The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-02-19

"don't worry! None of the land is
mine-yet."
1T is some of the land you hold
through tax sale certiicates?'
"What if it is?"
"This, said Mortimer. "Some years
ago you had the law passed. Property
owners did not pay taxes promptly.
The law as it now stands is that the
property Is sold at auction to private
individuals just for the taxes. To re-
deem it, the owner must pay bonus Of
10 per cent and interest at 10 per cent,
and il he fails to redeem it in 10 years
the city gives clear title to the man
who purchased the land and the build
ings thereon, if any, for the taxes"
Proceed
Now under that law you have
bought, or others have bought for you,
and legally secured to you, many blocks
of real estate, some of which will
never be claimed. If these blocks are
TO be selected by the commission, Man
gan will say so; he will find it out. He
is second Heller; he can see in all di-
rections."
ut seems to me-" remarked Ray
mond, THAT you have been badly
scared. You forget that under the law
there is no record of those transactions
In the Office of the register of deeds in
the county, where Mangan will turn
for his facts. You are simply the regis
trar of arrears. What you know is not
all matter of official record"
"But he knows the law"
Suppose, for the sake of argument,
that he does, responded Raymond,
little nettled at Mortimer's persistence.
Suppose, again, that the commits
sion decides on these lands that may
have within my reach. The day after
the commission reports, the legal limi-
tations will expire and the property
will be legally mine. The deed will
come TO me directly, OF indirectly, to a
trustee, most likely the latter, and no
paper can say a word about it without
leaving itself open to libel suit. Ev-
erything is honest and regular. That
is the law. 1t may not be the fact that
the lands will be those that friends of
mine held, you understand | have as
sumed that much, just to satisfy you.
Your deputy would not talk like this"
assure you, Frank, " for Mortimer
so called him when the warmth Of
conversation demanded some nomina-
tive of address, 81 was looking after
your interests; that was ALL :"
- know ii, was the reply, intend
ed to convince Mortimer that the per-
sonal illusions had not undermined the
confidence reposed in him.
I'll go home, now," said Mortimer,
arising.
wait minute" said Raymond.
"lnez is acquainted with Isabel Le-Le
! Clair is she not?'
" think l have heard her mention
the name. -
Look here, Philip and Raymond
threw the stump of his Havana into
the cuspidor, locked the fingers of
both hands, inclined forward, support
ing his body by resting his left elbow
on his knee and looking seriously at
Mortimer. There is some private bust
ness on foot in which want the good
offices of Mother st. Gertrude. Miss
Le-Le Clair is influential in that
quarter. L cannot see her in the CON
vent or at school. Inez has met her
socially at many places. | have fire.
quently seen both together, and they
seem to be great friends / am very
well acquainted myself with Miss lie
Clair, havo enjoyed her company at
many parties, and she herself has told
me she is enthusiastically fond of Inez
Let lnez invite her 10 your house, and
l will there get chance to enlist her
aid. Tell lnez to manage this for me. "
Certainly; she will do it. Is that
allg"
That's all. "
Mortimer bade goodby to Raymond
at the door. The latter, when he had
returned TO the library, mused:
"Mangan cannot harm me. For his
bitterness, however, | will punish him.
Out of lsabel's great love for him, can
force her TO marry me, and he will not
know it until he reads the wedding no
tice. And Inez? Oh, shell-well, |
can get over that, too. But, on every
consideration, | think II will be better
to wed Isabel Le-Le Clair. Strange,
how | find it hard to pronounce that
namel"
IN pTFP "