Wichita eagle., 1889-12-01

4 -
word
Tom took it, turned the paper over and
read the SIGNATURE and date.
1.-THE deuce!' he exclaimed, and de-
voured it rapidly.
holy jumping Jehosaphatr' he cried.
"What an old scamp! How unblushing-
" he writes of his villainyW
"And vet tries to make amends at the
close of long and evil life, " commented
| Holbrook.
We'll" said Tom, hardly recovered
| from his astorishment, ''the motive "
| ing at the bottom Of the murder is clear
| enough"
But who is the murderer"
There lies the information, replied
Tom. striking the paper he had laid upon
/ Holbrooks desk. But which? It was
not Templeton, for he didn't kill himself
for his own benefit. 1t was not Fountain,
for we know be didn't do it. It is either
Messing, the woman Simpson or Pres
ton"
Preston. What Preston?"
"Why, James Preston-the old drunk
ard"
Eyes, but where is he? Who ever
heard of him:"
'Who ever heard-why-hold hard
say, didn't I?-why, bless my soul! but
/ did tell you, didn't T.
"You are particularly lucid and in
telhgent this morning, not to say ejacu-
latory."
II IrsS Il <el1
SIN the course of our somewhat ex-
tended and frequent intimacy you have
| told me many things and left untold
many others, l suppose. But which
particular piece of information you are
referring to in your usual perspicuous
manner, am unable to ascertain with
out little more light"
''Oh, stow that gliding! you are never
so uninteresting as when you think you
are sarcastic. But / say, didn't l ever
tell you what the Shadow reported to
me about an old man Preston and
/ Parker"
"Never, my royal youth.
Tom, who was too seriously intent
over the discovery Of the paper to fall
into the vein of Holbrook, told with
brevity the scene in the old house in
| Varick street
The recital soon won Holbrook's close
attention.
eff you had told me this" he said at
its conclusion, 1--WE would have been
well along in the quest without the aid
of this document
cornof for tho Hf> <f y,,a toll how 7
came to neglect it, but you see, on my
side I never knew, for you never told
me, that the name of Mrs. Templeton's
father was Carroll Preston"
However, we have the connecting
link now, and the question as TO who is
the person is narrowed to a very few"
"True. 1t must be either Messing, the
woman Simpson, or Preston"
cor Parker"
"Ah, by George, he comes into the
game, too, doesn't he:'
Eyes, by reason of his connection and
conspiracy with Preston"
''Holbrook, said Tom, after a mo-
ment's thought, 81 do not believe that
either Preston or Parker are in this part
of the job"
"Why-equally SO with the Others"
Listen to me moment. In this pa
per, Pierson is at pains to state that Par
ker had no knowledge of his previous
hfe-that he never knew that he bore
another name previous to that of Pier
son."
eyes, I remember; see what your
line of reasoning will be-"
"Well. Now he did know about the
Fountain and Simpson marriages. In
my interview with him he was only dis
turbed when talked of Fountain. He
was lawyer enough to know that if there
was no prior marriage, the Fountain
ceremony, whether mock or not, would
be binding if the supposed Fountain
could be identified with the dead Pier
son. Hence his distur bance at my
knowledge of the matter-a knowledge
which at that time 1 did not have, but
most recklessly assumed to have"
"Well, but you forget Preston, the
drunkard."
''No, don't. This paper Is dated 1874,
ten years ago, and in it is distinctly stated
that old Preston, the drunkard, turned
up five years previously. The old sot,
you will remember, wanted 60 argue
with Parker that he certainly was
brother, because for fifteen years Pierson
had paid him money, and you must give
full weight to the answer of Parker, that
it made little difference whether money
was paid him because he was brother
or whether it was because he possessed
secret which induced old Pierson to give
hush money-he was brother enough for
their purposes. Now this argues that
Parker was not fully acquainted with
this relation, and that he really enter
tanned doubts of the verify of the
brothership between the two-that the
relation. if not the acduaintanceship, be
tween Preston and Parker had sprung
up since Pierson's death"
Il see, see. Yes, your reasoning is
close"
Now" continued Tom. whatever
else we NAV think of Parker, it won't do
to take him for fool. And fool he
would have been to open up tins prop
ertyship question, by his own motion,
right ON the heels Of the murder, if he
had been guilty Of 1t, or implicated in it
The fact that he and his client would
have been benefited by it would have
been too patent, and if he knew the rela-
ton Templeton bore to the property, he
had every reason 10 believe others would
know il: and with . guilty conscience
T.. =