The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-04-26
UNDER A CLOUD
CLEARING HIMSELF.
The Thrilling and Absorbing story
Of q Great Crime.
BY JENNIE DAVIS BURTON,
AurHoR OF Her Inns SEcRxT,n AND
OTHER SroRIIs.
Copyrighted, 1854, bv kAs A. NJ Kellogg Nssospoper
Company. Az Rights ksssrvsd
CHAPTER III.
UNCLE AMOS.

UNCLE AMOS.
Amos Bergman owned Q cottage In Q
west side suburb, where he kept up plain
but comfortable establishment. He was o
bachelor Of fifty, small, mild man, looking
even older than he was.
One-half Of his friends and acquaintances
regarded him ~ . crank, while the rest
maintained that, in spite Of some eccen.
tricities, he had fund Of native shrewd-
ness that might have been genius under
different circums tances.
The trouble was that he had never been
obliged to pin down to any regular work.
Az young man he had taken up first one
profession and then another; he had veered
around to science and then to trade, and
finally settled down to books and gardening
for pleasure, varying his seclusion by dip
ping now and then into the affairs Of tho
world, sometimes as an agitator, sometimes
~ philanthropist. With all his vagaries,
he was Q generous-hearted man, and his
nephew, Norris, had lived for half-dozen
years in his household, the recipient of his
bounty and the weather-vane of his ideas
which had left the young man little worse
of, perhaps, than IL he had been thrown
upon his own endeavors in his tender
years. However, he had the good sense to
rebel when he came Of age, and turned his
fered. He had been two years In the ex-
press service, and flattered himself that he
was trusted employe, when his abrupt
dismissal brought him up standing, as it
were, and cut away some of the self-con.
ceit which goes with youth and inexperi-
ence the wide world over.
There being nothing to interfere, he went
on the afternoon following his receipt OF
that dispatch to pay q visit to his uncle.
Amos Bergman met him with hearty
handshake, and congratulation for what
the young man was disposed to regard as q
decided misfortune.
"Glad you are out Of the business, my
boy. 1t never did give q chance to the
capacities that are in you. Purely mechan-
ical, without scope for the reasoning pow
ers, but there's an opening now that will
tax them, If you choose to avail yourself Of
it."
''If l can reason out new situation I
shall be very glad, Uncle Amos"
''Thats it exactly" cried Amos Bergman.
''Or let US soy occupation, to be ex-
act, for 1t will be to your advantage to
work independently in this matter. I
haven't any doubt Of your fitness for the
work, and I'll advance the necessary funds
for expenses, etc. No thanks, my boyi I'll
honors, a. I'm sure you will"
''But, my dear uncle, what IL the workp'
"Well-you know always said you had
the making of lawyer in youa'' broke of
Uncle Amos, with just the least suspicion of
anxiety apparent in his manner.
"Yes," laughed Norris. "And of doctor,
and minister, and stock broker, and
dare soy, Of a gambler, and u cracksman,
also, II the simple idea were not too shock
ing to contemplate. You have always rated
my abilities away to the upper notch, that's
certain. What il the fancy now, Uncle
Almost"
ut struck me, as soon as read the re.
ports. said to myself: Norris has all the
advantage Of having been on the ground.
He has the making Of q detective in him'-I
think had it myself, when was younger
'and he'll see what I see, that the second
robbery is only cover for the first Find
out the man who stole the single package,
and you'll have the root of the whole affair
in your hands. You'll make q name for
yourself, my dear boy, for, mark my words,
this is no ordinary robbery. There Is some
deep plot, some scheme Of wrong doing
which reaches farther than the public sus-
poets, and yours will be the grand oppor-
tunity to unearth the whole villainous COM
pAACotiOIs oA10 UElu6 ~ w u6ukuV.
Norris was well used to his uncle's enthus-
iasm over his hobby Of the moment, and an
amused smile lowered about his lips as he
listened to the growing eloquence of the
elder man.
"You evidently allude to the recent ex-
press robberies. You seem to forget, though,
that the regular detectives are at work, and
at fault, too, as far as can learn"
''Of course they're at fault. They're deep
In the old ruts. It needs . young, clever
fellow, without bias, uninfluenced by the
deductions drawn from previous cases.
Don't tell you this Is robbery without q
parallel The superintendent Of your d.
vision himself admits that He told me I
had grounds for my theory when ! ex-
planned 1t to him."
''Whatl you have been to the officers Of
the company, unclei Wheni What had
you to say to thcm2"
"Nothing to your discredit, you may be
sure, Norris. They seemed quite struck by
my reasons for thinking you the very man
10 unravel their mystery"
"What reasons, in the name Of all"
swell, there's that affair Of the trap in
the car floor, evidently the work Of q me
chanic, nothing rough or bungling about the
Job. When told them that you had quite
genius for working In wood, that you
were a. well up In calculations and measure
ments as any skilled carpenter, and could
do ~ neat . job OF repairing conveying
the idea that you might find something in
the shape Of clss that would pass un-
noticed by an unframed eye-they really
seemed quite impressed"
"You did that, Uncle Amosi;
Norris spoke slowly, looking at his uncle,
with q sudden cloud dropping over his face.
Certainly did it." testify. ~ have
lect such an opportunity"
A dim vision Of all that this statement
meant dawned upon Norris. What wonder
II the company looked on him with sus-
picious eyesi What wonder II they re-
Rnrtled the concealed anerturA In tha car