Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-14

you have any reason to be dissatisfied =
far. -
+ ''May be not, but I have gone oui,,
far enough. In any case, shall M,
allow you to benefit any longer by nv
enemy's downfall. -
''what do you mean?'' asked Strsn,.
in an alarmed tone.
''That the play is played and to-mo,-
row l put Nugent in the possession =.
certain information that will land Won =
Sing Sing, my man You marry NM
young girl! PAIL 1t siekens me n
think Of it.
Strangers expression grew set and
hard. Even rat will fight when it can
not run, and so he, when he saw thu
whole fabric of his future happiness and
security crumble away, became for thu
moment brave.
land you think am going to fold nv
! hands and give up without a struggled
Why man, what proofs have you tina,
you are aouston?''
81 DONE think Nugent, as ne call,
himself, viii need a second look at me
| have not changed much more than he
and knew him at a glance Besides
| as you may remember, l took steps n
prevent your showing your teeth
think have in my pocket here a confess
sion of certain felonlous assault COM
mitted by one Lemuel Strange and wit.
messed by me.
For the last moment or so Lemuel had
| been fumbling unnotlced by the other in
| a drawer in front of him Now he sud-
| denly sprang up. ''Then, by Godl" he
cried ''you don t leave this room alive
| unless you give that paper back to me!'i
and he pointed a revolver at the other.
| Quick as a fash Houston 8 right hand
| skipped to his hip, but with a look Of
| chagrin he murmured, 81 We forgotten
my gun;'' then in a louder tone, but
| still cool and collected, he answered.
q Don t play with that. 1t might 20 of.
You fool Do you think you will mend
matters by numbering me? People get
hanged in this part of the world for that
sort of thing
With a cunning leer Strange replied.
still pointing the pistol at the other, u
have thought of that. You are unknown
while am man of undoubted respecta-
| bility. Don t you think it win be easy
for me to tell story of attempted rob-
berry and assault, and hasty shot fired
to scare but unfortunately having a fatal
effect? Now will you give me the paper
or not?''
credit for, - SAID Houston, cycling him
steadily. ''Suppose we compromise
will let you go and say nothing to NJ
gent provided you are out of the country
inside of twenty -four hours. -
''Thank you, you are very kind, -
sneered the other, ''but l mean exactly
what 1 say. Hand over that paper or l
fire -
Houston slowly unbuttoned his coat
and apparently was going to place his
hand inside the inner breast pocket when
with an agility hardly to be expected
from one of his years he made a sudden
dart at Lemuel. AS he did so there came
a hasty knocking at the outer door,
and between the surprise of this. and the
suddenness of Houston s movement,
Strange lost his head for moment. The
elder man closed on him, there was q
short struggle for the pistol, a report,
and when the smoke cleared away
Lemuel was lying stretched out on the
floor with a stream of blood trickling
from his forehead, and the still smoking
pistol clasped firmly in his hand. He
had discharged it himself, but the bullet !
had taken his own life instead of that Of
his adversary.
Houston walked to the door as coolly
locked it, and Proudfoot rushed in fol-
lowed bp Jack.
''Then you are not hurt?" gasped the
former. "But where is Stranger
''I don t know who you are, SIT, but
if you are friend of Strangers you had
better send for policeman. He IS lying
in the inner room shot through the head,
and l am inclined to believe he needs
coroner rather than a doctor. -
''Thank God!'' painted Harold.
''That sounds as if you knew Strange
well, - said the other with grim sar-
casm.
81 mean I am glad you are unhurt, ="
was the answer.
''But what is it aIlabo ut? And what
does it mean?' broke in Jack, who
thought, as he afterward averred, that
the stranger must be an escaped lunatic
and that Harold had caught the malady
from him.
81 was about to ask that question my
self, - said the stranger, ''for matters
seem little mixed. Suppose, to begin
with, you tell me who you are, and he
turned to Harold.
II am Harold Proudfoot of the Chron-
IDLE -
land your friend?'
els Mr.. Jack HoustOn?'
Houston stepped up to Jack, and put
ting his hand on his shoulder peered
eagerly into his face ''Don t think me
too eccentric, - said he with a queer
smile, ''but l want to have a good look
at you. 1 am John Houston, your
father!'
CHAPTER XIV.
FATHER AND SON.
Jack stared at his father with COM
zeal expression of bewilderment and aO-
prehension. for he was now more than
ever firmly convinced that he had to DO
with lunatic. The older man did not
fail to notice the expression and TO right
~ interpret it.
81 don t expect you to accept me as
relation on my mere say so, he re-
marked, ''but within a very few hours
l shall be able to convince you or the
truth of my somewhat startling state
ment. In the meantime, Mr.. Proud
foot, perhaps you will explain how you
managed TO arrive in the very nick Of
time like the hero of one Of those start
ling meIodramas I used to steal away 10
the Bowery and shudder over when
was boy.
GGT aauv Strar1a droxv +ha pisfOl and