Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-18
pair OF ROGUES.
Coatinaed from Tl.ird Paqe

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ton dryly, or / might find it difficult to
satisfactorily explain matters and ac-
count for the presence of that, and he
calmly pointed to the body which lay
half under the table f'Tbat reminds
mel suppose we ought to do something
call the police, or something of that
sort. In my part of the country we
aren Il so particular IN such cases, but
here I suppose it is different.
Eyes, said Proudfoot, Gone of you
had better step round to the police sta
ton had better go myself is only
a few blocks distant, and 1 know the
captain well enough to get him to ar
range matters quietly and with as little
fuss as possible But stay-there's a
telephone in the corner We had better
make use of that, and he walked to-
ward the instrument.
it's private wire only broke in
Jack, who was beginning to emerge from
his state of bewilderment cit is only
connected with old Nugent's house. 1
know that, for Grace--I mean Miss NJ
gent with a glance at the mysterious
stranger, whom, since the claim of pa
ternity, he seemed TO suspect of an I'M
limited capacity for cbaff-''to told me
about it once.'
In that case, said Proudfoot, ct
had better ring him up and ask HIM to
come down at once, - and in another
moment he was hallooing'' into the in
strument. Luckily Mr.. Nugent hap
pened to be in his library, and when in
formed that an accident had happened to
Mr.. Strange, and that his presence was
urgently required, he answered that
he would be there in the course of half
an hour.
but hadn t we better get doctor as
soon as possibIe?' asked Jack. 81
can 4 say am particularly fond of poor
Strange, but he mayn't be-er-dead,
you know?"
" My boy - replied the elder Houston,
swben it comes TO gun-shot wounds 1
guess 1 can give the most of your Eastern
doctors points and still have some knowl-
edge TO spare. The fellow as dead as
a herring, and good job, too, - and he
cody took fresh cigar out of his case
and bit the end before lighting it.
YES said Proutfoot, who, with a
somewhat whitened face, had been kneel-
ing at the side of the body, ''there is
not doubt of it, but OF course IL send
the police surgeon around as soon as I
can, - and he left the room hurriedly.
Jack and the elder Houston followed
him as far as the outer office, the former
with a scarcely concealed shudder clos
ing the door of the private room, so as to
put barrier, as it were, between them
and the horror within. The other, no
whit disturbed by the presence of death,
swung himself up to a sitting position on
one of the tall desks, and, looking down
upon the young man with an amused
smile, started the conversation after a
somewhat awkward pause by observing:
perhaps you don It believe am your
father. Eh?''
Gwen, - said Jack politely, 81 should
be sorry to doubt any ones word on
most subjects, but you say my father has
been dead for a good many years ard
% And you think / birdly lC0k like the
father Of such q good.Nu king young man
as MI. Jack ioustolI isAnyhow. Well,
perhaps < 81 ., Ind perhaps 1 don e de-
= sSC'eS after hearing what I've heard to-
night, to be any decent young fellow s
father, but while we are waiting juts
listen to what 1 have to tell you. After
that we IL go and see my sister Jane, and
! think then you II go and kill the fatted
calf and welcome your prodlgal old
father in proper filial fashion - and in
the same tone of semi-sarcasm, which
served to conceal the emotion under
which he undoubtedly labored, he told
TO Jack the story of his life, supplement-
u ~ N4ehe A1O AAeiA Jho1 44OSAAo AAOAA4 tAAC
unfortunate Lemuel Strange.
He had hardly finished when a knock
was heard at the door which had been
locked by Jack after Harold's exit.
Jack fastened to open it, and there stood
Air. Nugent, painting and putting, after
his quick journey up the steep staircase.
What's the matter?'' he gasped;
''and what the devil are you doing in my
office at this time of night?'' as his
glance fell on Jack.
81 m waiting for the police to come, -
said Jack quietly.
1.-THE policei what fOr?''
s'Mr. Strange has shot himself That s
what for, - blurted out Jack, somewhat
nettled by the others manner
''Shot himself Good God! I don t
believe it. Strange was too smart ever
to shoot himself. Some scoundrel must
have murdered him
"As Jim Horton murdered Dandy
Dave? Ehl' quickly put in the elder
Houston, advancing from the shadow in
which he had been standing unobserved
of Nugent. The latter turned as though
he had been shot ''What do you
mean?'' he was angTiIY beginning, when
the light Of the solitary gas jet fell full
upon the others face. Nugent stared at
him in a dazed way for Il second, then in
q hoarse SORT of whisper stammeTed,
His face! great God! HIS face!' and
throwing one arm before his eyes, as
though to SHUT out some terrifying sight,
he fell forward like a log upon the floor,
stricken down by his accusing conscience
CHAPTER XIV.
EPILOGUE.
The police surgeon when he arrived
with Harold few minutes later, found
two subjects for his professional diagno-
sis in place OF one. Death had visited
David Nugent, as we may still call him,
rs well as his brother rogue, Lemuel
Strange, but it was mental not phys
ical death, for when he recovered from
his state of Inconsistencies, his intel
lect, enfeebled by the constant STRAIN of
the past months, was completely shat
tered
lie was taken to his home and given
INTO his daughter s tender care by Jack,
while the elder Houston and Harold went
TO the police station and gave succinct
account of the circumstances which led
to Strangers death. At the inquest
which soon followed, Proudfoot's evil
dence was sufficient TO clear Mr.. Hous-