The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-24
THE
OTHER = GUEST. .
by GEORGE R. SIMS.
Copyright 1885, by Bachelor. johnson and Bacheller

ened man OF the world far more deeply
| than he cared to let his companion see.
Young Weston had through the in
| fiuence of his father, a gentleman Of
good family. but of limited income, OBJ
tanned an excellent position as assist
ant secretary to fashionable West
End club largely freQuented by young
| men of position who We're heavy gam
blers on the turf and inveterate card
players. The secretary, q retired mill
tary officer, was, owing to illness, fire.
! quently absent for long periods. and
Arthur Weston had things very much
| in his own hands for many weeks at
time. He was great favorite with the
members, the committee trusted him
implicitly, there was every prospect
| that in spite of his youth he would at
| no very distant date obtain the posi-
| tion which failing health must soon
compel the present holder to relin-
quish. Unfortunately the young fell
low had been successful in one or two
turf transactions which had been rec
Ommended to him by a certain racing
member-a young nobleman who own
ed racehorses and gambled on the turf
heavily. The young man, finding he
was making money easily. thought he
was on the high road to fortune and be-
gan to plunge. Then came series of
reverses. To meet his liabilities-not
to have done so would have led to his
dismissal, and his practical ruin-in an
evil hour. he took advantage of his
chiefs absence. and borrowed q large
sum of money which had passed
through his hands. He had been un-
able to repay it. and he had come down
to Malvern, having obtained few days
leave, To see relative OF his father,
who was rich man, anu who had al
ways taken great interest in him He
mad determined to make a clean breast
or everything, borrow the money and
repay 1t when he had improved his po-
sition sufficiently to enable him to do
so. But this gentleman had been taken
Ill abroad and there was nothing lef.
for him but to go back to the club, face
the certain discovery and probable
prosecution. That he could not bring
himself to do His people had not the
command Of ready money, his father
was dead. He could not bear to think
of his mothers grief and shame, of the
horror Of criminal. and so he deter
mined to carry out the intention he had
formed when he fancied that perhaps
his Malvern friend might refuse to as
sist him. He had brought the revolver
with him from London.
That was the ordinary part of the
story; the special feature, which had
appealed to John Oldroyd, was this:
I The young man had in the course of his
!. narrative explained that his father had
I been ruined soon after he became of age
by the dishonesty of a trusted friend,
a young man of his own age whom he
had trusted implicitly and who had in
duced him to put the whole of his capi-
tai, some $4,000, into business to
which he had succeeded, and this friend
Of 4
disappeared, leaving nothing but
bankrupt estate and several charges of
fraud behind him.
That interested John Oldroyd i'm
mensely.
At ten o'clock the next morning the
South African millionaire and the as
sistant secretary of the club break
tasted together, After breakfast the
millionaire went to his dispatch box
took out his cheque book. and wrote a
check. 1t was for the amount of Ar
thur Weston's liability.
you'll cash that at the bank tomor-
row." he said, "and pay the notes into
the clubs account at once. and then the
balance will be correct on the 31st of
December. and you'll let it be lesson
to you for the rest of your life.
The young man wrung his benefac-
tors hand How shall I repay you?"
I'll tell you," said John Oldroyd
you'll repay me by giving me your SOL
emn promise that when in months
time there arrives at your mothers
house a registered letter containing
bank notes for 100000 with an intima-
tion that they are the sum of which
your fathers former partner defrauded
him. with interest to date, you will not
lead her to imagine that they may real
ly be from some one else who has heard
the story"
You mean that you will send the
oh no, we have no o,aim. YOU"
Don't argue about it, I'm rich, and
friend in the world. And know the
man who robbed your father. Oldroyd