Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-02-10
TIE BLACKNAILERS.

tell me what Is WIOhS' VIC wa
can be done. Miss Ggaydon. Perhaps'
Il is not quite so bad as YOU think.
"Irs about Charley -. bu1 nere
nv fair visitor broke dowa completely,
and | thought il bes, TO give her ilttie
time 10 recover. or the cause oil her
grief bevopd the fact that Charley was
bsr brother was 10 complete Ignorance.
He and I had been az public school
togetber and fast friends then and alter
ward. While I had been studying Tor
the Bsr he had gone iu for the Indian
Civil Service.and only a few days before
had noticed his name well up In the
list of the men selected 10 pro-
ceed 10 India at once. confess
had felt inclined TO envy
him his success, for I was still brletless.
However. I bad not been long called,
and was sure that briefs would come In
time. Meanwhile, I could regard Miss
Gravdon as my FIRST client, though with
ont the solicitors Intervention that legal
etiouette demands. My position was,
therefore. novel one; first, In the iact
thar had a client at all, and second,
that that client, and with whom l was
sbout 10 have a professional tete-a-tete,
was p youpg lady whom l mad long adj
mired though in secret only. For,
,boDgb limb OF the law, l was then
basbful. Experience brought perfec-
tion. or some approach TO IT, so far as
updue basnfulness was concerned.
Al last. sitter minute or two, my
Communion regained her cOmposure. /
mt aside the last volume Of the "Equi-
" Reports" which | had been making
Uretense Of reading, and prepared TO
listen.
you will pardon me, Mr.. Grassland,
I am sure, when you know all ~
There Is nothing 10 pardon, Miss
Grlvdon. Tell me what the trouble Is"
Charley. you know is going on TO To-
dia next week, 10 al appointment In
Bengal"
"Yes; / saw IL in the paper.
.Wbile reading for his iast examina-
zion he made the acquaintance OF a man
"a Eurasiau, l think Charley calls him
who UrofeSsed to coach him In his
Hipdustgni. Both mother and l eau
,ioned Charley against him, as we did
not Ike the man, but he Gully made
ioht OF ANYTHING we cOuli say. One
evening he called at my brothers. cham
hers when hs was ont. lie must have
seized the opportunity 70 ransack his
desk aud pur.oiu some letters. A few
DAVIS ago man, calling himself
soiicitor's clerk, called aud told Char
lev that be had been consulted
about the letters, or, rather, about
some claim the Enraslan pretended TO
have against Charley, and that unless
this claim were settled Immediately the
letters would be forwarded 10 the Sec
rotary Of State for India, the result OF
which would be that my brothers ap-
Doiltment would be cancelled"
aud the amount Of the claim?"
give hundred pounds"
"Who is the solicitor?"
"There is none. The man has been
EMPLOYED 40 some time in lawyers Of
zee. l believe. Al present be Is schem-
sr who will stick at nothing"
ado you know the contents OF the
letters?'
al don't. Charley assures me he is
in no way TO blame, but ne would rath-
er pay the two cOnSpirators their de-
mands than have them published or
sent, as they threaten 10 DO. He says
be will repay mamma in year or two"
l knew that my friends the Graydons,
though at one time fairly we'll OF, had
suffered recently, like many more,
from the prevailing fall In value OF
land. Their rents had been much re-
duced, and their tenants even then had
difficulty in paying. The elder Mr..
Gravdon had died few years before,
I oh inv nj rrnN
and Charley's necessarily expensive ed
ucatiOn mad been hard pull on the
widows diminished income. l wanted
time 10 think the matter over.
docs your brother KNOW Of your
coming 70 tell me?'
mot for tim world
"DoD't you think I had better see
him? Do you know. l think ne is act
/ ing rather seliShly?"
He can't help himself, poor fellow"
"And what do you propose doing"
Mother thought that we might be
able to raise the $500 by selling out the
stock standing in my name. Charley is
/ sure 10 pay il back. "
Aud when is this precious arrange
/ ment 10 be carried out?"
They are sure 10 call at our house
| tonight The money must be paid some
/ days before my brother sails.
Yes, I understand The best thing
| to do would be TO have them indicted
/ for conspiracy TO extOrt money
And my brother would have 10 stay
and give evidence, and the letters they
/ have would be published.
"Well, 1 shall be at your house to-
night when they call; meanwhile, we
must think the matter over"
At the time appointed the pair of
/ scOundrels made their promised visit.
thought it better that my Intervention
in the matter should, for the time De
/ ing, not be known TO them, and so be-
| fore they were announced / had sta
/ toned myself in a small room separated
\ by folding doors from the drawing
room. With these LETT slightly open
was able TO see and hear without my
presence being suspected. E2vesdrop-
ping some might call II, but neither the
men with whom | had TO deal uor the
circumstances were such as TO raise any
Qualms OF conscience on my part. They
were fighting with poisoned weapons,
and felt justified ia dealing with them
! accordingly.
From what I overheard l soon made
up my mind that Mayer, the eI-solici-
tors clerk, and his dusky associate were
not men to be deprived of their prey by
any apparent artitice. The former was
evidently the master hand in the plot,
aud, had time permitted, 1 should have
searched carefully into his antaCedents.
de expressed his regret for the absence
OF Mr. Graydon, who, be understood,
was TO make a final arrangement that
evening; was sorry, he said, TO cause the
ladies' auv Inconvenience or unnecessary
alarm, but business was business, his
clients claim was just one. thong b