The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-09-26

haps. IN nneentiemanly thins % ass
but then my curiosity was rrealIs 81
cited. I hoped that the name pencIIed
on the hack u the programmes might
be- that OF a woman. But l was dlaap
pointed BY the light Of a gas lang
read:
Immediate. Arthur Delllneham.
Esq.-Funlval's Ian. Hoiborn. 81 c.
Beiilnghami Bellnghamf l seemed
10 know the name. For a minute o.
two ! stood trying to remember WHOM
Il was ! had once met that owned Il.
but IN vain. What DID Il matteFf The
affair was a. an end. ! drODped the
queer letter into the letter bon and
went home 20 my lodgings
A few months later ! was atroillna
along oxford street. heard my name
called out. and, looking up. saw Arthur
/ Belllngham standing before ne. |
recognized him at once--a young en-
glneer whom | had met once ~ 9
country Inn on a wet day IN the lake
district. We had been capital frieads
for a week. and could not understand
how I had forgotten him when ! bad
tried 10 remember what belkingham
had known
We greeted each other warmly. and
he would have me 90 with him % hla
chambers IN Furnlvafs Inn and smoke
a cigar with him.
rockingham" I said, as I stood On
his hearth rug. did Il ever happen
that you received a letter written % q
ball programmeT'
His eyes and mouth opened IN purs
establishment.
what DO you know about thasf' Be
CALCULATED.
Il ought not 20 have known anything
about u; but I plead guilty 10 having
read the address ] posted the pro
gramme 70 you one night on my WaJ
home from a ball.
My friend sprang up and wrung ny
hand as II he would wiring Il OF.
MY dear fellow" be cried. Il am IN
flnltely obliged 10 you for your tact
and kindness on that occasion. II you
had not posted that Dote Il would have
meant ruin 10 me. Maud told me how
awfully good you were about Il"
"Maudi DO you mean
MAUD. ny sister-the Rirl who
slipped the note Into your hand"
is she your sister,
Certainly she Ia. It's rather an IN
common story. Shall ten 4 10 Jour
1T you don't mind. confess | en-
burning with curiosity"
The fact IL. then, that some three
years ago my poor mother. who was q
widow. dd what turned out 10 b. Z
very foolish thlng-she married again
aud married without making proper 10
qulrles. My stepfather Mr.. Maddox
turned out 10 be a yery bad egg. NJ
mother Lost the greater part o. hei
fortune when she married him. aud w
were for a time practically dependeni
on my mothers uncle. an ecccntrie oll
gentleman. rather fond Of money
called IIodklnson.
Maddox is neither more nor lssl
=. than an adveniurer. and for q lonl
!, time Il was the main business % 81
I life 10 exploit my great uncle. Al las
|. he nearly succeeded. Maddox an
!, some friends Of his got bold Of a bit Q
land In South Africa. which the
!, wanted 10 sell as q gold mine. ! den
y believe there was an ounce Of sold o
I the premises. But my great uncle sal
= that he would buy Il AZ the high fgur
y = they asked for Il II would so cut an
see Il. and send him a private teleKFnl
- advising him that the gold was thei
, In paying quantities.
= "Of course. ! was ready 10 So and
was 10 have sailed the very mofniu
y after the night OF the hail that you "a
= Maud attended.
a "Weil. Maud happened 10 be m q
~ conservatory attached 70 the hell rool
70 when she overheard two men tafkiI
behind some lowering shrubs M
~ heard every word they said.
!, .The two men were Mr.. Maddo,
=, aud one Of his associates. and q
n heard enough 10 make her undsrstal
-. that the thing was fraud. and that
!. was 20 be made the means o. tbs
swlndllng Uncle Jonas On q lar
n. scale. believe the plan was that thI
~ should send a false Telegram % the .
A. man Ia my name days before ] cou
- even see the pretended mine o
~ thing know-if the thing had cone
~ Uncle Jonas would never have q
- leved 10 his dying day that ! b
-, been squared You may Imagine III
Az q state Maud was In She"
y; The door opened aud Maud hers
49, walked into the RON.
4, II seemed that her stepfather h
(. treated her - harshly on account
=. her having spoiled his schemes q
~, she had been forced 10 leave hia hos
~. ami take refuge with her brother.
~ For some time the old man refllI
~, ~" 20 believe that the reason Arthur -
- for not going 20 South Africa was
true rcason. but IN time he came rou
,s and both brother and sister are nov
~ guod deal az his house. ! 50 there
s caslonally myself. which h not =
~. prsing. as Maud and have been
ins gagged Tor the last slx weeks Case
IA saturday Journal