Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-01-15


and to accomplish that must recipro-
cate her affection, after a fashion. =" ~
1 Two days latter ]. found Will gloom
lily pondering over the answer. He did
not hand me the letter to read, but said,
as he folded it.up: Raf
BY Jove! / feel like thief. Not
one word of recrimination, not an ex-
preston that is unladylike, and still a
mixture of semi-pleading and semi CON
tempt that makes me feel like a chr.
Well, the affair is ended now. thank
|. So much the better" I replied.
g But how about your lettersP'
She says she will send them back
after reading them over By the way,
forgot to inclose her photograph, and
she didn't mention it, Sd I'll keep it as
a souvenir" 4e4 e'aayA
Saying this, he took the picture from
his poeketbook, and after looking at it
for while IN dreamy sort ef way,
carefully replaced it, and then walked
out of the room without word of part
ing; but the fag end of sigh reached
me through the closing door. &
About week later Fowler came into
my room, saying: deA
Here's nice piece of business. Just
read that. will uP"-handing me a
''iSet It was this: IS &ZAL
MILWAUKEE, September 9th.
SIR: am brother OF the young lady
whom you know as Josie Mason She has
not been well for some time, poor child, and
has hat to keep her bed during the past week,
This morning in finding your correspondence,
Ta1c J., - 1. .l1
not waste time at present in discussing
your blackguardly conduct-that can wait.
A lew letters passed between you by way OF
Joke, would have mattered little; but when
your words grew warmer in each successive
letter, is it strange that an inexperienced
child fell into your snare? Now, sir, my bust
ness is to find who you are for the purpose OF
getting satisfaction; and if l can't get it in
one way, why / am Southerner, and II get
it in another. 1 write this that you may feel
uncomfortable while / am looking for you, as
you certainly will when have found you.
ONE WHOM You WILL KNOW.
"Phew! This is nice scrape. What
are you going to do about it, WHIP"
"What can | do about it except
await developments? I really wish it
would turn out to be blackmailing
scheme; for then, although I would
perhaps feel more like fool, there'd
be less ofthe knave in it.n
"I wouldn't worry about it any more
than / could help, old fellow" said ],
4" for this may be only first explosion
on the part of the brother, which will
amount to nothing. 1t sounds to me
like genuine letter; there's the true
ring of Indignation in it, and, therefore.
there is the least to be feared If the
parties meant blackmailing it would
pay them to nploy detectives, but if it
is true bill, why family pride oughv to
act as check upon publicity"
After thinking a bit. Fowler said:
"I'm going to write to him>and ex-
plain that no harm was intended, and
that | am extremely sorry if any harm
has come Of it, That's the way feel,
and it will do no hurt to send the letter,
you know" As
How will it reach him?'
" Hum-m-m, didn't think of that
Yes I'll send it to her address and
write for her brother on it."
The letter was forwarded that even
ing, and a cleverer bit of composition |
have rarely seen. The writer expressed
regret for what had happened, and
apologized for his share in it; at the
same time he delicately insinuated that
it would be mortifying to expose FAM
lily secret, especially when no benefit
could possibly accrue to any member in
terested. Five or six days later came
the following reply:
SIR: Curse your regrets and fig for your
apologies. Those matters should have been
thought of earlier in your correspondence
with my family. l also decline your advice
as to what are the best interests of that family
myself fully competent to Judge
upon that question. My detective thinks he
has spotted you, and if you are the man he
points out, you are worse scoundrel than
even had given you credit for being. Is it
possible that you have vile and children
that you are a man OF respectable position in
the comnlu nifty, and yet that merely for the
sake OF laugh, you can trife with the inno-
cent affection OF a child. who knows nothing
OF the world? You will hear again soon from
ONE WHOM You WILL KNOW.
''What the deuce shall dopn asked
Will, after / had read this cheerful
effusion. Had L better leave town
until it has blown over, if there is go
ing to be a scandal?'
Certainly not l advised; "there's
no clear proof that he has found yoE,
and if he has, what can you gain by
leaving? The best way to get out of
q row is to face the music, and if you
do it now it may prove, after all, that
there is a bluff game being played. lam
to blame in this matter, and
will certainly stand by you to the best
of my ability"
1t was so decided. Fowler bought a
revolver and savage-looking club,
and spent most of his time with me;
this was the more easily done as our
offices adjoined each other, and his fam
lily were still absent at q watering
place. We did not talk much about
the affair as he evidently shrank from
any mention | made of it; but it never
left his mind, as could be seen by his
to business and his furtive
shoulder watching when he was in the
street. At last, after week of pro-
longed susL ense, the bolt fell.
We were sitting in Fowler's office one
day, when the door opened and voice
said:
"This is Mr.. Fowler, 1 helieve.n
That is my NAME" said Will, as his
hand slid to his revolver, and he eyed
the speaker tall, well-built and
rather handsome-looking man, appar-
emily under thirty.
should like to speak with you a
few moments in private" continued the
new conner, with bland, ambassa-
dorial air, ut the same time giving me a
get-out-of-the-room look.
This gentleman is connected with