Show FOR SIN sir diforti mortimer M er barbican was an old man baa one of the old types of 13 daglish glish axis aristocrats fiery imperious and inordinately dina tely proud of the integrity of his name and ancestry at tho the time tima I 1 wont into his employ years ago now ho he was living alone with his only daughter at his family seat in Gloucester shire A strange looking tall lady was miss linda barbican with large black eyes and palo hard fot bot features bearing tho the traces of sonic eolo inward sorrow borrow sir mortimer I 1 learned had had bad a son soil whom lie he had bad disinherited and disowned owing to some act which had bad brought dishonor on the namo name of barbican and he be forbade all In mention of the of tho the family A young man mail shabbily dressed with a reckless albeit a handsome face stood ou on the doorstep and scanned me nervously as 1 I looked questioningly at him Is my is sir mortimer Bur barbican bican disengaged be asked huskily yes sir I 1 answered will you please como in Is there any one in the library no sir then show me in and tell your master I 1 must see him it very well sir I 1 what name shall ishall I 1 give ob uever never mind the name I 1 doll know me fast enough lie he added bitterly sir mortimer looked up in a surprised way when I 1 communicated to him that a visitor had bad arrived armed and wished to see ese him he opened the door and strode into the room eatherl Fa therl that was all one short despairing cry and father and son BOU stood face to face once more A gray drawn look stole over my masters face as for a brief moment ho be stood eying tho the prodigal who had so mysteriously reappeared then lie ho found his tongue so it is you you hound bound I 1 ho be said his features working strangely while there was a tone of suppressed suppressed rage in his voice it is you yon is it have you yon forgotten how hoewe we parted have you forgotten his voice rising ominously how I 1 cast you yon off of aud and forbade yon ever to 10 stop in my house again be off before I 1 forgot forget myself end aud whip you out as you yon deserve de servo I 1 I 1 1 I will speak cried the younger man As there is a god in heaven I 1 am innocent I 1 but since you will not bear me I 1 will not try to save you may it bo be on your own lead asad and may you yon reap as you have sown I 1 bat you will have the comforting assurance rauco of kil knowing ow that you have sent bent nio me to the devil and I 1 curso curse youl and striding from tho the room the younger man passed out into the hall I 1 hastened to open the door for him As bobas he was passing out into the night ho be turned you are a stranger to me lie he said after a brief space but your face looks like an honest one if you yon can contrive it meet me ina tomorrow about this time at the drive gate it is a matter of life and death 11 the next morning after breakfast sir mortimer turned to me our aar said if you value your situation here parkin you will bear this iu in mind not I 1 a word of what you saw and heard beard last night aud and never mention my my sons name to me again under pain of instant dismissal that Tha is all it was with some feeling of trepidation that I 1 repaired to the trysting place that same evening to await the arrival of the disinherited son ravin having g inquire inquired d my name he began you must first know how bow I 1 came to bo be in this plight some years algo ago a forged check in my fathers name was discovered suspicion at once fell ou on me and though innocent I 1 was at once branded as aa guilty by my father ile he did not dot wish to have the family name drag go god into court so ho be took tho the easier course of disinheriting me and casting me off entirely my enemy whoever ho be was and heaven knows I 1 thought I 1 had none woith speaking of had bad done his wol k ii viell ell I 1 became a frequenter frequent pr of tho the turf a gambler al ai I 1 nearly dearly but think thank heaven not quite a thief I 1 was tempted some few weeks ago age to join boiu a band of burglars who contemplated robbing my fathers house but ant though I 1 had bad sunk low I 1 was riot not quite bad enough for that and overcome over como with remorse I 1 determined to seek an audience with my father and warn him of his cli daubor adgor the result of that interview y yon on know now and hero eero he be brolo broke off abruptly a queer break in his voice 11 I 1 will pass over the rest of our conversation and i biely state the plan which the remorse stricken man had formed to checkmate the robbers I 1 must explain that at the back of tile tho house was a courtyard shut in ill on three sides by the kitchen promises premises of the house it was a small window that of tho the pantry which was to bo be the mode moda of ingress young mr geoffrey that was the hous bells name dame was to lead the burglars in their enterprise he would conduct them through the window and thou then with the aid of myself and sir mortimer lilor timer whom I 1 was wai to apprise of the robbers advent would help to