OCR Text |
Show CO and cynical as he was rich. Jlv strange experience there began one afternoon aft-ernoon when I was out shooting over as line a pair of Irish setters as ever stood a covey of birds. The sport was fast and furious a&d'I was banging-away without any precautions, for the game was in a desolate preserve and the thought of danger to anyone else never entered my mind. But my confidence in the fact of my complete isolation was brought up with a short turn. I had just let go with both barrels at a flying bunch of quail when I heard a shout of terror and witnessed a laughable laugh-able sight. It was a man literally clrop- , ping down, a telegraph pole, his eyes big with fright and a false beard shifted shift-ed to the side of his face. The fine shot had peppered him harmlessly, but he thought that he had been fired mpon and was beginning to plead for mercy when I approached him. When I went in from my holiday hunt I found a new guest at the house. He was president of the then leading bank in St. Louis, in which unele was a director and large stockholder. After v dinner we smoked together and the two old men told m what had brought the president there. "Up to a short time ago my experlencv was so entirety along one pleasant iim that niy thoughts never went outside of it. Of late surprises have come so rapidly that they cease to surprise. Do you know her?" "I'm inclined to' think it my privilege to do the interrogating in this instance, but you have already satisfied my chief curiosity in the matter. If you were not acquainted with Margie Morell you would scarcely be putting that flattering flatter-ing criticism away in your pocketbook." "You apeak familiarly of her;" and, despite my efforts to imitate his easy manner, there was a challenge in my voice. "Naturally enough," and his smile was the more aggravating because the more geniaL "I have known her for years. Used to carry her books, haul her on her little sled, skate with her, ride with her, advise with her, encourage encour-age her when success in music seemed so far off, and all that. Held heron my knee a thousand times. Why, she spoiled the creases in this very pair of trousers I'm wearing." Now there was an effort at self-control on my part. "You are a scoundrel and a blackgmard," I whispered as I .He impression tne young man nad made upon me and the prospect of having him for a son-in-law, but I took the , usual precautions, though the largeness large-ness of the amount at stake might have demanded more. "We went to the hotel and paid the 'Denver lawyer' in currency, as exacted by the terms of the contract. He said that he would have .preferred a certified certi-fied check, but he Tvrould be around before the close of banking hours to deposit the sum with us. Iihadlno sooner soon-er returned to the bank than I received a telegram from the New York bank saying that Lawrence Bochart had no account there and never had. Then it came upon me with the force of a terrible ter-rible blow that the wire must have teen tapped, that we wereswindled and hat the bank was crippled beyond hope :f recovery. For myself, I was ruined. "Of course," continued'the president, "the rascal who cut such a wide swath In society, did not distribute his photographs, photo-graphs, but my daughter is something )f an artist and she sketched, the fellow fel-low from memory. Here he is, am? we'd gladly give $100,000 to recover the amount of the robbery." The two older gentlemen took a loolk at the picture and then passed it to me. An- exclamation of surprise had 1 almost passed my lips, but I was a fortune-seeker myself and 'here was an unexpected1 un-expected1 opening. The picture was that cf Fred Morell. Why should' I not win the reward clXered' for the recovery of this stolen money? Iihad seen the wiretapper wire-tapper and I knew the. man iwho had so successfully played his part in. the aristocratic set of St. Louis. Two days later I was on my way to join- in the Christmas festivities to which young Morell had invited .me. I .had no idea that he would be there to receive me, but then he was not the chief attraction. I had said nothing to the two eld gentlemen of what I knew or what I had in mind; but I haid1 decided de-cided to play the novel part of a detective de-tective and lay the foundation for some such fortune as I had always expected to iaherit. Fred Morell met me at the door of his ihome and a welcome could not have been more hearty, nis mother was one-of one-of the most gracious of the old-school ladies, and her daughter was even more fascinating in. her wondrous beauty than when she had' won my love beyond the ocean. I could not enjoy such hospitality hos-pitality and then bring a sorrow worse? than death upon those who offeredf it. I asked a private talk with Fred, and frankly told him what I had learned and 'how I had started out to recover the stolen money. There was mingled, anger and contempt in his face as he answered me. "You have taken me for a scoundrel again," he said', "but I must admit the force of the evidence. Cousin Bob has broken loose once more. Seen opart we have always been taken- one for tho other. He is a wonderful man andihis talents, properly directed, wooild win him almost any position. But his inclination in-clination is to go wrong and he does not restrain it. Your mission is to bring him to book. If you like, I will go this far with you. He is rich through iaheritance and fraud. Together we will run him down and secure a retu-ra ci the .money lost by the bank. We I will make him leave the country for 1 good, but without such an arrangement I will lend you no assistance. He is But a short time before two elegant and dlistinguished-looking gentlemen-had gentlemen-had flashed upon the most exclusive social so-cial