Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-26
which had distin-

It WAS on my return to the hotel that L
found n telegram from BielsG: Cipher
discovered. Most important" The de-
t~ectiye evidently did not waste words IN
| t~ele0raphing. Twas consumed with eager
ness to learn what the important news
might be to (Which he had now got the key.
"A gentleman TO see you sir" 1t was
the evening of this same day, and l was
sitting by myself in my room. The waiter
held the door open, and DIR. Branksome,
who must have adopted some speclal
means thus to insure his admission 70 my
apartment, entered.
'EDr. BranksOmei" l said, IN astonish-
ment. ,sYou here"'
Hesmiled with the grave air that knew
30 well. aud, removing his glove, oitered
h;s hand TO me. What was the magnetic
;nanance which the man exercised over
ali Who came in contact with him? l can
no,tsn only know that, while l cursed
MYSELF for nv weakness, | did not refuse
~ optStretehed hand. He seated himself
with great eompOsure, and said:
az must apologize for my untlmely IN
trusion. but Tthink you will forgive me
when YOU know the purpose OF my VISIT.
Won have'seen Daisy, | understand, To-Day,
I have not had that privilege myseii: i
want YOU to tell ME how the poor child Is.
DIiSy's name acted rs q spell to save me
from the strange influence OF the man.
yes" I replied, II have seen DAISY,
DIR. Branksome, but l can say nothing 10
You about her.
He arched his eyebrowsi In mute surprise.
sI think YOU carry your resentment 700
far admire it, but ii is unjust"
"Hvprocritep' | cried my lmpetuous
temper once more breaking down all self
erected barriers of prudence. "Hyprocrite
and liar, l know you now. why 10 you
come TO me with your smiling race anu
vour simulated tenderness for the giri
whom Won made your vletlm-the girl
whose very life you were ready 10 SaerinGe
10 your devilish plans? Go to someDo1y
else, and smile, and smile, and play the
villain with them. Don't come 10 ME. L
tell you, l know you"
HNr. .Fenton," he said, rising to MS
feet. 'if grief has distempered your mag
nation Won ought at least TO be able TO put
some check upon your tongue when you
receive A gentleman who has come to you
In a shirt of the purest friendship
Iauohed bitterly. Friendship, purl-
tvp I cried. ''DOn'tItell yon, sir, that L
have found you out-that | know now ior
what purpose this sweet girl whom you
have made your unconscious tool, N
whom YOU have now abandoned to a shame
fnl death, was adopted by you, given a
name 10 which she had no right, n
naImed offupon q man with whom she a
no relationship. l know it all, sir, n
the meanin and end of it all. Everything
has been done on a grand scale, l confess
Nobody thought that the magnificent Dr'
RrankSome was a vulgar scoundrel, plot
ting by day and by night to obtain possess
ion of Mauleyerer's millions
"Ah!I see it all!' he replied, in tones IN
which there was yelled irony, that found
II hard to bear. 81 thought that 1T was
grief for Daisy that had turned your brain.
I see now that you have been listening to
the ISLANDERS of a convicted thief, 4 dis
CHARGED servant, q would-be assassin, and
that, influenced by his malignant fables,
Won are inclined to mourn rather MIR.
Mauleyerer's money than the fate OF his
niece. Ii that be so, Mr.. FentOn, 1 must
hid YOU rood evening. l can bear q great
deal for Daisy's sake, but | decline to keep
any terms with n man who really believes
snch ISLANDERS as those which Gregson has
impaired to YOU"
lie turned to 90. 4 sudden thought
struck ae. | went forward and laid my
hand upon his arm.
..Dr, ~Branksome," l said, trying to keep
down the surgingemOtiOn which seemed to
stiHe nv utterlnce, II may have wrOnged
Won. | don't know. All | know is that
Won are n wonderful man, and that, IN
spite OF the hideOuS crimes OF which l Gun
not help feeling that you are guilty, l am
drawn toward you in Il way that cannot
explain even to myself. Will you hear me
when | cry to you for mercy for DAISY?
See, | will grOvel Mt your feet II you VIII
but promise To save her! Tax allIthe ac-
cursed money that Mauleverer possessed,
do with it what you will, but save her!
As YOU hope for eternal happiness here
after. As YOU dread the punishment which
sooner or later falls upon every wrong-doer
be merciful. and let the poor child escape
from the net that has been woven around
her."
Ash live when / looked upon that hand
some face, | saw tears in the mans eyes.
NV own were dim enough, but they were
not mistaken in what they told me- they
saw. He grasped my hand with the
warmth and lirmness OF q brothers greet
inc, and for once his measured tones were
broken rs he answered ME.
a'Fenton, you are an honest man! For
give me il used rough language Just now.
On my part l forgive you all your snSplc-
ions of me. You shall hear of me again,
and perhaps then YOU will not think so
hardly of me rs you do at present"
His hand was on the door when he
turned and said: 81 think my memory is
failing. | had clean forgotten N OF the
objects of my coming to see you. 1t was
to ask whether, on the occasion of your
visit to Great LOrtOn, You by any chance
took away with YOU q small pOcSetbook
belonging to me-a little diary i'll which
make a memoranda, in short hand, of
things which Happen to interest me, but
which are of no Importance to anybody
else"
If he had put this question to me two
minutes before / should openly have exul-
ted over him. As it was, SO great was the
power the extraordinary man was able to
WELD over those around him, that | an
swered him now in 4 manner that might
have led q bystander to imagine that re-
GREETED the fact which | had to eOmmuni-
cate to him.
''Yes," / said gravely. II took posses
sion of the book you mention. l did not
know that it was yours; l imagined that it
belonged to Flinter. 1t is not in my pos
session now. Bielski, the detective whom
/ employed to discover Gregson, took it to
London with him yesterday, and | received
this message from him to-day"
1 handed to BrankSOme the telegram
which announced that the secret of the
cipher had been discovered. He glanced
at it. and rs he did so l fancied that a
slight pallOr passed over his face. But he
returned the paper to me with o steady
hand, and it was in a voice that showed
no traces even of the emotion he had dis
played when he responded to my appeal on
behalfOf Daisy that he said:
at is curious that they should think
they have discovered my cipher. The
very fact that they talk of the contents of
the book as important, tells MT that they
- d. IL