Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-09

it? Dear Kate, she is to be p1tledI Lire must have been hard for her. I've always dreaded that Lew Barker would become involved in some crooked trans action. Maybe John thought so, too"
 "And yet" replied Hollister, mo one was expecting such an unfortunate ter mination-"
 'Then it was the failure of one of his schemes that forced Lew Barker to leave San Diego?'' asked Molly, with her gaze riveted upon Hollister, whose constraint was only too evident. "Mr. Hollister," she added, speak; don't con ceal anything from me. Iwant to know all"
 "Well, Molly- don't want to conceal from you an unfortunate affair which will be sure to reach your ears. Yes, | Barkers matters have of late been go- ing from bad to worse. He could not meet his engagements, demands were made upon him, and, with arrest star ing him in the face, there was nothing left him but flight"
 l And Kate went with himT'
 "No doubt he forced her to do SO. You know she has no will as against his"
 "Poor Kate! Poor Kater murmured | l had only been in position to help her"
 "You could have done so," said Hol- lister. "Yes, you could have saved Lew Barker, not for himself, for he has no claim upon your sympathy, but for his wife's salxe.'
 "Yes, and I'm sure John would have approved of the use to which I would have thus put our modest little for tune"
 Andrew Hollister took good care not to add that Mrs. Allaire's property had been wasted by Lew Barker. It would have been n confession that he had had some legal control over 1t, and she might have asked how it was possible for so many things to happen in the brief space of two months. Therefore, Mir. Hollister merely replied, with a smile:
 Don't speak of your modest little fortune, my dear Molly. It is no longer such"
 "What do you mean, Mir. Hollister9" she asked.
 "I mean that you are rich woman a very rich woman"
 "I?"
 "Your Uncle Edward Manson is dead!"
 "DeadP Why. how long has he been dead?"
 "Since-"
 Hollister came near betraying him. self by giving the exact date of Man sons death, then two years back, and
 this would have revealed the whole , truth. But Molly was completely 7 absorbed with the thought that the , death of her uncle and the disappear ance of her cousin left her entirely
 without any relatives. And when she realized that by the death of this rela- tive who really existed only in name
 for her, and who both she and John ex-
 pected would live to a green old age, , she was now seized in her own right o1
 fortune of two millions, there arose F in her mind deep and profound regret , that she should have missed the occa-
 sion of putting some of this money to e good use.
 ''Yes, Mir. Hollister, I would have 3 helped poor Kate. would have saved t her from shame and ruin. Where is , she? Where can she have gone2 What - is going to become of her?" F Mir. Hollister was obliged to admit
 that all attempts to ascertain the v whereabouts of Barker had failed. HaG a he taken refuge in some one of the dis
 tant territories of the United States ol . had he not left America entirely? | n was all mere guess work.
 And yet if it's only a few weeks e since he and Kate disappeared from SaI
 Diego" said Mrs. Allaire, possibly WI l. shall hear"
 ,- "Yes, only a few weeks," Mir. Hollis V ter made haste to reply. n Fortunately another thought nov '' took complete possession of Molly }, mind. It was this: Thanks to thi
 fortune willed to her by Edward Man r. son, there would be no necessity O u John following the sea any longer. Sh
 would never again be left alone! Thi = voyage on the Dreadnaught for the ac t count of Hollister & Co.,, would be tn s last one that he would make. And wa d it not to be the last, since Capt. Joh
 was never to come back from it again? Is "Oh, MT. Hollister," cried Molly
 "now John will not be obliged to go e sea again. We shall be together-a h ways together-nothing shall separat ;e us again." And to think that this hal
 piness was to be shattered by a word Q. word which must needs soon t n' spoken. Andrew Hollister felt himse 10 quite unnamed. He made haste { e. end the interview; but before tal5in 10 leave of Mrs. Allaire he exacted a pron ise from her that she would do nothin td rash, that she would not leave th ld house, that she would not resume ht r. former way of living until the doctc y had given his permission. On his pa ar he assured her that if he should recei, 'k any news from the Dreadnaught, eith, as direct or indirect. he would immediat ct ly communicate with her. 1e When Hollister repeated this conve is sation to Dr. Bromley, the latter opel
 ly expressed his fears that Mrs. Allai s- might accidentally learn the terrib ey truth that she had been robbed of h.
 reason for four years, that for fol
 years no tidings had come from u p- Dreadnaught and that she would nev
 see her husband againi Yes, it was fl