The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-05
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,

venture TO intrude upon your father but
there are matters OF most urgent impor
lance at the office-matters which do not
! understand at all.n
In what way can serve you, Mr. Jessa-
| merP she asked him, coldly
1T is possible" he answered, "that there
/ are papers in your fathers possession
which. if / could have access to them,
would teach me what 10 do. l am abso-
lutely at loss and the consequences of
Mr. Hetheridge's indisposition may be grave.
! They may even be disastrous"
Mr.. Hetheridge is far worse than when
| you left the house this morning." she an
swered with cold selt-possession, surprising
to herself.
''He has had relapsel" questioned Jessa-
mer. "a new attack"
! Yes, she answered. "He has had a re-
lapse"
But the keys, Miss Hetheridge, are in
his possession. If could only be permitted
to make a search among his papers. Under
! ordinary circumstances l would not pre-
sumo
He was evidently in state of great ex-
citement. His hands, his lips, bis voice, all
| trembled.
''Is it so gravel" she asked.
Miss Hetheridge,p he returned, laying his
| tremulous right hand on his breast, 81 am
not exaggerating when l say that it may
mean ruin. beg you to believe me when
| tell you that l would not speak In this way
| to any person in the world except yourself,
hut unless | can find instructions with re-
| spect TO three separate matters, each of
great moment, tomorrow will see the loss
| of hundreds of thousands Of pounds"
u do not know she answered, "where
Mr.. Hetheridge keeps his papers, but If the
case is as ~ describe tt
| ut is inGs d." he interjected.
| 81 will give you the keys" she continued,
land you may search for what you stand
| In need Of"
ION the night on which Mr.. Hetheridge
was struck down" he told her. 81 was under
orders to meet him here and to take in
| structions from him. He was contemplate
ing taking holiday, and proposed to leave
me in complete charge Of his affairs. When
| l arrived there were a number Of docu-
ments lying on the table In his room. and l
| think it probable that they referred to the
matters now in hand"
81 can find you those papers," she an
swered, "they we're given In my
charge by one OF the servants on my ar
rival here.n
She left him FOR moment and returned
| with the documents he asked for They
were the last things Hetheridge had handled
before the shock, which seemed to her mind
| the long-deferred punishment of heaven,
had fallen upon him. She conquered a
dreadful repugnance before she brought her.
| self to handle them.
Excuse me" said Jessamer, "if look at
| these at once"
She inclined her head in assent, and draw
ing up chair to the table, he made a hasty
survey OF the papers, and ended by looking
up with face winter and more disturbed
than ever. A4EA III
81 beg your pardon" he stammered, "but
might beg the favor Of a little brandy l
I trust you will not think me rude, Miss
Hetheridge, but really l am overcome"
Ellice rang the bell, and instructiug the
| servant who answered it to attend to Mr.
| Jessamer, left the room. She was deeply
! yelled to conceal her features, which were
| swollen and discolored with her tears. Jessa-
mer had not seen her face throughout the
interview, and he thought her singularly
| cool and firm beneath the news he had been
compelled to bring her.
"She takes it WE'LL" he said to himself.
"but it will make a difference to her il
things turn out as they threaten. Here's
| fifty thousand in the gutter, anyhow, and If
| I'd only known l could have found buyer
| yesterday and saved one-half OF It,"
The servant brought him the brandy he
had called for, and he poured out nearly
half q tumbler, filed up the glass with
water, and drank it hastily. Then he
SKINNED the paper anew, and finally nod
ding his head resignedly, with a great sigh
| he murmured to himself:
| IF this doesn't mean the biggest crash
the world has seen this year, I'm q Dutch
| man.
He knew the worst now, and his excite
ment was over. The plain English OF the
| matter was that Hetheridge had bought
stocks in a rising market, and had timed
himself to sell before the fall His own keen
| and praotised eve had been withdrawn. No
| note OF his own prescience had been
sounded, and in the three months over
| which his illness had extended, financial
| panic had swept over the country, and the
fortune Of John Hetheridge had foundered
| in the storm.
He had read the sign of the times Alright,
and by double coup had prepared to him
| self TO triple his already vast fortune. He
| had bought everywhere an artificially in
| tiated stock, buoying it still further up by
own huge transactions. He had already
made arrangements to unload In small par
| GELS on every bourse in Europe and
| America, and when the fall came, accented
like the rise, by the magnitude Of his own
| operations, he had planned to watch 1t tc
| its lowest, and repurchase. The device was
as common daylight, and only the enorm.
GUS sums involved in the transactions made
it in any way remarkable.
Had the shock which robbed him of his
faculties befallen him any other year Of hi:
business life, its financial effects would have
touched him but lightly. Falling now, II
meant ruin, simple and absolute.
| Mr.. Jessamer was as yet the only mar
aware of this. and now that certainty had
succeeded to fear, he went calmly back tc
London, spent his evening in the usual fash
ion at the suburban club he most fire.
quented, and went to bed at night with
quiet conscience. He had saved a few
thousands, had Mr.. Jessamer; he was highly
respected In the city; and would have bu
little difficulty in securing position who's
emolument would at least be equal to tina
of the post he was about to lose.
John Hetheridge mad gained no mans lik
ing, and the one man In the world to whom
he had extended a partial confidence saw
the majestic fabric which the cunning OF q
life had reared crumble into nothing with
out sigh for the architect. 1t is certain
} that Mr.. Jessamer grieved little, but h,
grieved for the edifce, and mighty little fol
} the builder of it.
Long before Hstheridge had recovered
consciousness Mrs. Redwoodand Ellice wer,
on their way to Wellsted. Arrived there
they sought an interview with Mons. Dom
and added one moro certainty to his list
: The meeting was intensely painful to al
concerned, but the two women had already
} experienced the first horror of the discovery
and by dint of great effort they passe,
through the ordeal with a semblance o
, composure
1t was arranged that Mons. Dom SHOULD
communicate the last discovery 60 George