The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-25
CHAPTER XVIII.
cUNLIFFE's BENEFACToR.

seem scarcely courteous 10 WlChhOlQ the
letter from the reader. especially as it may
serve to enlightn situation which has al
ready become somewhat obscure.
The letter was long one, and was dated
at Boston, couple of days after Cunliffes
mysterious disappearance. After touching
upon few unimportant matters, it con-
tinued as follows:
''But have not yet told you the occasion
of my abrupt departure. Three nights ago,
when | got home rather late from the club,
] found letter on my table with the BoS-
ton postmark. The handwriting was I'M
familiar to ME; and | should have suspected
it OF being a dunning application, only
that, so far as / could remember, l had
never bought anything in Boston that / had
not paid for, if, indeed, ever bought any
thing there besides a cigar, pair of gloves
or ticket to the theater. l was tired, how
ever, and thought I wouldn't open the let
ter until the next morning. But when l
got undressed and was sitting before the
fire in my dressing gown, lighted a cigar
cite, and then | thought | might as well
have look at that letter. So l opened it,
and looked first at the signature.
Ibid ever happen to speak to you of
Fowler Morgan? Probably not, for l had
almost forgotten him myself / knew him
when was in college, which is now good
many years since. He was considerably
older than l, and was in the law school
when | entered the freshman class. He took
a fancy to me for some reason-I forget
what-and we were great deal together
] both liked him and dislilxed him. knew
him to be an unprincipled man; but there
was fascination about him. there was
something undeveloped in me that sympa-
thized with something developed in him. He
would come into my room and talk to me
11xyt ha oil M IF
about himself and his experiences and what
he meant to do in the world. | listened to
it all, though there was great deal that |
had better not have listened to. felt that he
was inoculating me with low views of life
views which l diSapproved of; and yet /
liked him to come, and preferred his COM
pany to any one elSes.
"His mother had saved up money enough
to send him to the law school; but he ad-
mitted to me that he was studying the law
only in order TO be able more safely to
evade or defy it. He used to say that So
ciety was a humbug, and that everybody
would be a thief if he knew how to be
without getting punished. I'm Just like
all the rest of them, he said, except that
Pm not afraid. 1 don't want any senti-
ment or religion or nice sense of honor in
mime I'm going to get money and have a
good time; and I'm not going to starve my
self to death either!"
YOU'RE nice boy" he often used to
say to me, but you haven't got the stuff in
you; you're handicapped with all that non
sense about responsibility and honesty and
SO on. You'll never make a living for
yourself; if somebody doesn't give you
money you'll never have any. They say
God helps those who help themselves I
say the devil helps those who won't help
themselves. III tell you what I'll do with
you, Frank. When | die-and don't ex-
10 Iiva 10 h1Y, raI loo
money. will as sure as Pm sitting here
You'll have forgotten all about it by that
time; but it may come in handy just the
same
"Of course, thought nothing of that,
and forgot about it, as he said l would,
very soon after he left the college. have
never known, from that day to this what he
did W tn himself. At intervals-rather long
ones--I used to run across him; he always
greeted me ON the same footing as of old
but his proceedings were evidently not off
the kind that seeks the light, and he has
occasionally warned me not to call him by
his real name. l fancy he was in jail at
one time, though l don't know what for
AS you may imagine, | was not exactly
proud of my acquaintance with him,
though still | always felt that old uneegen-
crate liking for him. Later, l believe he
got into politics, under some other name;
and presume that is where he made his
money.
II also have reason to think that he was
married at one time, but he never spoke TO
ME of having a wife, and probably they
did not live together Afterward he drifted
out of my field of vision altogether, and
have not seen him for a number of years
] don't know exactly how many. l have
always suspected him of being a thorough
paced rogue, but have always been careful
not to seek confirmation of the suspicion; and
o.a1 -. 1. I. l.
the point of telling me some episode of his
career. l have stopped him, and said that
preferred to know nothing about it.
well, that was the state of affairs as
between him and ME when / opened the let
ter the other night The name signed at
the end of it was Fowler Morgan.
Il read the letter with good deal of In
tareSC and my interest increased as | went
on 1t was a queer document, rambling and
rather incoherent at first, but presently /
gathered that the man was i'll and expected
20 die. The statement was accompanied
with a good deal Of sacrilegious allusion,
characteristic of him, but unusually result
ing in such condition. He went on to say
that he was alone in the world, and had no
one but his lawyer and doctor to look after
him. Il want TO see you, Frank, before |
peg out the letter continued, and don't
want you to lose minute in coming here,
either. We were always pals, In sort Of
way, and | could have made man Of you
If you had more sense; but, any way, you
were about the only man | took real
shine to, and I'll prove it to you before I'm
done with you. But you needn't think I'm
such fool as to suppose that you would
travel 200 miles at this time Of the year to
see pal who is dying and has no one to say
good word to him. Oh, no, l know a
trick worth two of that! You come here,
Frank, and you'll find it the most paying
Investment you ever made. It's straight
TIP that I'm giving you. my boy. Do
you remember promise 1 made to you
when we were in the college together; do
II you don't and can keep apromise, when
/ want to- as well as another man. Come
down here by the next train, my boy, and
give me a chance to show that am a man
OF my wordr
II read the letter over, and smoked an
other cigarette; and by the time had fin
ished that l had made up my mind TO go to
Boston the next day. l had more than one
reason for being willing to go. Things have
occurred lately that have made me uneasy
and nervous, and change of scene would
be relief. Whether it was a fancy of
mine or rot, have had an impression of
late that l was being logged by detectives;
and this seemed good opportunity TO give
them the slip. Then there was the wish
stronger than you might suppose, or than l
luVgalf ghOttId bau rn0cidarad lfka1xy ha- |