Show hieb MISSING MAN by MARY R P HATCH author opt f the bank tragedy copyright 1892 by lee and shepard CHAPTER continued no strange as it may seem I 1 am not the first claimant looks more like my husband the other seems more like him in his ways manners and speech 4 have you tested them by inviting their recollections of incidents known only to yourself and mr hamilton 1 I have and the result neither has failed perhaps the recollections of mr edes 1 I will call him so are quicker he claims to have recovered all bis his memory up to last may while mr air hamilton as he is called owns to a vagueness some times regarding names and incidents but there Is one thing in the others favor he explains why he went ment away every year in may and mr hamilton does not indeed yes he went in search of his twin brother stolen in childhood and sup posed to be dead by all save his mota er who exacted on her death bed the promise pro ise that be he would spend two weeks each in seeking for his brother does this look like a plausible tex plan atlon mrs hamilton it does in III some respects mr edes also claims that mr hamilton Is really victor hamilton his twin broth er for whom he searched so long an ingenious well I 1 must see this edes who or may not be your husband and talk with him I 1 confess I 1 am beginning to feel great interest in the case and will tinder under take it if I 1 see my way clear what do you say stevens 1 I agree with you perhaps mrs hamilton will give us other facts which may be of use to us have you any other good and cogent reason for thinking that primus edes so called Is the true vane hamilton 9 one but I 1 should prefer not to speak of it to you I 1 never have to any one 11 f L 1 41 tf the trial mrs hamilton looked confused and embarrassed you will think me absurd never said the lawyer gallantly mrs hamilton could not be absurd even in thought well I 1 will tell you Is your tory sense very keen I 1 think not particularly replied mr merely morely politely and repressing severely an inclination to smile Is fours 5 oursa turning ao mr stevens I 1 think I 1 may say it Is I 1 have been told so then perhaps you will understand me mine Is particularly acute so much so that the perfume of a flower which I 1 have not smelled tor for years will waft my recollections back to the last time perhaps the only time when I 1 ever held such a flower in my hand now she said with more besita tion have you n noticed 0 that each per son has a physical odor which Is ex halek from his body I 1 confess I 1 never thought of it said mr stevens but you know a dog will track his master in the midst of a multitude by means of it it true dogs have a more acute sense of smell than people but many people have this sense in a tar far greater de gree than others you will admit that you for instance can smell better than mr morley just as some people can hear or see better than others yes your reasoning Is good I 1 can smell scents that most people cannot to me each person has h as an individual ll odor peculiar personal and characteristic of them mrs hamilton do your words im ply that you have detected dour our hu hus s band through the means you describe so interestingly perhaps it would be too much to sa sir I 1 think not at least such on the part ot of a dog of his mas ter pardon the comparison has been given full weight many times please tell us what you thought when mr hamilton to so called returned I 1 thought it was he I 1 never doubted it until I 1 recovered conscious ness for I 1 fainted at the sight of him in mr aliens allen s office he knelt beside me and and this odor ot of which I 1 have spoken was strange to me had it been familiar I 1 should never have doubted never it has been the th means ot of making maling me mis trust his claims this Is marvelous marvelous mar Telous said ar mr morley yo i say the first claimant was unrecognizable in this way sir though he looked exactly like my husband spoke like him walked like him wore his ring car ried his notebook note book and and papers I 1 mistrusted him and for this reason and the other claimant 9 the other others s shoulders as seen in church reminded me of vane his yes nyes also but the odor IL that was familiar sir I 1 noticed it almost from the first but you did not speak of it no sir I 1 did not speak of it 1 I could not compel myself to until it seemed as if it would be wrong to withhold the fact any longer there is good reason tor for he hesitation citation as sou must own mrs hamilton when you view the matter dispassionately the sense of smell ing is a noble one it if most people possess it in a small degree it is because we me d do not no need it so much perhaps as the other senses wo ono doubt it could be cultivated you are very kind land said constance simply and I 1 think jou ou are right still to ordinary peoples the matter would mould appear strange absurd we shall not speak of it nor m make ake it any part of our case unless similar circumstances can be discoverer discovered to throw light upon yours fours I 1 think you ou are right and mrs hamilton arose from her seat and soon after quietly left the office which does she favor mr ate said morley ldes replied his partner promptly you are right undoubtedly and the reason she has just given us well it Is a strange