Show al h V Y A 44 STOR 1110 apy A CONAN the breast of his coat a loaded stick think he struck me with it and I 1 re nothing more the blackguard cried the doctor doctor b but ut the police must be hot upon his track I 1 fancy not mrs answered calmly As my brother Is a particularly tall thin man and as the police are looking for a short tat fat one I 1 TIMA P I 1 CHAPTER CONTINUED well ma am since you know so much you probably know also that I 1 have sold my pension how am I 1 to live it if I 1 do not turn my hand to mrs produced a large registered envelope from beneath the heets sheets and tossed it over to the old beaman that excuse won t do there are your our pension papers just see it if they ire fire right he broke the seal and out tumbled the very papers which he had made over to mcadam two days before but what am I 1 to do with these he cried in bewilderment you will put them in a sate place or get a friend to do so and it if you do your duty you will go to your wife and beg her pardon tor for having even tor for an instant thought of leaving her the admiral passed his hand over his rugged forehead this is very good of you ma am said he very good and kind and I 1 know that you are a staunch friend but tor for all that these papers mean money and though we may have been in broken water lately we are not luite quite in such straits as to have to signal to our friends when we do ma ina am there s no one we would look to sooner than to you don t be ridiculous said the widow tou you know nothing whatever about it end yet you stand there laying down fhe he law have my way in this mat ler er an and d you shall take the papers tor for it 3 n no 0 favor a vor that I 1 am doing you but imply a restoration of stolen property how that ma am I 1 am just going to explain though you might take a lady s word for it without asking any questions now what I 1 am going to say Is just between you tou four and must go no farther I 1 have my own reasons tor for wishing it kept from the police who do you things it was who struck me last night ad some villain ma am I 1 don t know it biz name but I 1 do it was the same man who ruined or tried to ruin your son it was ply only brother jeremiah ah I 1 will tell you about him or a about bout him for he has done much which listen would not care to talk of nor you to listen to he lie was always a villain smooth spoken and plausible e but u a dan an serous erous subtle villain all the same it if I 1 lave ave some hard thoughts about man and nd I 1 can trace them back to the child hood which I 1 spent with my brot brother lier he Is my only I 1 ving relative for my other brother charles father was killed in the indian mutiny our father was rich and when he led he made a good provision both for deremiah lah and tor for me he knew jere miah lah and he mistrusted him however 0 instead of giving him all that he meant bant him to have he handed me over a part of it telling me with what was almost his dying breath to hold it in trust for my brother and to use it in his bis behalf when he should have sequan derei dered or lost all that he had this ar iran Tan gement was meant to be a se secret ret between my father and myself but un his words were overheard by the nurse oh and nd she repeated them afterwards to my brother so that he came to know that I 1 held some money in n trust for him I 1 suppose tobacco will not harm my head doctor thank you then I 1 shall trouble you tor for the matches ida she lit a cigarette and leaned back upon the pillow with the hue blue wreaths curling from her lips I 1 cannot tell you how often he hag has attempted to get that money from me fie ile has bullied cajoled threatened hoaxed done all that a man could do I 1 still held it with the presentiment that a L need of it would come when I 1 heard of this villainous business his flight and nd his leaving his partner to face the torm storm above all that my old friend had abeen heen driven to surrender his income in lorder erder to make up tor for my brother brothers s de I 1 felt that now indeed I 1 had a need tor for it I 1 sent in charles yester day to mr mcadam and his client upon pon hearing the facts ot of the case very graciously rac consented to give back the papers pers and to take the money which he iad ad advanced not a word 0 of thanks to me e admiral I 1 tell you that it was very cheap heap benevolence for it was all done with his own money and how could I 1 ue use it better I 1 thought that I 1 should probably hear from hirn him soon and I 1 did last evening there was handed in a note of 0 the the usual whining cringing tone he had ad come back from abroad at the risk ot f his life and liberty just in order that he e might say good bye to the only sla ter tr that he be ever had and to entreat my forgiveness for any pain which h he e had caused me he would never trouble me gain and he begged only that I 1 would hand andover to him