Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-05-04
FOR ANOTHER'S SIN

IF you value your situation here,
Parkin, you will bear in mind: Not
word of what you saw and heard last
night, and never mention my-my
sons name to me again under pain of
instant dismissal. That is all"
1t was with some feeling Of trepida-
ton that | repaired to the trysting place
that same evening to await the arrival
of the disinherited son. Having in
quired my name, he began:
''You must first know how I came to
be in this plight. Some years ago now
a forged check in my fathers name
was discovered. Suspicion at once fell
on me and, though innocent, I was at
once branded as guilty by my father.
''He did not wish to have the family
name dragged into court, so he took the
easier course of disinheriting me and
casting me off entirely.
"My enemy, whoever he was, and
heaven knows I thought | had none
worth speaking of, had done his work
| well. l became a frequenter of the
turf, a gambler, and nearly-but, thank
heaven, not Quite-a thief.
81 was tempted some few days ago
to join band of burglars who contem-
plated robbing my fathers house. But
though | had sunk low / was not quite
bad enough for that, and overcome
with remorse / determined to seek an
audience with my father and warn him
of his danger. The result of that inter
view you knOw''-and here he broke off
abruptly, queer break in his voice.
will pass over the rest of our conver-
sation and merely state the plan which
the remorse-stricken man had formed
to checkmate the robbers.
must explain that at the back of the
house was a courtyard, shut in on three
sides by the kitchen premises of the
house. 1t was a small window-that of
the pantry-which was to be the mode
of ingreSS.
Young Mr.. Geoffrey-that was the
sons name-was to lead the burglars
in their enterprise. He would conduct
them through the window and then,
with the aid of myself and Sir Morti-
! mer, whom | was TO apprise of the rob
bers' advent, would help to overpower
the Others, two desperadoes, for they
had not wished to have too many con-
cerned in the job.
Friday came, and it was, am bound
to confess with no slight feelings of ap-
prehension that looked forward to
the work which was before me. for /
was no fighting man. OF course / had
not mentioned the meditated robbery
to the old baronet, for that would have
spoiled everything.
But at II o'clock / stole noiselessly
down to the kitchen and quietly waited
till the burglars should arrive. l had
not long to wait
/ heard the muff1ed sound, which
warned me that they had commenced
| operations. and slipping away as noise
lessly as had come, departed to ap-
prise my master of the outrage on his
property.
/ found him sitting in his bedroom on
a chair, clad in his dressing gown and
| slippers His face was buried in his
| hands and he was evidently lost in
| thought At my entrance he started
| violently up and dazed with wonder
ment, not unmiXed with anger, at me
as intruded myself on his solitude. /
at once came to the point.
''Sir" | said, ''there are burglars try
| ing to force an entrance at the back!''
| Now my masters bedroom was at the
| extreme wing of the building, SO had
it not been for the fact that / already
knew of the contemplated robbery, he
would have heard nothing of the
burglars, taking for granted that they
succeeded in reaching the dining-room,
,