overpower the others two desperadoes for they bad not wished to have too many concerned in the job friday came and it was I 1 am bound to confess with no slight blight feelings of ap that I 1 looked forward to tho the work which N was nag ag before me for 1 I waa iv a 9 no lighting fighting man of courso course I 1 bad not d the meditated robbery to tile tho baronet tor for that eliat would have spoiled everything ery thing at 13 12 I 1 stole noiselessly down to tho the kit kitchen choti and quietly waited till ill tho the burglars should arrive I 1 bad not long to wait I 1 heard tile muffled round bound which warned rue that they had bad commenced operations and slipping away as aa noiselessly as I 1 had come I 1 departed to apprise my master of the entrago on his property I 1 found him sitting in its his bedroom un on a chair clad in his dressing gown an and d slippers ilia face was wag buried in his bands and he be was evidently lost in thought at ray my entrance lie ho started vie violently up and gazed with wonderment not unmixed with anger at me as I 1 intruded myself on oil his solitude I 1 at once came to tile the point sir I 1 said thoro there oro are burglars trying to force an entrance ent rauco at tho the back now my masters ma storn bedroom was at the extreme wing of the building so that had it not been for tho the fact that I 1 already knew of the contemplated robbery lie would probably have heard nothing of tile the burglars taking for granted that they succeeded in hoahing real ilg the d dining room where tho the family plate their was secured ho he gazed at rue curiously for a few seconds and thou then calmly walked across tho room to his hia chest of drawers which bo be opened taking a small revolver which lie he slipped into his big pocket handing banding another to mo me at tile the same time sir mortimer took the lead and following close behind him I 1 noiselessly stole etolo along at his heels arrived at tho the kitchen door the sounds inside told us wo we had come at the right moment tho the baronet threw open the door tho the gas agns bad been lighted and sta standing in tile the middle of tho the room were tho the three men young mr geoffrey apart from the other two pallid and haggard looking and then I 1 do not rightly know what happened it was all lone done so quickly sir mortimer stepping calmly into the ho room raised his hia revolver and fired brod at his son rod who was vas waiting for me who had bad lost all presence ot of mind to act on the abo initiative with a gioan ho be threw up bis big arms and fell forward with a dull thud on the stone floor the other two did not wait for more but with incredible swiftness darted through the pantry and locking the door behind them mado made good their escape just then a white robed figure appeared at the open kitchen door and gazed wildly about her As her eyes fell on tho the body of tha ho man lying prone and lifeless lif elesa on the floor miss linda linda barbican for it was she rushed forward and with willi a moan mean threw herself down beside her brother apparently dead killed by his bis father I 1 caned my sin lias has found me out she bhe mo moaned my sin siu has found me out I 1 aud and thon then her eyes wandering to the little pool of blood which v vas as crimsoning tho the cold flags sho she cried out cut 1 I can boar it no do longell father father the forgery was my work I 1 casting one look of concentrated hate bate and anguish ou on tho the wretched girl at his hia foot feet he be brushed her fremb DIY g aside and knelt down moaning meaning softly to himself beside the body of his hia apparently lifeless son eon mr Goof geoffroy froy did not die his father had bad baiot somewhat high and the hall ball had bad glanced along the collar hone bone making a long jagged wound but still ho he was seriously ill brain fever setting in afterward ard and for some time he lay hovering between life and death I 1 explained fully to the baronet the scheme his bis son had formed for thwarting the burglars who by the way were captured some weeks after the attempted burglary and sir mortimers Mor timers feelings of remorse and sorrow at themay tho way in which ho he had bad wronged mr geoffrey wore were terribly poignant As for miss linda her story etory can be briefly summed gummed up in the following years ago she had bad a worthless lover with whom elie was completely infatuate ed gambling Gamblin gand and other forms of excess had bad left him in low water and his sweetheart had ball forged the check to give him the money lie he had bad needed so sorely laying the blame on and weaving her au bt I 1 0 net of accusation around her innocent brother what ultima ultimately toly became of her I 1 never know knew if I 1 had bad only kept my of mind and carried out my instructions tho the baronets baranets baro nets hand might have been staid and mr geoffrey would not have acou shot but then perhaps miss misa linda would not have conf ebbed thank heaven beaven there are not many women liki her in the world chicago news |