Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-02

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"EtDiU do my best, sir said Dick.
Snow, there's something else, only this
forgery interfered. 1t is this Clonsilla sue
cession. It was I, you know, who gave the
doctor his title"
'fYou?'
mo other. He knew, Of course, that he
was a distant cousin, but he never dreamed
Of the title falling to him; and thres years
ago, Dick-three years ago, when / talked
the thing over with him, and showed him
that two lives stood between him and the
title, he sold his reversionary rights to me
for a song. And now the reversion is
mine.'
~ thought there was no money in it"
"There's a small Irish estate, which at
present is worth nothing, because the tenants
won't pay. We shall see about that But
there's a snug little English property, Dick,
about which tie doctor knows nothing. 1t
isn't a great thing, but there is a house upon
1t, with a few acres Of land, and it stands in
a good position. / think it is let for three
hundred b year, and perhaps we shall be
able to run up the value a bit. Three hun
dred pounds a year, my boy, with a good
tenant, and l bought it for two hundred
pounds down. I'm a landed proprietor,
Dick, and you are my heir. You shall be a
landed proprietor, too, by CAD, when your
turn comesl'
He rubbed his hands cheerfully. His sons
face, which ought to have responded with
some kind Of smile, only darkened more and
more. That was, perhaps, his way Of ex-
pressing joy.
The thought Of that snug little English
estate made Mr.. Murridge so cheerful that
he forgot his wrath concerning the forg.
cry.
ut will be a cheering thing" he said, re-
curing to the subject, when the case is
completed, for you to think Of the man you
have conducted to the lord mayor and after
wards to the central criminal court. For
sixty pounds-the paltry sum of sixty
pounds-he will have purchased the exclu-
sive use of a whitewashed apartment, rent
free, for seven or perhaps ten years. There
! will be other a-dvantages-the privilege OF
a whole year spent alone, with an hours ex-
ercise cry day then a good many years of
healthy employment, without any beer or
wine or tobacco, and no amusements and no
idle talk. And when at last he comes out it
will be to a world which will turn its back
upon him for thu rest of his natural life
The hand of Justice is heavy in this country
on the man who invades tin rights Of
property; but the hand of Society is ten
times as hard-ten times as hard. So it
ought to be-so it ought to be- For if prop
erty Is not held sacred who would try to
make money!"
Dick went back to his own desk, bearing
with him the checks and the check book.
He sat down and began to think. He had a
week in which he would be left quite undis-
turbed to find out the forger. A good dea
may be done in a week. If he failed, his
father would take up the case for himself
his father, whose scent was as keen as 9
bloodhound's, and whose pursuit would b.
as unrelenting. He had a week. For the
moment he could not think what was to b.
done; he had no clew, perhaps; or, perhaps
he was not satisfied as to the best way o.
following up a clew. Perhaps the problem
presented itself to him as it would to an out
slider. Given a robbery and a forgery. The
robbery must have been committed wher
Mr.. Murridge was out-that was Ger
tain; the forgery must have been com
mitted by some one well acquainted with thC
, custom of drawing twelve pound checks, al
well as able to initiate a signature. TIT
> only persons who had access to the innel
! office in Mr.. Murridge's absence was him
self, Norah Cronan, the office boy and thu
housekeeper; but the latter only when thu
, offices were closed and on Sundays. 6us
p.cion might fall upon any Of these four, buI
especially upon himself and upon Norah
He put this quite clearly to himself. As fol
the oficelboy, no one would suspect him; hi
was too great a fool even to think Of such
crime; and the housekeeper, too, was out Of
the question. There remained, as the mos
! likely persons to be suspected, himself anC
Norah.
! Having got so far he remained here, un.
} able to get any further; in fact, he cam
back to it again and again
Myself and Norah,n he thought. II
| must lie between us two-it must lie be
} tween usr'
The Office boy watched him curiously.
) From his position at the other side Of tn
fireplace he looked, so to speak, over Dick
shoulder, and could watch him unseen ant
u~nsuspectal There were certain special rea
sons-in fhct, they were concealed in th
pocket Of his jacket-why the Office DO,
| thought that something was going to hap
pen. There were other reasons, such as
great increase in Mr.. Richards sulkiness,
] jumpy manner which had lately come owe
him and his rudenes to Miss Cronan, whicl
made this intelligent boy believe that some
thing wan going to happen very soon. Thel
Mr.. Murridge had been shut up with his sol
for ~three-quarters Of an hour. That mean
things unusual. And now Mr. Richard, in
stead Of drawing girls heads, was sitting il
moody thought
B You know how strangely, when the mini
Is greatly exercised and strained, one r.
members n little trife, OF forgets som
little habitual thing. such as brushing th
hair or putting on a collar. Dicks eyes fa
8 upon his pocketbook, which lay upon hi
+ desk. II was . diary-one Of the diarie
which give q certain small space for ever.
Z day in the year and a pocket for letters ]
belonged, like his purse and his bunch 3
keys, essentially to his pocket Yet /
could not remember when he had last carrie
I it in his pocket Consider, II you are accul
toned to q bunch Of keys in your pocket
you do not feel their presence, but yet 70
miss them when they are no longer theri
y Dick became suddenly conscious that g
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