Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-03-29

I ought not to have told you all this
go away, please, but don't be angry,
will you, You know how heart-broken
my mother will be if / disobey my
father. Oh, what shall dof"
Kenneth turned and left the little
garden, but the fond, bsseeching look
that Bessie's face wore as she babe
him 60 took away all the bitterness of
her words.
He understood perfectly the state of
affairs Bessie's heart was his, although
in words she had never confessed it,
but the influence Of her parents de.
termined that their only child should
marry well, was hard for the girl to
contend against. Young Logan, accord
ing to report, had suddenly become
possessor Of a small fortune through
the death Of q forgotten uncle; and
this money he hoped to increase in the
New World, with the aid Of influential
friends. Robert'sprospects were certain
ly suspicious, and Bessie's parents were,
perhaps, justified in urging their daugh.
ter to accept this offer Of marriage.
But Kenneth, too, unknown to them
all, had money enough to emigrate, if
this step was necessary to insure the
favor Of Bessie's rightful guardians,
although the idea of bidding farewell
to Ireland was very distasteful to him.
He would count his stores again to be
sure of the exact amount, and then
plead his cause with Mr.. Dean.
Full of this resolve, Kenneth hasten
ed back to the lighthouse, and, waiting
for moment when he was not observ-
ed, swung himself down into the rocky
alcove which the fishermen called the
"gull's larder."
He thrust his hand down into the
aperture where his money was concealed,
when a look of blank dismay overcast
his face-the box had been rihed of its
contents, and not farthing of Ken
neth's earnings remained! The blow
was an overwhelming one, and the
young man in his disappointment leaned
against the rocky side of the grotto and
cried like child. Whether the thief
had been directed to his booty by the
tell.tale pocket-book or by chance, was
a matter Of vague conjecture, and Ken
meth could only report his loss to the
inefficient police officers, with scarcely
a hope Of recovering his money.
Penniless, his pride rebelled against
asking Bessie to wait for him, and poor
Kenneth Stunned the village in order
that he might not hear of the prepare
tions of her wedding.
>
1t was cold, crisp afternoon, few
days before Bessie Deans wedding,
and Kenneth, restless and miserably
unhappy, had without aim or object
walked to Exham, little town fifteen
miles distant. Idly gazing into the
shop windows, seeing none Of the ex-
posed ware until, among the trinkets in
the window of one jeweler of the place,
he saw little heap Of coins on exhibit
ton. One, in particular, drew his at
tention like magnet; it was one OF
gold, with an old device that he had
studied many time, and an indenta-
ton on the edge, which would distin-
guish it among thousand.
The coin was, beyond doubt, one Of
those which the Swedish merchant had
given Kenneth long ago; and by means
of this piece Of gold he might trace the
thief who had taken all his store.
With heart lightened Of half its
load, he entered the shop and question
ed the proprietor as to how he became
possessor of the gold coin.
"Young Logan gave me that coin,"
answered the jeweler. Robert Logan,
of Bandon; you know him probably.
l did not notice the popularity of the
piece at the time--nor he, either--it is
the size of a ten shilling piece, you see.
He was paying for locket for pretty
Bessie Dean, the girl he is going to
marry, so his carelessness was not sur
prising."
Kenneth was too much astonished to
reply. Was it possible that Logan was
the william that circumstantial evidence
declared him to be2 The coin might
have come honestly into his hands, but
others besides Kenneth had been half
skeptical about the hitherto unheard-of
uncle who had died SO OPPORTUNITY in
county Limerick.
After begging the jewelcr to keep
the coin till the following day, Ken
meth fastened homeward.
His first step toward righting or con-
demning Logan in his own mind was to
find out by letter the truth concerning
Roberts mysterious uncle.
The return post brought back the
statement that the man described had
never lived in the place mentioned, nor
was his name known to any of the in
habitants.
Kenneth now felt emboldened to re-