Mysterious case; OR, TRACING A CRIME.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 222, 19 September 1893, Page 6

Mysterious case ; OR, TRACING A CRIME.

BY K. F. HILL.

Author of 'Tho Dumb Detective," Prince And Peasanb,' 'The Twin Detectives,' etc.

CHAPTER IX.

•IBENCHY JANE' AND 'MADAME ANGEIWB.,

When the ill-clad visitor loft the stately homo of General Forrest, she walked rapidly east.

Sho had placed tho roll of bills id her boaom bofore sho reached tho street, and no one would suspect for a moment that this dirty and hungry looking woman had such a largo sum of money in her poaeeesion. Sho walked on and on till eho gained the ill-smelling locality of Avenue C. Her quarters were situated not far from Ninth-strsot, and hor ' home,' if ib r.ould be called by than sacred name, wa3 in a rear building. She passed under a low archway, about which a crowd of vile-looking men were gathered. Oaths and filthy tobacco smoke polluted the air, and tho dark, slippory Btoneß of the alley woro dangerous to tho person who attemptod to walk upon them. The woman pushed through the villainous group and made her way to the roarhouse, paying no attention to tho remarks freely paesed upon her. 'She's high-toned, is Frencby,' said a filthy-looking rag-picker with one eye. ' Yoa, shea on her ear. Do you know, that or'nary old witch has once been a good-looking woman ?' ropliod a pug-nosed man, whose brawny muscles and bull-dog jaw indicated that ha might bo a member of the fisticuffclab. 'It must hnvo been a long; timo ago,' said another, with a laugh. 'Say, Fronchy Jano, won't you shout?' ecreamod a Bhrill-voiced, bony boy, whoso evil face made the boholdor pray he might navor live to grom up, for so sure as ho did ho would sink to still lower depths. 'Catcher a ehoutin',' mumbled an old, blear-eyed creature, who gloried in the name of ' Rummy Sam,' and who spsnt his existence going from one saloon to another with a tomato can, and tippling tho drega of tho lager-beor kegs, find tho height of whose ambition was to obtain suiiiciont of this deHctuble beverage to render him insensible. ' Frencby Jane' took no notice of these remarks. She waa thoroughly accustomed to thorn, and proceeded on her way till sho reached hor own room, whicb, being near tho top of tho house, was reached by many flights of dirty, rickety stairs. She unlockoct her door, and struck a match, then proceeded to illuminate her apartment by moans of a candle-end stuck in a bottle. Nothing could exceed the extromo squalour and wretchedness of the place. She seated herself on a broken chair and took out her money. She had carefully locked tho door en tho Inside when eho entored the room.

'Two hundred dollars,' sbo said. 'I raighb have asked for two thousand. She tannob refuse. I'd rather be near hor, though, to torment hor nighb and day with tho sighb of rr.y face. I'll have a better chance to lind him thab way, too. She can't get rid of him ; he'll come back. Sho says lio has none to Europo ; thab sho never saw him. Nevor mind. Ho'll come back, for ho love 3 her—loves her as well an I hate her !' The last word? woro uttered with tho hiss of a snake, and the woman's eyes fairly blazed with fury. ' She robbed me of all thab waa doar to mo. I'll be revenged upon her, if I die for ib !' Sho raised hor hand as she spoke, and tho ragged aleevo fell back. tin tho thin, bony arm, tattooed on tho the white, parchmout-liko skin, was a black snake. Ib coiled about her arm and was lepresontod in tho act of lifting its head to atrike.

The same mysterioua symbol ns> appeared en the arm of the dead body found in the VandenhofF House.

Thcjet-black snake. After a short pause, during which the woman seemed load in gloomy reflection, she put her money back in hor bosom caroiully. She well knew that she would never live to soe another sun riso if tho inmates of Miab house suspected sho was in possession of such a sum.

•Frenchy Jane' was no favourite with those people. Poor, ragged and wrotchod though she was, thoy still felt instinctively thab sho was bheir superior. If she over bad occasion to addrops thorn, Bho did so in French, and thoy imagined thab she spoko no English, and discussed various subjects before her, She never paid any attention to them, being too much engaged with her- own thoughts. A dull, morose croature, with apparontly no object in life. She rose from her seat, and threw a few chips in an old, battered, rusty stove, and set light to them. She then took from a cupboard a loaf of bread and a small tin cofieo-pot. Having made hor coffee she drank ib, and ate a small portion of the bread. By this timo her candle was burned low. She undrossed and extinguished it, aDd lay down.

Early the following morning Frenchy Jane roao and propared a miserable meal, aftor partaking of which she wrapped her cloak around her, put her dingy bonneb upon her head, and loft the house. She walked rapidly until she camo to tho Bowery. The shops were just open, and she bought a ready-mado black dross, and a small quantity of undorclothing. With her bundle under her arm, she next proceeded to a cheap millinery storo whero she purchased a plain black bonnet. Sho also visited a shoe shop and a drygoods store. She had now so many parcels that aha took a car and rode up Fourth Avenue as far as Twentieth-atruet, whore she got off. Walking caaba few doora she stopped before a respectable-rooking house, and, descending to tho basement, rang the boll. A stout woman in rusty mourning came wheezing to tho door. • Why, Jano, is that you ?' aho exclaimed in tones of surprise, not unminglod with a certain amount of satisfaction. • Ycb, Mr3 Mailler, it is I.' •And you have any amount of bundles. Is it) shopping you've been V The question was asked with a sort of good-natured sarcasm, and tho ruddy and still handsome face of tho speaker wore an amused emilo. Sho was an Irishwoman and spoke with considerable brogue. ' Yes ; you will remember hearing mo speak of a son I came to New York to look for?' 'Sure an' I do. Come in.' The two women passed into a comfortable, warm kitchen, where a smell of hot coffee, and hams and eggs saluted the nostrils pleasantly. 'Well, I have found him, and I have come to pay you what) I o-.ve.' 1 Arrab! Jano, it's yourself that was always the lady, if ye was poor.' 'Yes, and I want to make myself look a little decent, till I can do soma shopping, for I could only go in cheap stores as i am now. 'Sure that's true for ye, poor creature.1 So I will pay yon for the use of your I

