Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-11-19

ceeding as in continuance of his begin
| ming, Reuben Dorison died. When
found an unfinished letter was before /
him. He had been stricken with death |
in the very act of its composition. To |
whom it was intended to be addressed |
never was known, is not known now, |
but it did great wrong. 1t charged
some one with the commission of many |
crimes, to cover which and to pay the i
damages of which had wasted his for
tune. He was asking for assistance. By
| mplication-indeed, one may say by in
! ference alone-these crimes were charged
| against his only son, a young man upon
| whom he had lavished his affection and
of whom he had apparently been very
fond"
"Ahv' said Mr.. Eustace, deeply inter
ested, 81 can confirm that"
"The executor and the immediate
| friends, however, insisted that the letter
condemned the son, and indeed en-
| ployed the police to trace the crimes
charged, and the friends of the young
man cut him and snubbed him. He
strove as frantically to disprove the
| charges as the police worked industri-
ously to trace them. Both failed utterly,
and the son, at last despairing and
wholly miserable, abandoned further eff
fort, left the city and settled in the west.
At this late day am employed in an
endeavor to solve the riddle. I am a
western detective"
Mr.. Eustace gave a great start, and a
look of blank amazement spread over
his face. 1t was as if he had said in
words, "You a detective! never would
have believed it. You do not meet my
preconception of detective at ALL"
"This movement instituted by the
young man, after the lapse of eight
years, has no other purpose than that of
removing from his name the stigma
placed upon it by that unfinished letter.
He seeks no property, for his fathers ex-
ecutors discovered there was no property
left"
mo property left?" exclaimed Mr..
Eustace. "Why, he had splendid
property"
"Had, yes. But not when he died.
Permit me to show you a copy of that
unfortunate letter"
, He handed Mr. Eustace a sheet of pa
per which he had taken from his pocket.
After it was read Mr. Eustace returned
| it, saying:
Il was abroad at the time of Mr..
Dorison's death, had been for several
, years, and for two years after. At the
exact time | was in the far east upon a
/ special diplomatic mission, and there
fore not until my return to Paris, many
months afterward, did l hear of its &C.
currence. l presume by that time inter
r est in the events surrounding it had sub
sided, and upon my return to this city was
Q almost all forgotten, and what was re-
: membered was perverted. All that
} heard was that the young man had be-
haved very badly, and had been discard
s ed by his father previous to the fathers
Y death; that he had disappeared. thought
r it strange, for the very last letter l hac
4 from Reuben Dorison, written some
Y weeks before his death, but received by
@ me many months after it, while speak
}. ing of troubles complicating his old age
referred in enthusiastic terms to thu
/" comfort and pride he had in his only
|. | son."
il "You maintained close intimacy will
Mr.. Dorison?' asked Cathcart.
# eyes, it could not be Closer" replied
n Mr.. Eustace warmly. cat one period
of our lives it was sacredly confidential
d "a confidence which doubtless woult
It have made me familiar with every even
II in his life, and him with that in mine
d had not long separation by which w
could not meet, except at the interval
of years, and then only briefly, occurred
Upon my side there was absolutely n
l. reservation so long as it continued"
g "He did you essential service at on
d timer"
"He did, indeed"
l. "Saved you from ruin by takin
s. charge of your estate, which you had en-
N dangered by extravaganza and reckless
l ness of life, lending the aid of his finance
lie and credit
20 The face of Mr.. Eustace flushed deer
% ly, and looked with no little anger upo
the calm and immobile face of the d.
b. tective
Up SIT is true, sir" he replied, with hi
stateliest manner; ''but how you cam
to know it cannot tell"
ut 81 have finally won Mr.. Dorison
is executor to belief in the innocence {
q the son. He has given me access to a
I'D of the papers of the estate"
Id "'You are at no pains to make you
to words GENTLE" said Mr.. Eustace, wit
1g much dignity
TO 81 am surgeon with a probe. l Cal
d. not expect to escape infiicting pair
I'D Justice delayed eight years demands tt
truth at all cost. have read you ve1
tn inaccurately if am mistaken in assun
be ing you to be man of strict honor, hig
at regard for justice and deep sense
he the obligation a man owes another
OF Distress"
TX. Mr.. Eustace colored under the fatte
Ia ing estimate of his character.
81 asked the question from no id
" curiosity, nor from desire to infic
10 pain, but in order to confirm theory
all had formed as to the relations existir
M between you and Mr.. Dorison. Sue
confidence and reliance as you gave hi
en- begets return. 1t is knowledge of M
Dorison's life l want, not of your
we Now, sir, up to this time you have a
10 copied me on the strength of my oW
&c. statement as to what am. am abol
| fO oc1y oh CHI