The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-10-21

| He opened it and read.
Ogden Chalmers had just reached New
Orleans and procured the first mail that
he had received for six months. 1t was
a characteristic of his-a whim, it might
have been called in another man-to be
bothered as little as possible by letters,
papers or kilograms when travelling. It
was also characteristic that he often put
himself wholly beyond the reach of wire
or post-perhaps to make doubly sure
against such interruption.
He had been in Mexico this time, over
on the west coast, as far from civiliza-
ton as he could get, and one may get
very far from it indeed there, as every
one knows who has had the courage
to leave the beaten routes of travel
For, although a finished cosmopolite,
Chalmers could adapt himself to the
manners of any people who lived close
to the ways of nature, and hence was as
much at home among the ignorant poems
of Oajaca or Chiapas as upon the pave
ments and amid the more polished civil
ization of New York or San Francisco.
There was no apparent reason why
Ogden Chalmers-man of fortune and
of leisure-should not wander as he
pleased OF hide himself from the world
where and when he chose. He was al
most wholly without ties-with the sin
gle exception of a half brother somewhat
younger than himself wholly without
and his money safely invested, rather so
as to avoid care in its management than
with view toward securing the largest
possible income, he was of course free
to go and come as he would.
He had now come direct to New Or
leans via steamer from Vera Cruz, and
all the way across the gulf had been
wondering why he was coming hither,
and which way it would be best to turn
next 1t really mattered very little, but
he supposed he must come to decision
of some sort in the latter respect. 1t
was winter, and so he did not care to 60
farther north. California was an old
story. In Cuba the hotels We're bad; he
could lind more comfort in an Indian
tepee than there. Then, again, he Won
dered why he had come this way at all;
he might better have joined those news
paper men he had met at San Benito-
Bohemians, but most thoroughly good
fellows-and gone with them down to
see the revolution in Guatemala,
Yet, aftef all, something was to be said
in favor of New Orleans in midwinter;
it certainly was not the worst of places
at that season; perhaps he might as well
make up his mind to stay awhile and
see what would turn up. Having come
to which conclusion Chalmers placed
his name upon the register of the st.
Charles, and went into breakfast, tax
ing with him his six months accumula-
tion of mail. There was not much of it,
and he noticed the fact whimsically, as
indicating how slight were the ties be-
tween himself and the world. There
were but two letters and a single paper.
One of the letters was from his brother
and bore various postmarks, showing
how it had followed him about, He
opened it and readI
DEAR OGDEN-I am in a devil of fix about
money. Will you help me out? If you will,
| come home at once, as shall need big lot
can hold things off for month, but if you
can't help me by that time must go under
Your atfectionate brother,
GEORGE eHAtMERs.
The letter was dated September first.
1t was now the fifteenth of January.
Chalmers was so deeply engrossed by
the contents of this one that he opened
the second letter mechanically, without
observing that the address was written
in q woman's hand. Mechanically, too,
his eye ran over its brief lines, until
their import flashed suddenly upon his
brain. This letter read:
DEAR Mr.. CHALMERs-Y Your brother has
been arrested for embezzlement. The bank
claims to have lost more than hundred thou
sand dollars. write you because George Will
not, and think you ought TO know. He says
yoH will not help him. Must 1 believe it?
Yours sincerely, LIMA TENANT
This letter was dated October first,
Just month after his brothers letter
was written-just the month, he no.
iiced, that George had said he could
"hold things off,"
The paper still lay unopened beside
his plate, but Chalmers was so absorbed
in the contents of these two letters and
in the effort to grasp the full meaning
Of their message that he gave the for
mer no attention until he came to real
ize, through some intuitive process, that
It's superscription was by the same hand
that had penned the letter signed t'Lins
Tennant." Then he tore the wrapper
off impatiently, duly wondering the
while what new word of evil he should
find therein. Almost at once marked
paragraph stood out, as though it were
printed in capitals. 1t read;
cashier Of the - National bank, was
uacrardau irdoad o1,ilf., ~, ~, II,