The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-20

declares That u was SVoiciloy iouoW Ias
senger-a mandy the name Of Giles, or Stiles,
or Bilcs---'
"Wilss." said IIarowe earnestly.
ayes" continued Thatcher, suppressing /.
yawn; "Ycs guess you're right 'Wilcs
Well, the stage driver, finally believing this,
goes 10 work and quietly and unostentat usly
Steals--l say, have you got cignrf'
"Ill get you one,'
Harowc disappeared in tho adjoining room
Thatcher dragged Harlowe's heavy, revolving
desk chair, which nsver before had been re-
moved from its sacred position, to the FIRE,
and began to poke the Goals abstractcdly.
Harlowe rcapoeared with cigars and
matches Thatcher hu one mechanically, and
said, between the putYs;
ado you-ever-talk-to yourselfr
-Noi-why"
al thought heard your vice just now in
the other room Anyhow, THU q an awful
spooky place II stayed here alone half
an hour, I'd fancy that the lord chancellor
up there would step down in his robes, out OF
his frame, to keep me company"
Nonsense! When I'm busy often sit here
and write until after midnight. It's SO quiet
"D--mnably 30"
wei, to go b.ck to tho papers Some
body s.olc your bag, or you lost It You
stole ~
! fine driver stole" suggested Thatcher, so
| languilly that it could hardly bo called an in
/ tcrruption.
We'd, well say the driver stole. and passed
! over 10 you IL his accomplish, confederate or
receiver, certain papcrs belonging -"
$500 here, IIarlowc | don't feel Ike joking
in u ghos,ly law office after midnight Here
are your facts Yuba Bill, the driver, stole
| bag from this passenger, Wilas, or Smiles,
and handel it to me TO insure tho return OF
ny own. found in it soElo apars concern
ing my case. There they are, Do with them
what you like"
Thatcher turned his eyes again abstractcdly
4 10 the fire.
| TIarlowe took out the first paper.
"A-w, this seems to be II telegram. Yes,
ehl Come TO Washington at once Carmen
de Iiaro'"
Thatchcr started, blushed like q girl, and
hurriodly reached for the paper.
Nonsense. That's q mistake. A dispatch
n,islaid In the envelope"
Il SEE" said the lawyer dryly.
II thought | had torn it up" continued
Thatcher after an awkward pause. regret
to say that hero that usually truthful man
elaborated Il fiction. He had consulted it
dozen times a day on tho journey. and it was
ipl-
eye had noticed this but he speedily became
Interested and absorbed in tho other papers.
Thatcher lapsed into contemplation OF the fire,
"Wel," said IIarlowc finally turning TO his
client, here's enough to unseat Gashwiler, or
close his mouth. As TO the rest, its good
reading--but needn't tell you-no tcgni evil
dence But it's proof enough to stop them
from ever trying it agaiu-whcn the exist
ence of this record is made known. Bribery Is
hard thing to fix on man; the only witness
is naturally pariiccps criminiS;--bu it would
not be easy for them to explain away this ras-
calls record One or two things don't under
stand; What's this opposite the Hon. KS
name, Took the medicine nicely, and feels
better, and here JUS, in the margin, after Us,
Must lie laborcd WITH
Il suppose our California slang borrows
largely from the medical and spiritual pro-
frsson," returned Thatcher but isn't It
, odd the, a man should keep conscientious
record Of bis OWN yillany."
| Harowe, a little abashed at his want OF
| knowelg. of American metalhor, now felt
+, himself at home swell, no. It's not I'M
usual In ono of those books yonder there
is the record Of a case where man,
who had committed series of nrneicss
atrocities, extending over period of years,
absolutely kept a memorandum Of them il
| his pocket diury. II was produced IN court.
| Why. nv dear fellow, ono half of our bual-
hess arises from the fact that men ana
women arc in the habit of keeping letters and
documents that they might - | don't say,
you know, that they o"ght that's question
Of sentiment or ethics--hut that they might
! destroy
| Thatcher half mechanically tool, the tcIe-
! gram Of poor Carmen aud threw il in the
fire Hailowe noticed the act and smiled.
IN venture to say, however, that there's
nothing III the bag that gou lost that need
| give YOU moments uneasnesS. It's only
your rascal or fool vino carries with him that
which makes him his own detective
Il had friend continued ilarlowe, "a
| clever fellow enough, but who was so foolish
as 10 seriously compicae himself with
woman He was himself tina soul "f honor,
and at the beginning of their correspondence
| he proposed that they should each return the
others letters with their snswer. They did
NJ for years, hut it cost hi;n ten Thousand
dollars and NO end OF trouble after all.
! why" asked Thatcher simply.
| "Becausr lie was such an esOtisiicsi as a.
to keep the letter proposing it, which, she had
duly returned, among his papers a. senti-
mental record Of course somebody eventu-
ally found 1t"
"Good night said Thatcher, rising
abluptl,. If | STAYED here m,Ici Longer
should begin 10 dsbei,evs my own mother
! Il have known of such hereditary traits,
returned Harlowc with laugh But come,
YOU must hoi so without the champagne.
He led tho way 20 the adjacent room, which
proved To- he only the ante-chauiber of