The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-02-21

~ remember tying up the letter 'cih the
parcel. uhere can Il be gone toY'
After eighteen years. he said after
eighteen years. The ink will be faded and
the papers yellow. But we shall see the
certificates of the marriage and Of your bap-
tsm, Iris; there will also be letters 70 diff
fsrent people, and a true account of the
rupture with his father, and the cause, OF
which his letter spoke. And of course we
shall find out what was his real name and
what is the kind of Inheritance which has
been waiting for you so long, my dear.
Now them
The covering in case Of the packet was a
kind of stiff cardboard or millboard, within
brown paper. Mr.. Emblem laid it open.
1t was full Of folded papers. He took up
the first and opened it. The paper wns
blank. The next, it was blank; the third, 1t
was blank; the fourth, and fifth, and sixth,
and SO on throughout. The case, which had
been waiting so long, waiting for eighteen
years, to be opened on Iris's twenty-first
birthday was full OF blank papers. They
we're all half sheets of notepaper,
Mr. Emblem looked surprised at the first
two or three papers; then he turned pale;
then he rushed at the rest. When he had
opened all, he stared about him with be-
wilderment
where is the letter ~ he asked again
Then he began with trembling hands to tear
out the contents of the safe and spread them
upon the table The letter was nowhere.
al am certain" he said, for the tenth
time, 81 am quite certain that tied up
the letter with red tape. outside the packet.
And no one has been ~ the safe except
me-
'Teli US" said Arnold, ''the contents OF
the letter as we'll as you remember them.
Your sonin-law was known to you under
the name OF Aglen, which was not his real
name Did he tell you his real namsf'
| NO"
What did he tell you, DO you remember
the letter.
81 remember every word Of the letter"
IF yon dictate it, will write it down.
That may be a help"
Mr. Emblem began quickly, and as il he
was afraid of forgetting:
when you read These lines. shall be in
the Silent Land, whittier Alice my wife,
has gone before me"
Then Mr. Emblem began to stammer
"'ln one small thing VIC deceived you,
Alice and !. Ny name is not Aglen'-is
not Aglen--h
And here a strange thing happened. His
memory failed him at this point.
Take time" said Arnold; there IS no
hurry"
| Mr.. Emblem shook his head.
II shall remember the rest tomorrow,
perhaps" he said.
us there anything else you have to help
usf asked Arnold; "ncver mind the letter,
Mr.. Emblem. No doubt that will come
back presently. You see we want to find
out, first, who lrs's father really was. and
| what is her real name. There was his coat
| Of arms. That will connect her with some
family, though il may be family with
many branches
"Yes-oh yes! his coat Of arms. l have
| seen his signet ring dozen times. Yes his
coat; yes, first and fourth, two roses and a
boar's head erect; second and third--I
forget"
"Humph Was there any one who knew
him before he was married?'
"Yes, yes" Mr.. Emblem sat up eagerly.
Eyes, there is--there is he is my oldest Gus.
toner But forget his name. have for
gotten every thing. Perhaps I shall get
back my memory tomorrow But I am
old. Perhaps it will never get back"
He leaned his head upon his hands, and
stared about him with bewildered eyes.
~ do not know, young man." he said
presently, addressing Arnold, "who you
are II you come from Mr.. Chalker, let me
tell you it is day too soon. Tomorrow We
will speak OF business" Then he sprang to
his feet suddenly, struck with a thought
which pierced him like dagger. "To-mor-
rowi 1t is the day when they will come to
sell me up Oh, Iris! what did that matter
when yon were safsl Now we are all pau
pers together--all paupers"
He fell back in his chair white and trem-
bling; Iris soothed him; kissed his cheek
and pressed his hand; but the terror and
despair of bankruptcy were upon him. This
is an awful spectre, which is ever ready to
appear before the man who has embarked
his all in one venture. A disastrous sea.
son, two or three unlucky ventures. sue
cession Of bad debts, and the grisly spectre
stands before them. He had no terror for
tho old man SO long as he thought that Iris
was safe But now
"ldle talk, Iris--idle talk, child" he said,
when they tried to comfort him. How
can girl make money by teaching. Idle
talk, young man. How can money be made
by paintingi It's as bad trade as writing.
How can money be made anyhow but in an
honest shop. And tomorrow l shall have
no shop, and we shall oil 60 into the street
togetherln
Presently. when lamentations had yielded
to despair, they persuaded him to so to bed.
1t was past midnight. Iris went up stairs
with him, while Lala Roy and Arnold
waited down below. And then Arnold made
great discovery. He began to examine
tina folded pauers which vera in the packet.
l think he had some kind Of o vague idea
that they might contain secret and invisibls
writing. They were all sheets Of notepaper,
Of the same size, folded In tho same way
namely, doubled 40 IL for a square envelope.
On holding ono to the light he read the
water mark:
HIEROGLYPHICA
A Vegetable velluua.
n & & Co.
They all had the same water-mark. He
showed the thing to the Hindoo. who did
not undentand what IL meant
Then Iris came down again. Her grand.