The Portland daily press., 1895-07-15

the dangers at sea, he would never reach
the California port alive. So he wrote.
And it was then, we fear, that trouble
befell him"
could not repress a whistle of sur
prise. "Were any of your other letters
from foreign ports?"
'tNo, only this one The others wers
written between here and California be.
fore father crossed the Pacific.''
At this Mrs. Whiting broke down en-
tirely and began to weep in soft, per-
sistent fashion that told me she had lit.
tie more to tell.
''Leave those letters with me TO-
night, :" I said, "and when you come
tomorrow bring all the others with
you"
Detectives grasp at small things, and
as she reached the door suddenly said:
"Who told you to come to me? Where
did you get my address? 1t is two years
since saw you. +"
''Oh, SIR said Mrs. Whiting, begin
ming softly to weep again, ''you must
know that when was first in trouble
went to the bank to see the president
He was such fine man and such good
friend of my husband"
"Who? Where? What bank?'' I ex-
claimed.
"Why, President Cyrus Wall of the
Lane National bank, sir
"And how, pray, did the president of
the Lane National bank happen to know
John Whiting"' asked, my interest
getting the better of my politeness.
"Why, this simple way, sir. His sis
ter's country place is the grand one ad-
joining ours, and many time when
it's been raining too hard for such fine
folk to take out their horses my John
has taken Mr.. Wall to the station be-
hind old Dobbin. And a good friend he
was to us, too, always buying the best
of eggs and chickens and paying fancy
price for our finest fruit. Not but
what my John paid him back in his
own way. Many's the time remember
seeing the two driving along in our old
wagon with my Johns coat upon Mr..
Wall to protect his fine one when the
rain and sleet slanted like into the
wagon. ''Tain't often, Mary, John
would say, that poor farmer like my
self has a chance s@do bank president
a service. And then our Kate would
fare up and say that her father was
every whit as good as a bank president,
and great deal better looking too.
Though will say, sir, as for that, you
couldn' t tell the two men apart, so much
were they alike in feature and build"
"Well, what did they tell you when
you went to the bank?' asked, inter
rupting this strain of eloquence.
At tAfs Mrs. Whiting again lost con-
troll of her tears and sobbed: "Oh. you
must surely know. though we simple
country folks living way back, with the
grand house closed, knew nothing about
it-how Mr.. Wall was-was drowned,
maybe murdered, and all the dreadful
news
''And then you looked for me in the
direotory?"
Mrs. Whiting nodded.
"Can you tell me the exact date of
your first letter from your husband?" I
asked.
sit was the 18th of last April, sir. l
am as sure of it as though it had been
burned into my brain. -
1t was on the 18th Of April that Cy-
rus Wall was murdered.
That night. although it was late, I
had little conference with one of the
bank directors, with the result that I
was up late with many papers and let
ters spread before me, and when I went
to bed it was not to sleep, but to toss
uneasily over the exciting events of the
last "a hours
Next evening called on Mrs. Whit
ing and took from her the packet of let
ters. They were all written in the same
labored, trembling hand which she recog-
nized as the unaccustomed penmansbip
of her husband.
''Now, Mrs. Whiting" said as
calmly as could, 81 am going away
for few weeks
"To California;" she asked hastily
"No, to Europe, perhaps to London.
And want you to stay quietly here,
you and Kate, talking to no one until I
return. I shall see many people, and
may hear from your husband At any
rate, shall look for him, and will see
you as soon as I return.
Next days steamer found me on my
way for Europe with warrant in my
pocket for the arrest of John Whiting,
the murderer of Cyrus Wall. And in
my pocket was the snug sum I had re-
ceived from the bank directors as re-
tanning fee to track the sooundrel to the
ground, no matter where he might have
hidden.
That he had started to go round the
world I had no doubt, nor that the
sending of large sum Of money from
China was merely ruse to rid himself
of his family after providing comfort
ably for them. That they, two ignorant
women, would attempt to track him had
not entered into his calculations.
All the way over planned the route
which a man trying to lose himself
would take, and finally located him in
London, where I knew that criminals
most often hide.
To London went. And soon I had
r11rr,cod 70 oil h. oF