time that letter was returned by the
post-office department with the notation that the location of the
addressee was unknown. The pawnbroker then wrote to the man whose name
appeared on the tailor's tag in the overcoat, and promptly received a
reply. Yes, an overcoat had been stolen from his automobile on a
certain date. He described the overcoat and stated that the marriage
license of a friend of his might be found in the breast pocket,
provided the thief had not removed it. If the license was there he
would thank the pawnbroker to forward it to him. He enclosed a check
to redeem the overcoat and pay the cost of forwarding it to him by
parcel post, insured. The pawnbroker had that check photographed
before cashing it and he forwarded the overcoat but retained the
marriage license, for he was more than ever convinced that things were
not as they should have been.

"His next move was to write Miss Nan Brent, at Port Agnew, Washington,
informing her of the circumstances and advising her that he had her
marriage certificate. This letter reached Port Agnew at the time Nan
was living in San Francisco, and her father received it. He merely
scratched out Port Agnew, Washington, and substituted for that
address: 'Care of---- using Nan's married name, Altamont Apartments,
San Francisco.'

"By the time that letter reached San Francisco Nan had left that
address, but since she planned a brief absence only, she left no
forwarding address for her mail. That was the time she came north to
visit her father and in Seattle she discovered that her supposed
husband was already married. I have told you, father, and you have
doubtless told mother, Nan's reasons for refusing to disclose this
man's identity at that time.

"Of course Nan did not return to San Francisco, but evidently her
husband did and at their apartment he found this letter addressed to
Nan. He opened it, and immediately set out for San Jose to call upon
the pawnbroker and gain possession of the marriage license. Unknown to
him, however, his lines were all tangled and the pawnbroker told him
frankly he was a fraud and declined to give him the license. Finally
the pawnbroker tried a bluff and declared that if the man did not get
out of his place of business he would have him arrested as a
bigamist--and the fellow fled.

"A month or two later the pawnbroker was in San Francisco so he called
at the Altamont Apartments to deliver the license in person, only to
discover th