Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-05-31
CHAPTER Nv.

AIItt VI NlcUu y itltcTS LII lily DOCktI
Mr.. Refer, an oldish gentleman with
a reddish face, white whiskers, big
shaggy eyebrows and wonderfully
bright eyes, was in, and did not keep
me waiting more than a quarter Of an
hour.
Glad to see you, Mr.. Honeyman.
What can I do for you?" said he, when
We had shaken hands. Pray, be
seated"
] went straight to the point and
asked him whether he had ever known
q nan OF the name OF Wilson.
Il know twenty Wilson's. What is
he, or was he, and what may be his
Christian name?"
HE say Thomas but it may be
William and he calls himself a solic-
itor."
How old?'
about forty, tall and thin, of good
address and insinuating manners"
t'Humph! I did once know a Will
lam Wilson to whom that description
applies. But he was not to call thin
and it is a commonish name. Have
you anything in his handwriting?'
II have" producing the lettcrs)
Every like, very like" observed Mr..
Refer, thoughtfully; 'but it is so long
since that / may be mistaken. Let lis
compare"
And with that he took up a speaking
tube and asked a clerk in the next
room to bring him a ~letter-copying
book of a date some eight years past.
When the book was brought Mr.. Reef
er opened it and turned owe a few
leaves.
DO you recognize thatT' he said,
pointing to n Of the copies.
1t was the copy of a letter signed
"William Wilson, solicitor with Refer.
Forbes & Winslow.' in the same hand
writing as my letters. The signatures
were as lik as two peas, save that n
was Thomas and the other Will
iam.r
"Yes, your correspondent is unques-
tionably the Ia who was once my
managing clerk, and might have been
my partner by this time if he had not
had an enemy"
San enemy?"
Yes, an enemy-himself. But he
was a clever fellow, a very clever fell
low-one OF the best informed men
and finest whist players 1 ever met.
He left Us under rather unpleasant
circumstances, Mr.. Honeyman, l am
sorry to say"
Unpleasant circumstances! Might l
ask what they were? 1t Is Of great
importance for us, in the interest of a
client, To know something of his ante
cedents."
"He left us, Mr.. Honeyman, to serve
a term of seven years penal servitude
for forgery and embezzlement, and /
don't think he can have been out of
prison more than three or four
months"
This was a revelation, indeed; and
there could be no question now that
Wilson was working some nefarions
scheme; bnt as to the nature Of IL /
was as much in the dark as ever. Nor
could Mr.. Refer, to whom l told the
story, suggest any solution of the mys-
terry, but he had NO doubt that the ''fel-
low was playing a deep game and
meant to take us in somehow"
When I told all this to Mr.. Harlow
he few into a rage, banged his fist on
the desk and used strong language.
Hang the fellow" he exclaimed.
"a jailbird, a galley slave, a convicted
forger and thief introduced by me,
Henry Harlow. at the Hyperion club!
1t is too awful! / shall never hear the
last Of it."
at may not get out"
sIt must not get out, Honeynan. /
would rather lose f2O0 than it should
get out. All the same, l should like to
know the fellows game. How is ii to
be managedg'
Suppose we have Wilson here-I
think / can write a letter that will
fetch him-and talk seriously to himT'
Mr.. Harlow, asserting to this pro-
posal, / wrote under the heading, In
re Holroyd's mortgage" a few lines
saying that / shall be glad to have Mr..
Wilson's opinion on a point of law
'arising out of this matter" and ask
Ing him to look in on the following day
at whatever time suited his convent
ence.
fIe came between 3 and 4 o'clock,
when / had nearly given him up, and
we were presently joined by Mr.. Har-
low, who had been informed Of his ar
rival.
II am glad you have called, Mr.. VIII
son." he observed, grayely, something
has happened which requires eXplana-
ton. There has been so much delay in
this matter Of Holroyd's mortgages
that we thought it our duty, in his In
terest, to communicate with our clients
direct. We wrote to them a few days
ago, and both letters have been re-
turned through the dead letter Office.
Nothing is known of these gentlemen
at Poole"
Wilson kept his countenance. I did
not detect even the culver of an eye
lid.
1T is all my mistake" he said quiet
ly. by pure inadvertence l wrote
Poole instead Of 'Wimborne.' / am
so familiar with both places that 1
often confound them. But it Is of no
Importance. / shall bring you the
draft on Saturday, and / have asked
Mr.. Holroyd to meet me here at IL
o'clock on hat day so that the busi-
ness may be finished. Perhaps you
will kindly inform the vendors solic-
itors."
''Al very well. But there is some
thing else, Mr.. Wilson. We have seen
Mr.. Refer, firm of Refer, Forbes Il
Winslow, and are aware of the cir
cumstances under which you went
abroad"
Wilson rose slowly from his chair,
a CHASTITY pallor overspread his face,
his jaw dropped, and crying in a heart
broken voice, My last chance! My
49, l. IA 49,