Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-12-11
ound. 30 that I saw him full in the

eff Wheeler could only see me now %
Il should mention that my name is
Wheeler Richard Wheeler. The al
fusion was to met guess he would
soon upriddle the mystery OF his ac-
counts. Well. the game is up, sup
pose. had my fling, even if the result
is penal servltude for life. / fater
myself that few men would have had
the dexterlty to carry it on SO long"
He came a few steps forward, the Ian
tern in his hand, and suddenly stopped
short. His eyes were fixed on the glass
partition. On his face there was an ex-
preston OF the most awful, CHASTITY fear.
His lips seemed parched. He gasped
Tor breath. For a moment | thought
he would be seized with CONFUSION;
but he had sufficient control over him
self to ward off that. He spoke at last,
and his voice was like the voice of
strangled man.
"Wheelerl Wheeler! rs it you For
Gods sake, don't look like tn t Your
eyes are horrible !"
He covered his own eyes with his
hand; could see him shudder. Then
| With quick, firm steps he advanced to
| the partition door, and entered the Of
| fee IN which | Was.
II suppose you think you have
caught me ?" he cried. 81 congratulate
| you on your cIeverness. But, perhaps,
nv friend, YOU have caught more than
you think"
suddenly he seemed struck by my i'm
| mobility. He came step nearer.
.Whv do you SIT there like wooden
block, you hypocritical old fool? Do you
| hear? Can't you speak? You think
you have trapped me very neatly. eh? ?"
| He paused. He came step nearer.
Cant you speak, you fool? Wheeler!
| Wheeler'
He laid his hand upon my shoulder
| He shone the lantern in my face. Sud
| denly he gave the most dreadful shrek
| that ever yet | heard.
MY God !" he cried. Hes dead I"
In his sudden fear the lantern fell
| from his hand with crash. He gave
me push which sent me flying head
| foremost to the floor. And where I
| fell, there like dead man lay.
l lay on my own bed in my own
room. Oh, what had [ ever done to
deserve the agony which I endured
then? There was my wife on her
knees beside the bed, there was cam
die which hickered on the chest OF
drawers, although daylight had already
streamed into the room, and there was
[, wrapped in the garments which en-
fold the dead. How nv wife weep !
How she mourned in the sudden an
guish of her woe Now she called on
God for mercy and for strength, and
now she got upon the bed and pillow ed
her head upon my breast, or bede we'd
my face with her kisses and tears.
''Richard !'' she cried, "Richardi At
ter all these years My own MY
dear ~
And then she wept as though her
heart would break. Who shall con-
ceive my agony as | lay there?
A little later there was this scene.
Five men came into the room. There
was DR.. Leverson. my Old medical
attendant; Wilfrid Burton, the banker,
whom man aid boy [ had served for
thirty years; Mr.. Fellows, the lawyer to
the bank; Philip Morris, that accursed
thief; and Capt. Philipson, the chief of
the county police.
1t was Mr.. Burton who spoke first.
His voice was dry and cold-very dit.
terent from the kindly, pleasant voice I
knew so well.
Before we GO any further, I suppose.
DR.. Leverson. there IS no DOUBT that
this wretched man is dead? That YOU
certify? No autopsy, or anything Of
that sort?''
DR.. Leverson smiled a superior smile.
Richard Wheeler is certainly dead.
[ have the certificate of death in nv
pocket. The funeral is already ar
ranged. He died from valvular disease
of the heart: a disease Of whose pres
ence / have been long aware" NV
brain reeled as | listened to the glib an
nouncement doubtless his death
was accelerated at the last sudden
shock"
"God," said Mr.. Burton, with the
solemnity the unconscious irony of
which Was hideous, ''saw fit to strike
down the criminal at the moment OF his
crime"
looked like as he heard the words.
This time he was out of my line OF
sight.
And now" continued Mr.. Burton,
Ito proceed to the business which has
brought us here. / need pot point out
to you, DR.. Leverson, that all that
passes here is in the strirtest con-
fdence.n | presume that the Doctor
bowed his head. 1.-The bank has been
the victim ot"-the speakers voice
tremhled, and felt that my wife ha6
covered her face with her hands-"of
the most terrible dish nestv. To what
0Ai0uI GuG &udlT udS gone l. nave no
yet had time to ascertain, but [ fear
that we have been robbed to the ex-
tent of at least e1GO,00O."
A hundred thousand pounds! My
God No wonder could not get the
accounts to balance That villain had
robbed us of hundred thousand
pounds at least, and [ lay speechless
there.
''Mr. Morris Will repeat the state
ment which he has already made to
me. You. Mr.. Fellows, will kindly take
it down. and we will have it attested in
the presence of Capt. Philipson. Mrs.
Wheeler, you need not stop; it will only
be pain III for your feelings. Indeed, [
think you had better go away"
''Sir," said my dear wi cob, how her
dear voice rang through my brain
"whatever Mr.. Morris may have to say,
I never shall believe that my dear hus-
pand was ttief. I have known him to
be good husband and God-fearlng
man for nearlv thirty years."
''Ah, Mrs. Wheeler. how appearances
may deceive. l had full as much con-
idence in him as you. Before you
think that | misjudge him, hear what
Mr. Morris has fO Sdv -