The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-09-08


at once my making and my ruin. Tush
such nonsense; the thing is perfectly legal,
and the money Is perfectly safe. Even II
lost It, I'd be very far from ruined; but 1t is
quite safe. So, Mr.. Oswald, you shall have
your thousand pounds, more especially as
you are pretty certain to kill yourself with
it. Still have strange liking for the lad.
He has good qualities with all his folly.
But oh, humbug! what have to do with
these feelingsl If I had any one to leave
my money to-a child Of my own to inherit
my WEALTH. might wish to leave 1t little
cleaner than 1t is. Yes, it's hard to think
that the riches for which l have toiled will
go to people who curse my name-if don't
leave them to the nation, or turn them
into cash and fling 1t into the sea before
die Como in"
The last two words were in answer to q
knock at the door.
"Mr. Oswald, SIR" said a boy who acted
as sort Of clerk to Mr.. Heath.
"Show him in," said the latter as he re-
sumed his seat at the table.
A tall, handsome, but very delicate young
man entered the room.
"Well, young sir, what can do for you"
said Heath in gruff voice, which was in
tended to be pleasant and assuring
| One Of Mr.. Heath's peculiarities was that
he seemed to take a delight in making his
clients state their business as often as pos
sible, however well he might be acquainted
with it.
"You can offer me chair If you want to
| be civil, and a glass Of brandy If you're in
clined to be friendly" replied Oswald, in a
languidly familiar manner, which Just bor-
dered on being contemptuous.
| 30, please be seated, my dear sir, IL you
insist on ceremony" said Heath, pushing
the bottle and glass toward his visitor as
| he spoke. "And now, besides offering you
a chair and a little brandy, what else can
do for you!"
"Well confound 1t! you know what
have come about. You have had my letter.
What's the use Of asking such question:"
was the impatient reioinder.
eyes. have had your letter, but don't
like the business. tell you frankly, don't
like to see young man running himself as
you are doing"
80, curse it ALI have not come here to
| be lectured," interrupted Oswald, angrily.
| ''Will you do the thing or notl This is
Thursday. l must have the money by
Saturday night"
| 81 would have to give notice to the trus-
tees of this fresh charge, and there is barely
time to get the thing through. would
rather you took the matter somewhere
else," replied Heath, obviously.
| "But is impossible, and must meet my
engagements on Monday" was the answer.
The result of some further conversation
was that Mr.. Heath, with great show of
reluctance, suffered himself to be persuaded
to have every thing ready to make this
further and final advance on Saturday.
| "You will have twenty pounds in gold,
eight ten-pound notes, and the remaining
nine hundred pounds Short" said Oswald
as he was leaving the room.
"Yes, hope you will take care of it," re-
piled Heath.
II shall win twenty thousand over the
Guineas. Good evening"" was the answer,
and Mr. Oswald took his departure.
On Saturday Oswald duly received the
el,0O0 after he had executed a deed, by
which he assigned the policy of assurance
and his life interest in tho e15,000 consols
to Mr.. Heath. According to the will Of the
late Mr.. Oswald, the gl5,0O0 was, if Robert
Oswald died without issue, to pc paid to o
distant relative who lived in America.
Mrs. Oswald, may add, derived her in
come from certain investments in Ameri-
can railway stocks. She was supposed to
be very well off, but it was q curious thing
that, though she went good deal into
society, nobody seemed to know much
about either her or her late husband. They
had come from America about five years
before and taken house in Porchester Ter
race, Bayswater.
The late Mr.. Oswald brought very salts
factory references from Chicago, kept q
very good balance at his bank, and enter
tained as did Mrs. Oswald, in very hos
pitable manner. This, however, was really
all that was known about them. AS to their
son, Robert, he had unluc11ily taken to bot.
ting and got into the clutches of Mr.. Heath,
with what result, SO far, we have seen
above.
1t is not necessary to say more than that
Robert Oswald lost bis money, and brought
himself to his death-bed during the next
two months. AS Mr.. Heath knew, he was
in consumption when he sold his annuity,
and the effect of his losses and constant
dissipation precipitated the collapse of his
system. "When sorrows come they come
not single spies but in battalions." On the
morning after the race for the ''Two Thou
sand Guineas," when Robert was left ut
terly penniless, and in debt to number of
bookmakers, Mrs. Oswald received o letter
from her stock broker, saying that he
would like to see her at her earliest con-
venience. Accordingly she went at once
to the City, where she learned that the two
American railways in which nearly all her
money was invested had ceased to pay
dividends. That, in short, the shares were
almost unstable as it was highly probable
that the concerns would be sold under fore
closure of mortgages. Mrs. Oswald did all
she could under the circumstances. She
gave up her house In Portchester Terra %.
and took lodgings in st. Paul's road, Cam
den Town, where she devoted hersclf TO the
task of nursing her son, who was now fast
sinking in consumption.
PART II.
In the second week OF the following June,
Mr.. Heath, who had small house In Not.
ting Hill, was sitting In his parlor at q
little after eight o'clock In the evening,
when the servant came In to say that Mr.
Bailey wished to see him.
"Show him in at once" said Heath, who
rose from his seat and went to the door Ia
meet him.
A shsbbily dressed little man, who looked
something like q lawyers clerk out OF en-
ployment, came into the room.
swell, ',said Heath, In his usual gruf way,
when he had closed the door, which he did
very carefully - II he were afraid that
somebody might be listening outside.
"Mr. Oswald's dead, sir Died at i've
s'olsok this evening ] only heard Of 4