good money, for it was followed Immediately by a demand for the remittance of a large sum. iUHJltlliig all LJUiS, muil vviio uiAquestionable, the ref ereuces in the opening of the missive must be to bad money. The "farmers" -vere the counterfeits that were being sent into different parts of the ■west, and consequently the "grasshoppers" must be the detectives or officers that were sure to be hot on the trail of the "shovers of the queer. " Snch was the interpretation I pnt opon this remarkable document which had come into my hand, and the more I thought of the nmttor the more certaiu did Ifeel that Iwas righr, though never forgetful of the pos.-:ibüity that I might be vrholly wrong from tbe beginning. Often after a tbeory is once formed all rabsequent discoveries seem to fit it exactly, until the final discovery knocks overything to smithereens. Here, as I viewed it, was a clear indication of some illegitimate scheme afoot in which Harold Westcott held a personal interest. No criminal would daré make so direct a demand npon him for mouey nnless he had solid foundation upon which to base the demand. Harold was one of the principáis. All of which confirmed a shadowy oiaion that h u.evea' .been wholly absent f rom me - namCTy, that Oie man had cogent reasous for wishing to "disappear" for a year other than the one he gave me. Surely a person who has an abundance of mouey and who leads an upright life has rjo cause to fear a residence in New York. My reflections awoke a resentful feeling toward Harold Westcott. His condvict was cowardly in thus enticing another iuto a trap in order to avoid the penalty he himself had incurred. Snppose worse came to worse and I feil into the hands of the law officers. I conld not deny my identity. The only possible doubt of that was in the mind of the vioious brute Jack, and his testimniiv wonld hardlv avail me. Oould it be that I -was in error, and fbat the schenae was a lawful one? The best wayout was to ascertain the truth. Iread this extraordinary missive through several times. I would write to "Budd," telling him that before complyitig with his request I must have more particulars. I pondered for a few minutes, and then wrote such a telegram. The only way to addresa it was to "Budd, Auditorium Hotel, Chicago. " It was so addressed and asked him togivemore particulars. With some hesitation, I appended the following: "Have met with an accident; brain hardly clear; instruct me how to addrcss you. " The message was gone, and, reflecting but a moment upon it, I awoke to the fact that a secoud letter lay before me awaiting attention. "Ah, now we shall see what the grateful young lady has to sayl" (Continued next week).