Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-05-11
The Great Hesper.
BY FRANK BARRETT,
CHAPTER XIII-CoNr1NuEr

he continued.
THANK you for Braces letter. The
tone of it would lead one TO imagine
not only that he knows where the
diamond Is, but has strong belief
in his power to recover it! One can
not possibly believe that it was he
who robbed and attempted to MUIR
der you. But whom are we to sus-
pect, if not him? II he were not
guilty, why should he try to conceal
the leather case which might lead to
Ats recovery? There is fascination
in this subject which overcomes my
wish to drop it. 1t is like the fifteen
puzzle that drove half tho world
mad some years ago.
ivan Hoeck still wanders about
the woods through the night More
than once he has been seen standing
outside the room in which Edith and
pass the evening, listening.
"His suspicious nave perhaps fallen
upon us. The poor wretch may have
lost his reason. His appearance,
when | caught sight of him the other
day, justides tho suspicion.
Il have to confess to al indiscre-
ton which may have no serious re-
suit, but which regret all the same.
Yesterday ! received a telegram from
Furnival, dated Haxel's hotel.
at ran thus:
"'We have important clew Send
address of Joseph Brace at once, or
place where he is likely to DO found. ;
1.-The we led me to suppose that
he was an agent OF the detectives
employed in this case. and without
further reflection | sent Braces ad-
dress. having your letter under my
hand. | became uneasy as soon as
the messenger was out of sight, and
sent Wilson over TO Southampton
with two kilograms, one for Furni-
val and the other for the head OF the
detective department, asking for
further particulars. have received
no reply whatever from Furnival,
and the detectives replied by letter
that they employed no one named
Furnival, and that all inquiries were
made through the head Office.
"Who on earth can this Furnival
be, and what can be the object of his
inquiries? The mystery was sufIi-
ciently incomprehensible without
this addition.
Incompreheusible indeed, and the
more closely one examined tho mys-
terry, the more inscrutable it up.
peared.
al incloso,n he wrote, in conclu-
sion, "a letter which came to hand
this morning."
1t was u second letter from Brace.
This is the copy:
"TIBDAL's GOLDEN STATE IIorEt
SACRAMENTO CITY. NovemJerS
"GENTLEMAN THoENE, SIRE | didn't
expec you to answer my letter. but
the Kid have took it to heart morcn
natral | told you she was kinder
frettin, and to please her / made be-
lieve had sent the message she asG
me to rite. Which gettin' no answer
to said message she sorter felt you'd
turned your back on her for ever
don't think she's going to mako old
bones. Seems to me like as if she
meant knocking off early. SEES she
don't feel like gatherin any more
wild flowers.
The doctor considers that sick
ness she got out in Africa has settled
into her, and she cant corf it Of
1.-The rain hes set in
early up Petersville, and they
amt no good for poor little sick
kid. We come down here day fore
yesterday.
"She's pinin' Partner. that's whats
the matter with her which is why /
rite her message.
'She says she wants TO be good;
thems her words. / never knew her
say such a thing, and cant hardly
expec you to believe it. KNOWN
what she was, but if you could only
see her as she is you'd believe it.
Shes that altered; no tantrums. no
opposishun. no obstinacy-no nothin.
"Seein this, you may be moved.
sir, bein kinder pitiful by natur. to
rite her a few words, jest to say
you've got her message. and hope
she'll stick to her promise. With a
little bit of encouragement like that.
i don't think she'd go away without
telling up what shes done with the
Great Hesper Yours respectfully,
Jos BRACE"
started for Sacramento without
moments delay.