he had, as Bland, departed from
Detroit.

Bangs also asked her if she had ever seen Lilly Mercer since that time.

Of course she had seen her, just at the close of the war. One day as she
was crossing the river in the ferry, coming back from Windsor, she had
met her face to face. Mother Blake said that she seemed wonderfully
glad to meet her, and wanted to borrow some money, which she had
refused. She then gave her her card, upon which she was called some
Madam or other, a clairvoyant, and she had some shabby rooms on
Wisconsin Street, near the theatres. She was still young and pretty,
Mother Blake said, and she easily persuaded her to come and live with
her, which she did, "and," continued the old woman, with a withering
look at the girls, "low down as she was, she made more money in a day
than any half-dozen women I ever had." The old lady further said that
she had only remained with her long enough to get some fine clothing and
money together, when she started for the East.

She had never seen her since, but she had heard that she had several
times passed through the city towards Chicago, always returning to the
East, however, and also always richly dressed, and having every
appearance of living in clover. "Let her alone to get along," concluded
the old lady; "she'll live like a queen where another, a million times
better than she, would starve."

From Detroit, Bangs proceeded to Chicago, and from thence to Sheboygan
Falls, Wisconsin, where it required but a few minutes' inquiries to put
him on track of the Hosfords.

Hosford had come there from Terre Haute several years ago, bought a fine
farm a few miles out, and had, as far as could be ascertained, lived a
comfortable sort of life for about a year, when trouble began.

Mrs. Hosford, from the good member of society which she was supposed to
be, or really had been, suddenly embraced Spiritualism, and began
running about the country with any old vagabond tramp of this kind that
came along; and from the hard-working, economical woman she had been,
she had become a spendthrift, a drunkard, and a prostitute. Hosford had
moved away, and after considerable time and inquiry, it was ascertained
that he had gone to Oskaloosa, in Iowa, determined to get away from old
associations as far as possible, and had taken their three children with
him, which she had vainly endeavored to secure.

Bangs spent several days here in hunting up evidence. There was plenty
of it--mou