Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-13

suiting the action to the word, that he was
out in the hall before Mr.. Hardy could in
tercept him. The latter, however, was just
in time to prevent him from making his
way into the room which for SO many years
had been entered only by him and by his
invisible patron. Placing his back against
the door, he said quietly;
1T is my duty to stop you, sir. ! trust
you will not attempt to use force; but if
you do, must resist you"
~ mean to see my BROTHER returned
the other. You have done your duty by
protesting, and you had better stand aside.
| Otherwise | shall be reluctantly compelled
to knock you down"
The next instant he himself was lying
fiat upon his back. Perhaps Mr.. Hardy
hit out little too soon; but he was the
smaller man, and he had been defed. In
any case, his advantage was but mo-
mentary one; for his antagonist was up
again Immediately, and a struggle ensued
of which the result was a foregone conclu-
sion. Hardy was broad-shouldered and
knew how use his fists but Robert Morgan
for it may be said at once that the
stranger was really the man whom he had
represented himself as being was heavier,
more powerful, and in better condition. In
a very few minutes the secretary was
flung across the hall, and fell, half
stunned, at the foot of the staircase,
while the assailant stepped without
hindrance into comfortable-furni
sitting-room, where there was a large
writing-table Uttered with papers, and an
armchair which seemed to have been
lately vacated. He did not waste time in
this empty room, but crossing it hastily,
turned the handle of the door leading out
of it, which, rather to his surprise, yielded
to his pressure. He entered what, no
doubt, was his brothers bedroom but his
brother was not there. He glanced round
about him in perplexity. There was no
other door than that through which he
had just passed; therefore, if the eccentric
owner of Wainthorpe Hall had effected his
escape, it must have been through the win
dow, which, indeed, was but two or three
feet above the ground. The window, how
ever, was bolted on the inside. Mr. Rob-
ert Morgan ascertained this curious cir
cumstance after peeping under the bed and
throwing open the doors of two cupboards,
and simultaneously he deserted Mr.. Hardy
running at full speed across the lawn.
To fling up the window, to jump out and
give chase was the work of a moment, and
the hundred yards or so of start which the
fugitive had obtained was of small practi-
cal service to him. Neither he nor his
pursuer were of an age to stay over long
distances at high rate of speed, and ne
was only little more breathless when he
was caught than he would have been if he
had got away few seconds later.
Mr.. Robert Morgan was also breathless,
but was able to articulate "Now, sir"
said he, holding his captive firmly by the
collar, you'll be good enough to tell me
where my brother is"
Nobody can tell you that" gasped out
Mr.. Hardy, with sickly sort of smile;
"but | can tell you where your brother is
not. He is not in this world, and hasn't
been for the last ten years. Let me sit
down and get my breath. won't try to
escape; if | did you could easily stop me-"
This seemed to be tolerably obvious.
The two men sat down under an elm tree
in the park, and presently Hardy sighed
and broke silence.
Rather more than ten years ago." he
began, 81 was engaged as valet by the
late Philip Morgan, at Montreal. He was
in a very nervous, depressed condition,
and suffered terribly from insomnia From
the first he took to me- and | used to sit
UP with him at nights, and we soon be-
came more like friends than master and
servant. / don't think / had been fort
night in his service before he told me his
story-and sad one it was, poor gentle
man! Ifyou are Robert Morgan, as | think
you are, you must evidently have recov-
cred from the bullet which he put into
hut ha "A i'll LII
sible. He was firmly persuaded that he
have killed himself there and then, for he
never got over it. He was very fond of
you, perhaps you didn't know that%
"Oh, l knew it." answered Robert Nor
gan sadly. " / was very fond of him, too
but we were hot-tempered fellows, both of
us, and we were always quarreling.
used to think he was too fond of remind
ing me | was dependent upon him-for
had run through every penny of the small
fortune that my father had left me--and
believe that it was about that that we fell
out for the last time. | know | threatened
to shoot him, and / remember nothing
more until / came to myself in the log
cabin where | had been nursed by some
good Samaritans who had picked me up
for dead. / ought to have let poor Philip
know that he wasn't fratricide; but /
was bitter against him, and | said to my
self that / would never be burden upon
him again. So when | got back my
strength | set to work to make fortune,
and it has taken me ten years to do it. OF
late years | have often wished to write to
Philip; only, as | had waited so long, l
thought | might wait a little longer 1t
would have made no difference if | had
written, | suppose"
Hardy shook his head "None what
ever, sir. Your brother was drowned in
Lake st. George ten years ago. He told
me how, when he returned to camp after
shooting you in a moment of madness, he
reported that you had Leen drowned by
the upsetting of canoe, and how his story
was accepted without question. He used
to say he had presentiment that he
would meet his own death by drowning.
and whether this was really PRESENT.
ment, or whether he verified it of his own
free will, don't know. We had gone out
fishing together, and he put me ashore to
get the luncheon ready. Then he pulled
away round a point of land, and never saw
him again. Only the boat ffoated back,
bottom upwards. Well, you can guess the
rest. 1t was a great opportunity for
penniless man, and the circumstances
were all in my favor. We were travelling
in the United States like a couple of
friends; at the hotel nobody knew which
of us was which, and when l returned as
Mr.. Morgan, and said that my companion
had been drowned in the lake, no doubt
was east upon my statement. As far as |
can remember, did not at the time fore
see the complications which must arise
from the telling of that lie. If had
foreseen them, don't think / should have
told it; for | can assure you, sir, that my
life ever since has been most unhappy. 1t
wasn't worth while-although it seemed
IN no worth while