case granted we shall certainly gain notoriety it if not the case said mor ley laughing mrs hamilton Is a smart woman both sides are of in terest to her well they are about even though I 1 did think no 2 hadn haan t the ghost of a chance CHAPTER the claimant go to morley stevens I 1 think they will listen to you was all the note contained but to the recipient it brought great joy proving as it did that constance had been quietly morl orb ing it if not in his behalf to give him an opportunity to prosecute bis his claims and prove their title to be either true or false 4 i immediately after the receipt of the line from constance edes repaired to the office of morley stevens they received him with seeming fe se and listened to his story with attention it Is well known to my readers by this time and I 1 will pot repeat it when he finished both law observed that he said nothing about constance s recognition through the olfactory sense and they judged rightly that he was unaware of it they saw therefore that it bore no part in his determination to prosecute his claims after the matter had been discussed at some length mr morley said actions against tenants will apply to your case mr hamilton call ing him so for the first time for they provide for any case where one per con on is in pos possession of any land or tenement belonging to another and wrongfully withheld from the owner whether the relation of landlord and tenant ever existed between the par ties or not the plaintiff claims to be the owner of the estate vane hamilton As such he has a right to it otherwise he has none the so sole lo 10 issue to be tried is the identity of the plaintiff with vane hamilton exactly now in what name shall the writ be issued against him vie vic tor hamilton or ashley I 1 don t absolutely know that it Is either that makes no difference A fie tillous name may be used even when name is unknown in this case you can use which name you choose but afterward the court may amend it I 1 see well issue it against vie tor hamilton I 1 don dont t care to etab lish hig identity with ashley it may be your best hold later on I 1 hope he will not contest my claim but he will he has nine of the law tn tu his favor be te will r rason ason that Is 1 possession you knew I 1 think wo we may aa as well begin to t look into the case at once can you prove that the twin brother was stolen and that you made search tor for him I 1 think I 1 can but I 1 shall be corn com polled to go to elmira at last ac counts the nurse from whom the child was stolen was alive though very feeble that would be a po nt gained then it if yo i could prove that you went in search of him it would be set against the assertion of the defendant that be he had no brother and his refusal to tell why and when he went it if it could be shown by any means where you lost your sense of personal knowledge how the defendant pos hessed himself of your ring or any point of similar consequence it would be of material aid something that somebody may have noticed occurred on or afterward an advertisement might bring 0 it something what do you say stevens 9 A good idea insert one we will if you say so mr haell ton I 1 do but you say nothing to me about costs mr morley said the claimant anxiously mrs hamilton anxious to have every fact brought to light on her own account will be responsible though I 1 judge she does not care to have the fact known no that would be best you of course see mr hamilton that this suit whoever recovers will not end the matter the natural out come will be a suit for perjury and forgery then there Is the bank mystery still unsettled one matter follows the other you have no doubt considered all this I 1 have said the claimant firmly well call in tomorrow to morrow by that time we shall have arranged the mat ter somewhat in our minds prepared the writ and so forth you must study the matter yourself do not tor for get to mention any point that bears on it it will be a hard fight I 1 know myself mr morley I 1 know that I 1 am vane hamilton and I 1 am determined to regain my family and my estate we will do the best we can for you said mr air morley shaking hands with him mr stevens did likewise and he left the office well said merley morley after a long silence it will be a hard fight as aas you said there are some things in his favor we are to present the evidence on our side of a claimant trial that is the way I 1 mean to look a it for the pres ent if we see reason afterward for not continuing the charge of it we can give it up 1 suppose so it will be seen by this conversation fhate however encouragingly the law had spoken ta the principal they were by no means sure of the issue bof nor indeed of the wisdom of con ducting the suit the claimant almant rl had thus tar far failed to touch their thies whether he would succeed in do ng so remained to be seen but he had excited their interest and curios ity thoroughly and they plunged into a consideration of the case that very day the writ was issued the adver ti engaged the tentative facil ties of both lawyers possibilities and probabilities were weighed in the balance of common sense and equity and when the next day arrived they mere M ere well equipped to meet the claim ant and to converse with him further to be continued 0 |