back room and my meals to-day. I wish to take a warm bath and dresa myself and bhen I'll go and buy a trunk and all the things I want, and go to the hotel where my eon boards, looking fit to be ecen. ' I will be glad to have you, Jane, and 1 wish you joy on rinding your son. Sure a mother's heart i 3 in her bye, especially when she has seen hard times, as yo have. Sib up to the table and ate. I was jusb going to me breakfast.' ' Firsb leb me pay whab 1 owe. Sevon dollars, is ib nob V ' Yes, Jane, seven dollars, neither better nor worse.' ' Well, hero they aro, and I uupposo two dollars will be enough for what I need today.' 1 Amply, Jano, and yell have to tell me whab I'll have to gob for your dinner and

bay.' 'Oh! anything. I know whab a good cook you are.1 'Thank ye kiadly. Sure it's rneself's glad of your good luck.' Mrß Mailier had seen what a well stuffed wallob her visitor carried, bhough to do her justice sho was a good-hearted woman in the main.

Jane ato her breakfast and retired to hor room. After taking a warm bath she dressed herself and emerged, looking very neat and lady-liko, though tbo ready-made Bowery dress was nob stylish or fashionable, neibhor was the plain black bonnet calculated to seb off to much advantage any humans countenance. • WolC Jane, if you ain't a rale lady now !' exciaimed her hostess, admiringly. Her visitor smiled derisively, as she drew on her choap gloves, and wrapped a large grey, woollen shawl aboub her aboulders. '1 nm rospecbable, and they won't think I have come to steal,' she aaid bitterly. 'No, indado; the lady is written on your face, always was.' ' I will eend a trunk hero. Please make tbo man pub ib in the room, and tako any parcels in thab como for mo.' With theso parting words Jane walked oO', once more decently clothed, a rospecbable rnombor of society. She visited Henrn'p, and Lord and Taylor's, and several other stores, and also bought a large zinc trunk. Aboub two o'clock she returned to Mrs Maillor's residence, and received a warm welcome from that lady, whoso esteem for her guesb grow and intensified with every parcol thab arrived. After dinner Jane untied her bundles, and packed her trunk. She had purchased an abundant supply of under-linen, and a handsome black dross, a hoavy cloth cloak, and a pretty, becoming bonnet of black plush. Plenty of plain linen collars and white iiprons completed the outfit, with some little articles, gloves, ties, and an umbrella. Sho had bought nothing gay or flash, bub merely the wardrobe of a respoctablo, middle-agod maid. After aupper Jane's trunk loft. Sho had engaged aa express, and took good care that her landlady neither saw nor hoard tho addrens she gave. Jane woro her rich dross and cloak, also the pretty plush bonneb and a thin laco veil, with nice kid gloves, fitting hor handa properly, and as Mrs Mailier enthusiastically declarod was 'quite tho lady. You'd notice her anywhere.' Mrs Forresb had prepared hor husband for the udvenb of hor now maid, and discharged Clotilde, tho former incumbent, without a moment's warning, greatly to the disgust of that young lady, who packed her trunks to a running firo of remarks on ' beggars on horseback,' couched in autonishingly good English for a nativo Parisian from Albany. Angeline arrived, and was sent to her room, a much more comfortable ono than thab of her predecossor.

Mrs Forresb had also given orders thab hor new attendant muab be addressad as .Madame Angelino.

' She is a very superior person who has met with revorses, and is a lady,' eho said to her husband in explanation.

A bright fire burned in the open grata of Madame Angelino's room, tho rich crimson curbain3 closed oub the darkness, and tho protty furniture, bright carpet, pictures, and neatly appointed dressing-tablo made tho room seem like heaven bo bhe woary woman. A nice large rocking-chair stood noar the firo, and above it hung well-fillod book-sholves. Madame glancod ab their contents; they wore tbo works of the French poets and novelists of tho clay. On the table, with its protty crimson cover, stood n white Parian vnso, full of hot-house flowors ; beside ib a handsomo drop-light, with Argand burner. Ivladamo inhaled tho fragrance of tho flowors, and hor face softened for a moment.

'I could almost forgive,' she said, glancing ab tho tempting white bed, with it? pretty embroidered pillow-eham3, at bho toilet-table, with its pretty bottles of perfume and plush glove-box, with a case of ivory brushes and combs to match. ' I could almost forgive—but no, ib is not love thab prompts this, bub fear. Sho would poison me if she dared !' And sho throw the flowors on the blazing coals and watched thorn perish. 'Ib is war to tho knife botween us, in spito of all the comforts you can bostow.' A knock ab the door attracted her attention. Jasper stood before her. 1 Mr? Forreßb says if madam is restod sho would like to see her in her dressingroom.' 1 Certainly; lead tho way, I'll follow you.' So Madame Angeline entered on her new home. [To be continued.)