Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-23

picked 'em up and we got 'em here. -
He slowly took the letters from his
pocket with one hand, while he dragged
the chair on which he was sitting beside
the master. But with quick flash of
indignation Mr.. Ford rose and extended
his hand.
'These are my letters, Dabney,'' he
said sternly, ''stolen from my desk.
Who has dared to do this?''
But Uncle Ben had, as if accidentally,
interposed his elbow between the master
and Seth IS spoils.
s'Then it's all right?' he returned de-
liberately. 81 brought 'em here be-
cause 1 thought they might give an
idee where my wife was. For them let
tiers is in her own handwrite. You re-
member ez told ez how she was a scol-
lard -
The master sat back in his chair white
and dumb Incredible, extraordinary
and utterly unlocked for as was this rev.
citation, he felt instinctively that it was
true.
81 couldn read it myself-ez you
know. didn It keer to AK any one else
to read it for me-you kin reckon why,
too. And that S why IN troublin' you
tonight, Mr.. Ford-ez friend. -
The master, with a desperate effort,
recovered his voice. cit is impossible.
The lady who wrote those letters does
not bear your name. More than that, -
he added with hRsty irrelevance, "she
is so free that she is about to be married,
as you might have read. You have made
a mistake, the handwriting may be like,
but it cannot be really your wife s. -
Uncle Ben shook his head slowly. cts
her 'n-there s no mistake. When man,
Mr. Ford, hez, studied that handwrite-
hevin so to speak, knowed it on y from
the Outside-from SEEM it pasSin like
between friends-that mans chances o.
bein mistOok ain t ez great as the mans
who on " takes i'll the sense of the words
that might b long to everybody. And
her name not bein' the same as mine
don It fOller. Eff she got divorce she ID
take her old gal s name-the name of
her famerly And that would seem to
allow she did get divorce. What mowt
she hey called herself when she writ
this?''
The master saw his opportunity and
rose to it with a chivalrOus Indignation
that for the moment imposed even upon
himself. 81 decline to answer that
question, - he said angrily. 81 refuse
to allow the name of any woman who
honours me with her confidence to be
dragged into the infamous outrage that
has been committed upon me and CON-
mon decency. And | shall hold that
theft and cOundrel-whOever he may be
-answerable to myself in the absence of
her natural protector.
Uncle Ben surveyed the hero of these
glittering generalities with undisguised
admiration. He extended his hand to
him gravely.
"Shake! Eff another proof was
wantin Mr.. Ford, of that bein' my
wife's letter, - he said, "'that high
toned style of yours would settle it. For
eff thar was one thing she did like, it was
that sort of pc try. And one reason why
her and me didn't get on, and why l
slledaddied, was because it WASH t in my
line. Eft s all in trainin'! On V man
ez had the fourth reader at his fingers
ends could talk like that. Bein' brought
up on Dobell-eZ is nOwhere-it sorter lets
me out of you, eZ it did outen her. But
aIlowin it ain t the square thing for you
to mention her name, that wouldn t be
nothiu agin my doiu' it, and calm
her, wel-Lou Price, in a keerless sort o.
way, eh,''
81 decline to answer further, replied
the master quickly, although his
color had changed at the name. ~
decline to say another word on the
matter until this mystery is cleared up
until | know who dared to break into
my desk and steal my property, and the
purpose OF this unheard-of outrage. And
demand possession of those letters at
once.
Uncle Ben without 4 word put them i'll
the masters hand, TO his slight surprise,
n md II T. aflG cd n his faint liSnprr1-
future. nor was it decreased when Uncle
Ben added with grave naivete and a pat
ronising pressure of his hand on his shoul-
der In course ez your takin' it on to
yourself, and ez Lou Price ain t got no
further call on me, they orter be yours.
Ez to who got 'em outer the desk, l
reckon you ain t got no suspicion of any
one spyin' round ye-hev ye?'
In an instant the recollection of Seth
Davis's face at the window and
the confederation of Rupert S warning
flashed across Ford S mind. The hypo-
thesis that Seth had imagined that they
were Cressy's letters, and had thrown
them down without reading them when
he had found out his mistake, seemed
natural. For if he had read them he
would undoubtedly have kept them to
show to Cressy. The complex emotions
that had disturbed the master on the dis
covery of Uncle Ben IS relationship to the
writer of the letters were resolving them
selves into a furious rage at Seth. But
before he dared revenge himself he
must be first assured that Seth was ig-
norant of their contents. He turned to
Uncle Ben.
~ have a suspicion, but to make it
certain l must ask you for the present to
say nothing of this to anyone. "
Uncle Ben nodded. "And when you
hev found out and you re settled i'll your
MUD that you kin make my mind easy
about this yer Lou Price, ez Wen call
her, bein divorced squarely, and bein' 4,
so to speak in the way o. getting married
agin, We might let me know-ez a friend.
1 reckon [ won't trouble you any more
-night-onless yOu and me takes
another sociable drink together in the
bar. No? Well, then, goodnight. -
He moved slowly towards the door. With
his hand on the lock he added: EFF yer
written to her agin, you might say ez
how you found me lOokin well and COM
f able, and hopen she's enjyin the same
blessin'. 80 long -
He disappeared, leaving the master in
a hopeless collapse of conflicting, and it
is to be feared, not very heroic emotions.
The situation which had begun so dra-
had become suddenly unroman-
L.