circle- of the city. They dressed just within the extreme of fashion, spent money with princely prodigality, and one of them had placed $20,000 in the president's bank, just to meet the expenses of the brief visit. He had been introduced at the president's home and made such an inroad upon the daughter's daugh-ter's affections that their engagement was currently rcpu. 1 his depositor had unexceptional letters and each one guaranteed him entitled to unlimited credit. One afternoon he rushed hurriedly into the bank. lie just had a letter from one of 'his best and wealthiest friends in Boston. He was to have met a Denver lawyer in St. Louis that very day to pay a balance of $750,000 on a contract for mining lands in Colorado. Business involving an enormous sum kept this Boston man at home, and, despite de-spite his wealth, be did' not have the ready money to meet the engag'jttncnt. Would his cldJ friend, known in-St. Louis us Lawrence Bochart, draw on his own funds and look after the matter? There was an assured profit of a million, and they would share it. "Is it all right?" asked the president, presi-dent, who was dczed.with Bochart and his apparently fabulous riches. "I wiould like to help my friend, for it is my disposition. "But let me insist that you iirst telegraph my bank in New York to see whether it will honor a draft for the amount required. For your kindness in the matter I war.t you to accept 'half the gain which my friend would make through the deal." "I cannot think of it," replied the president. "Then, sir, let me make it a wedding present to your daughter. I have not asked her hand, but, with your permission, permis-sion, I will do so." "I sent the telegram at once," said the president to my uncle and myself. "Inside of half an hour I had an answer, an-swer, signed by both the president and1 cashier, informing me that Mr. Bochart's account was far more than equal to the dfcinand made upon it. I niuy have been blinded somewhat by leaned over the table. "If I ever hear of your repeating such language I'll find a way to punish you without involving involv-ing the name of the, youngs lady jou have been coward enough to slander." No change in his smile, but n little more blood in- his face as he answered: "Southerner, I should judge?" "Yes, southerner, and one that tries to retain the virtues of chivalry without with-out its faults. I want nothing more to say to you." "But I like yoni. I insist on pursuing the acquaintance. It makes me happy ' to chance upon so stout a champion of ' Margie." . "Mention that nam again- and I'll " 1 "Hold hard, my bold southron," and this time he laughed outright. 'Tra Fred Morell, Margie's brother. In ! fact, I'm the responsible head of the family. Have you any special right to fight the battles of my 6ister?" - "Only the right of a gentleman who holds her in the highest respect. I met her abroad with her mother. I was completing my education in medicine and Miss Morell wasr cultivating her wonderful voice. In, the midst of an acquaintance so delightful to me I received re-ceived news of my father's sudden death, and with it the startling information infor-mation that disastrous speculation had I wiped out the large fortune that I had always been led to expect. I hastened home to Kentucky, spent six months in settling nip the affairs of the estate, and have just come north to see what I can make of talents that have never yet been called upon to earn anything." "It might have been worse. You are Dr. Tom Curran. I've heard them speak of you frequently. Why not take a run out with me and renew ihs acquaintance?" ' It was a temptation, and we aro prone to compromise with temptation. I could not go then because I was to spend a couple of weeks with my own relative, Uncle BrulT CuTran, who lived 20 miles cut of Et. Louis. But when Fred and I parted it had been arranged that I should take dinner with the Morell Mo-rell household. At Uncle BrnifFs I was having a glorious glori-ous time, though he was a bachelor of I fin Intercepted Message. m An Incident Tending to Shew That Ap-& Ap-& pear&nces Do Sometimes Deceive. SITTING in a New York hotel one November evening, carelessly running run-ning over the headlines of a newspaper, 1 had my eyes and wandering thoughts arrested by an article that stirred some pleasant memories. Stepping to the table near at hand I was clipping the bit of news' when a handsome, athletic young fellow approached from the opposite, op-posite, side, knife and paper in hand. A moment later each noticed that the other was preserving the same information. informa-tion. Our eyes met, his brown and laughing, mine blue and aggressive. "Beg pardon," he began with a simile that lighted up his dark face and showed his strong white teeth to advantage, ad-vantage, "odd coincidence, isn't it?" "I don't know," with some constraint. the first to bring" disgrace on the family fam-ily name and I care more for it than for his punishment." In New York we found' tJie man whom I had surprised in hunting-. Through fear he was induced to disc-over the whereabout? of "Cousin Bob." Willi the suavity of a diplomat and a running-fire running-fire of wit, 'he accepted' cur1crn:s. lie assured us with unblushing-raillery that the presicllent's daug-hter .had piercer! his heart, that Tie had voluntarily decided de-cided upon a rcsider.ee abroad and that it afforded him inexpressible pleasure to coimply wit'h our wishes. I put the bank on its feet again, made 'the old president the happiest man in the country, tickled Uncle UruiT so that he named me as his pole heir, and made Marg-ie M orell my wife. I'll say nothing of myself, but Mrs. Dt. c.m Curran's receptions are the most popular and most sought after in one of thegrcatcst cities of the country. Detroit Free Press. |