Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-05-08

! sion had m all II personal eff
fects of the deceased. He had found let
tiers in plenty, both at the office of Tenn
pleton and his boarding place, but none
| that threw any light upon the motive of
the deed or which even demanded in
quiry.
The books and business papers were in
excellent and m%ethodical shape. Ee
was certain after closing everything up
and paying all outstanding obligations
he could turn over something above
thirty thousand dollars to be added to
the fortune of Mrs. Templeton. The
greater part of this money was already
! in government bonds deposited in a
| safety vault.
The ladies were comfortably situated
in Lexington avenue, and he saw them
nearly nightly.
He had been owe to see old George
Dolwell on Long Island, and had con
versed with him as to Wessing's visit.
Little had come of that visit. Messing
had not been by any means communica-
tive, had adroitly avoided direct answers
to direct questions, and had tried to draw
upon Dolwell for recollection of the pa
pers of Pierson when in the office.
As these principally related to litiga-
ton over the collecting of business debts,
and the settling of partnership enterprises
and speculations, wholly commercial and
financial affairs. Dolwelrs recollection
had interested him little.
He had asked how much Pierson had
left, and Dolwell thought over two mil
lions. His only significant question was
this:
Had Mr.. DolwelI reason to suppose
that Pierson had aver borne any other
manner"
"AhT cried Tom, .'that is getting
warm. What was Dolwelrs reply?"
"No, upon the contrary he had every
reason to believe he had not; he had first
known Of MIR. Pierson twenty-five years
ago, and he then bore that name, and
was known as a reputable merchant"
"This thing is very p~erplexing," re-
marked Tom thoughtfully. 81 cannot
make out the connection. Messing is
here making inquiries with regard to
Persons papers; Fountain makes the
same inquiry, and yet SO far as we are
enabled to ascertain there is no relation
between the two"
Holbrook was pacing up and down his
narrow room in profound thought. FL
nally he said:
"Tom, the case stands like this. Now,
follow me closely: Templeton is murdered
In the open streets and there is no ap-
parent motive for the deed. Circum-
stances, wholly arising from Flora Ash
groves manner and words, point the way
to suspicious Of Fountain"
"Good, I follow you"
"As soon as we set inquiry on foot we
run against the dead Pierson. Messing
inquiries for his papers, SO does Fountain"
"Yes, and SO does Parker"
"Ch, that is nothing; he is an attorney,
probably acting for one or other of them.
Don't interrupt me, you destroy the con-
tinuity Of my thought. To get back-so
does Fountain. Now, in the talk be-
tween Flora and Fountain, overheard by
you, there are three points made-frst,
Fountain is an illegitimate son; second,
he is proposing to engage upon an enter
prise in the following of which is in
volved the exposure of his illegitimacy;
third, Providence has removed Temple
ton from his path"
"Oh, no, I begin to see your drift"
"Now to these facts. Let us
make some suppositions. Suppose Pier
son was n Of those men who, having a
fair and reputable business exterior,
lived a double or even triple private life.
This is not a wild supposition-there are
plenty Of such instances; the records of
the courts are full of them. Now t pro-
coed: Note that Messing is making in
quiries because-now mark-because his
mother-his mother, mark you, thinks
that Pierson is a relative, and il he is
then she is an heir"
"Good. follow; I follow"
"Now, suppose Messing should be a
son Of Persons under another name,
that would account for his inquiries af-
ter Persons property in SO guarded a
manner, wouldn't it?"
Eyes"
"And suppose, since Fountain &C.
~knowledges that he is an Legitimate
son, he was another son of Persons by
another mother, that would account for
his inquiries"
"Yes. but I don't follow you closely
now"
"And suppose that Pierson was an as
sumed name in middle life to escape the
consequences Of a devious way of living,
and that, having had two illegitimate
sons, he had third, a legitimate son,
whose mother he had abandoned, and
that son was Templeton-Templeton,
whom Providence had removed from
Fountains path-that is to say, Provi-
dence in the shape of a sharp knife in
the hands Of Harry Fountain"
"You take my breath away. And
what them"
"Why. you have the motive for the
murder"
"But how do you bring Messing in2"
81 don't bring him in; he is there only
from the fact that he inquiries for Pier.
sons papers"
"And that he was present at the mur-
der; don't forget that in your theofiz-
ing"
al don't; it is nothing, a mere coinci-
dence, but n Of those curious joining
OF lines and crossing of paths, which II
not carefully avoided confuse the judg-
ment and mislead you-which makes
truth always 70 much stranger than &c
ton"
aWessing would have the same mo
tive for getting Templeton out OF the
way2"
But he didn't do tho deed; and be-
sides, Messing is not a . who would
DaYruna nnv mint IN daafh and whoroald