The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1895-06-07
CHAPTER uI.-(Continued)

Sam made no direct reply, but going
straight TO Mrs. Blake, and taking her
hand with much pretense of warmth
and personal attachment, said with as
sumed regret;.
Not word of good news, Myra.
The whole story was fabrication, or
at least a perversion of some facts
which really occurred. A man and a
boy were thrown into mill dam three
years ago; the man and horses were
drowned and the boy was fished out
alive. But it wasn't JEFF, and the boy
was not our Little joe"
What kind of man was it?" asked
Mrs. Blake, wiping a tear from her
eyes. Ibid you ascertain"
81 found Mr.. Gust, the city surveyor,
who saw the accident, and got from
him full description" At the same
time he drew from his pocket paper
prepared purposely to deceive,) and
read from it:
Five feet and half in height, (Jeff
was six feet,) black hair and eyes, Jeff
had brown hair and blue eyes, weight
about one hundred and forty pounds,
(Jeff weighed about one hundred and
eighty dressed in gray cloth (and jeff
was dressed in Kentucky jeans,) of
course that wasn't your husband,
Myra. / think that mystery will
never be solved; and Jeff's dead
of course, or we should hear from him
and Little joe"
But the boy who was saved was
named Little joe" said Mrs. Evans, a
lady who had come from Cincinnati to
the Springs, had made the acquaint-
ance of Mrs. Blake, and had told the
story of the tornado and its sad results,
and so brought about Sam Blake's visit
of inquiry.
you are mistaken, Madam" said
the man who had falsely called him
self BLACKWELL. 1.-THE boys true name
is no doubt Job-not Joe. And, be-
sides that, he is an IDIOT"
II can hardly be mistaken" replied
Mrs. Evans, "for Mr.. Gust himself told
me the boy had medal on his neck
inscribed Little Joe,' and giving the
boys age"
Il have a copy of that medal,
Madam" replied Blake, with con
strained politeness, land can hardly
be mistaken. ! saw Mrs. Gust copy
this from the face of the medal myself:
Little Job: Jan. 20, 1874"
Mrs. Evans, though not satisfied,
gave up the point, and soon quietly re-
tired from the room, and was then fol-
lowed by all except the three Blakes.
'Did you see that boy, Sam?" sor-
rowfully inquired Mrs. Blake. This
was a question Sam Blake could
fully answer without falsehood,
and he gave complete and faithful
the boy. and concluded by saying:
"Now Myra, that boy is born idiot,
and of course never could have been
your bright little joe"
might not the terrible ordeal he
passed through in the water have bereft
him of his senses?" inquired the moth
err in n sorrowful tone. IF only
could see him"'
Now Sam Blake had satisfied himself
that just that had happened. But he
had also become assured that all hope
of his recovering his senses-if any
such hope had existed-was past for
ever. Saying then in reply to the
mothers last suggestion, that such a
mental change was wholly improbable,
he added that the boys eyes were
black, while Joe's had been blue; and
then retired to his own room.
During all this conversation Old Tom
-
as soon as Sam had gone out he said
grufiy: "Myra, Sans account don't
hold water" and he also retired, leav.
ing Mrs. Blake alone with her newly
awakened sorrow.
In his own room Sam Blake unused
over the situation. and counted the
chances of final success in the
scheme which he had prosecuted
ceaselessly for the past two years -tht
possession and control of his father;
estate, temporarily during the ole
mans life and permanently after his
death.
But Sam Blake was not at heart {
very bad man, and had satisfied him
self that he was justlfiable in all thai
he did. His father had disinheritec
him twelve years before for his disso
lutte habits-not because they were es
sentially bad, for he had himself once
done the same things-but because ht
wasted the old mans estate and he
had grown avaricious in ripper years.
Two years after that disinheritance
the other son, jefferson. had been cut
off for marrying Myra Cushing with
out his fathers consent and approval,
And when his grandson, little Joe, was
born and had won his grandfather
affections he devised his entire estate
20 Joe. A year after the mysteriou'
disappearance of his brother and
nephew, therefore, Sam Blake had de
terInined to make love TO Myra, marry
her II possible, and so secure the fna
control of the estate-she being, as III
supposed, the legal heir of Joe.
For two years past Sam had devoted
hiRtrlf TO Myra with pertinacious at