the sum which I 1 held in n trust for him that with what he had iad already would be enough to start iam as an honest man in the new world when he would ever remember and pray ray tor for the dear sister who had been hia its savior that was the style of the letter etter and upended by imploring me to leave eave the window latch open and end to be in n the front room at three in the morn ing when he would come to receive ray my last list kiss and to bid me farewell bad as he was I 1 could not when he trusted me betray him I 1 said nothing but ml I 1 was there at the hour he eh tred through the window and implored me no to give him the money he was ter rubly changed gaunt wolfish and spoke ube ike a madman I 1 told him that I 1 had wat the money he ile gnashed his teeth aft it in me and swore it was his money I 1 ad him that I 1 had spent it on him he H aked ked me how I 1 said in trying to make im an honest man and in repairing the malts of his villainy he shrieked out L curse and pulling something out of og do not think that it Is very probable that they will catch him it Is best I 1 think that these little family matters should be adjusted in private my dear ma ins am said the admiral if it la is indeed this man s money that has brought back my pension then I 1 can have no scruples about taking it you on have brought sunshine upon us ma a am when the clouds were at their darkest tor for here Is my boy who insists upon returning the money which I 1 got he can keep it now to pay fais his debts for what you have done I 1 can only arld god to bless you ma ina am and as to thanking you I 1 cant can t even j then pray don t try said the wid pw ov now run away away admiral and make your peace with mrs denver I 1 am sure it if I 1 were she it would be a long time before I 1 should forgive you P As tor for me I 1 am going to america when charles goes you 11 take me so tar far ilont won t you ida there is a co collet I 1 lead i being built in denver which la Is to equia I 1 the woman of the future tor for the i gre or me irre ana and especially for her battle against man inan some months ago the committee offered me a responsible position upon the staff and I 1 have de ldes to accept it for charles marriage marr lag removes the last tie which binds me to england you will write to me times time my fr ends and you will address your letters to professor emancipation college denver from there I 1 shall watch how the glorious struggle goes on in conservative old england and I 1 am needed you will find me here a n fighting in the tore fore front of the f good bye but not noo you girls I 1 have still a word I 1 wish to tol say to you give me your hand ida and yours clara said she when they were alone alon oh you naughty little pusses are aren bacel t you ashamed to look me in the facet did you think did you really think tha thal I 1 was so very blind and could not see se your little plot you did it very well welli I 1 must say that and really I 1 think that t like you better as you are but you aad ad all your pains for nothing you littly conspirators tor for I 1 give you my word that I 1 had quite made up my mind not no to have him and so within a few weeks our little lad es from their observatory saw a mighty bustle in the wilderness when two horse carriages came and coach men with favors to bear away the toosi who were destined to come back one and they themselves in their crackling ik dresses went across as invited to he lie big double wedding breakfast which was held in the house of doctor walker then there was health drinking and laughter and changing of dresses and rice throwing when the carriages drove up again and two more couples started on that journey which ends only with life itself charles Is now a flourish ing ranchman in the western part os of texas where he and his sweet little wife are the two most popular persona persons in all that county of their aunt they see little but from time to time they see notices in the papers that there Is a focus of light in denver where mighty thunderbolts are being forged which will one day bring the dominant upon their knees the admiral and bla big wife still live at number one while harold and clara have taken number two where doctor walker continues to reside As to the business it had been reconstructed and the energy and abil ity of the junior partner had soon made up tor for all the ill that had been done by his senior yet with his sweet and re fined home atmosphere he Is able to re alize his wish and to keep himself tree free from the sordid alms aims and base ambi eions which drag down the man whose business lies too exclusively in the money market of the vast babylon As he goes back every evening from the crowds of street to the tree lined peaceful avenues ot of norwood so he has found it possible in spirit also to do one s duties amidst the babel ot of the city and yet to live beyond it THE END |