" with," , " living lie, gilded crime-made sham, every bit of me not an honest piece anywhere all lie liar and thief before men The property which I possess mine, but stolen from dead man The very name which I bear my own, but bastard child of crime more than all that-- murderer; murderer law; murderer before God; and worse than murderer pure woman whom I love more than anything that God could make "

He paused for moment and wiped the perspiration face

"Sir," said Mason, " all drivel, infantile drivel What is of no importance How out problem, how out "

Samuel Walcott leaned forward, poured out glass of brandy and swallowed it

"Well," , speaking slowly, "my right name is Richard Warren spring of 1879 to New York and fell in real Samuel Walcott, young man with little money and some property which his grandfather had left him We became friends, and concluded far west together Accordingly we scraped together what money lay our hands on, and landed gold-mining regions of California We were young and inexperienced, money went rapidly One April morning we drifted into little shack camp, away up Sierra Nevadas, called Hell's Elbow Here we struggled and starved for perhaps year Finally, in utter desperation, Walcott married the daughter of Mexican gambler, who ran an eating house and poker joint we lived from hand to mouth in wild God-forsaken way for several years After time the woman began strange fancy Walcott finally noticed it, and grew jealous

"One night, in drunken brawl, we quarreled, and I killed him late at night, and, beside the woman, there were four of us poker room,--the Mexican gambler, half-breed devil called Cherubim Pete, Walcott, and myself When Walcott fell, the half- breed whipped out his weapon, and fired at me across the table; but the woman, Nina San Croix, struck his arm, and, instead of killing me, as he intended, the bullet mortally wounded her father, the Mexican gambler I shot the half-breed forehead, and turned round, expecting the woman to attack me contrary, she pointed window, and bade me wait for her cross trail below

" fully three hours later woman joined me place indicated She had bag of gold dust, few jewels that belonged to her father, and package of papers I asked her why she had stayed behind , and she replied men killed outright, she had brought priest and waited until they had died the truth, but not all the truth Moved by superstition or foresight, the woman had induced the priest down the sworn statements two dying men, seal it, and give it to her This paper she brought with her All this I learned afterwards nothing damning evidence

"We struck out together Pacific coast The country was lawless The privations we endured were almost past belief At times the woman exhibited cunning and ability that were almost genius; and through it all, often very fingers of death, her devotion never wavered doglike, and seemed her only object on earth When we reached San Francisco, the woman put these papers into my hands " Walcott took up the yellow package, and pushed it across the table to Mason

"She proposed that I assume Walcott's name, we come boldly to New York and claim the property I examined the papers, found copy will Walcott inherited the property, bundle of correspondence, and sufficient documentary evidence to establish his identity beyond the shadow of doubt Desperate gambler as I now was, I quailed daring plan of Nina San Croix I urged that I, Richard Warren, known, attempted fraud detected and would result in investigation, and perhaps unearth the whole horrible matter

"The woman pointed out I resembled Walcott, what vast changes ten years life had led would naturally be expected in men, how utterly impossible it to trace back the fraud to Walcott's murder at Hell's Elbow, wild passes Sierra Nevadas She bade me remember that we were both outcasts, both crime-branded, both enemies of man's law and God's; that we had nothing to lose; we were both sunk bottom Then she laughed, and said that she found me coward until now, but that if I had turned chicken-hearted, that end of it, The result was, we sold the gold dust and jewels in San Francisco, took evidences of civilization as possible, and purchased passage to New York best steamer find

" growing to depend bold gambler spirit woman, Nina San Croix; the need of her strong, profligate nature She was of queer breed and queerer school Her mother daughter of Spanish engineer, and stolen Mexican, her father She herself raised and educated as best in monasteries along the Rio Grande, and had there grown to womanhood before her father, fleeing mountains of California, carried her

"When we landed in New York I offered to announce her as my wife, but she refused, saying that her presence would excite comment and perhaps attract the attention of Walcott's relatives We therefore arranged that go alone city, claim the property, and announce myself as Samuel Walcott, she should remain under cover until such time as feel the ground safe under us

"Every detail plan was fatally successful I established my identity without difficulty and secured the property It had increased vastly in value, and I, as Samuel Walcott, soon found myself rich man I went to Nina San Croix in hiding and gave her large sum of money, she purchased residence in retired part city, far up northern suburb Here she lived secluded and unknown while I remained city, living here as wealthy bachelor

" attempt to abandon the woman, but went to her in disguise and under cover greatest secrecy For time everything ran smooth, the woman was still devoted above everything else, and thought always welfare first and seemed content to wait as best My business expanded sought after and consulted and drawn higher life of New York, and more and more felt woman was an albatross on my neck I put her off with one excuse after another Finally she began to suspect me and demanded that recognize her as my wife I attempted to point out the difficulties She met them all by saying that both go to Spain, there marry her and return to America and drop into my place in society without causing more than passing comment

"I concluded to meet the matter squarely once for all that convert half property into money and give it to her, but that marry her She fly into storming rage as I had expected, but went quietly room and presently returned with two papers, which she read One certificate of her marriage to Walcott duly authenticated; the other dying statement of her father, the Mexican gambler, and of Samuel Walcott, charging me with murder in proper form and certified Jesuit priest

"'Now,' she said, sweetly, when she had finished, 'which prefer, to recognize your wife, or all the property over to Samuel Walcott's widow and hang murder ? '

" dumfounded and horrified the trap that in and I consented anything she should say if only destroy the papers This she refused I pleaded with her and implored her to destroy them Finally she gave them with great show of returning confidence, and I tore them into bits and threw them fire

"That was three We arranged to Spain and do as she said She was to sail and I never intended I congratulated myself fact that all trace of evidence against me was destroyed her grip was now broken My plan was to induce her to sail, believing that follow When she was gone marry Miss St Clair, and if Nina San Croix should return defy her and lock her up as lunatic But reckoning like an infernal ass, to imagine for moment that thus hoodwink such woman as Nina San Croix

"To-night I received this " Walcott took the envelope pocket and gave it to Mason "You saw the effect of it; read it and understand why the death hand when her writing envelope "

Mason took the paper envelope written in Spanish, and ran:

"Greeting to RICHARD WARREN