The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-05-26

"Oh, should not fear to tell him
ALL" responded Sydney. But with
| them, what could / invoke for my de-
fence? / am a gambler, | have lost,
and have paid my losses with money
| which had been entrusted to me Whlie
| believing that / was an honest mani!
And Sydney moaned again, and
| dashed his hand to his head, despair;
| ingly.
And Tony, struggling for calmness,
said, "Come, come, Sydney, let us meet
| this evil face to face, and manfully.
In the first place, you have not yet
| told me what was the sum you lost at
cards %
And when Sydney had answered
] that question, his brother looked ter.
rified at the amount that had Leen
! named.
And presently Tony proceeded,
''Since it is very certain, to me at
least, that you did not pay your losses
at cards from the chest of which you
had been made the bearer l have
been wondering whence you could
have obtained the money with which
you discharged your gambling debt"
"Ah! there | am indeed guilty"
cried Sydney.
ey with which Sydney had N reality
paid his losses at the card-table.
Eighty pounds of that money lad
belonged to TopU and the remainder
of the hundred and twenty-five pounds
to Sydney himself.
Their joint savings. it had been
agreed between the brothers, We're to
be placed in the bank in which sgd
ny was clerk; but so l1urriedly was
he despatched on his mission to Wex-
ford-so sudden his departure from
London-that, having but just heforo
received his brothers share of the
money, he was compelled to relinqIish
his intention of lodging it in tie lank
until his return from Ireland; and
had, without a thought. allowed the
pocket-book, containing that which
was the entire fortune Of them 10th,
to remain in the pocket which he first
had placed it.
Afterwards he had, as We have seen,
secured it in his portmaHteau.
And this account was a great relief
to Tony; he cared little that his saw
ings had vanished-his brother had
perfect right to them, he considered;
though his marriage must low be
postponed for he knew not how long,
he was content to wait; although, per-
hGpS, his intended wife would be like
ly somewhat complain at a delay
which she had, at present, little rea-
son to suspect.
But Tony had received full proof,
not that his reason had demanded it,
yet, nevertheless, he WAS very glad
that clear and ample proof had been
afforded him, that his brother had been
most unjustly accused by those who
had denounced him us II thief.
''And did not you tell them that you
had paid your losses With cur own
lawful money! demanded Tony.
And Sydney had told them SO, he
said, but had not been believed
ooh! but they shall believe mer'
cried Tony, and was for proceedingly
directly to the bank, and was with
difficulty persuaded to forgo his in.
tention.
"And, poor grandmother sighed
Tony; what shall we say to her?'
''That in single night / have mis-
erably disspated the fruits of my
brothers hard-earned savings!' Sgd
ney cried, desparingly; 'but that
have been too severely punished for
that fault, since"
"You will tell her nothing of the
sort" hastily interrupted Tony; ''for
you know we'll that such tidings would
kill her"
And Sydney felt assuredly that his
brother had spoken truly
Tony sank into deep thought 1t was
perfectly certain that the chest which
had been given to Sydney's care had
been plundered; but how, and by
whom?
And why only of that precise sum
which his brother had lost at cards?
"And is there no one to whom your
suspicious point? presently asked
Tony.
And Sydney replied, ooh, no one;
and even now it appears to me as some
wild dream"
Were there no signs to tell you that
the box had been forced?'
"No-nothing
"And where had you placed that
box?''
I'm a cupboard in my bed-chamber.
Locked safely up, as you belieyed?"
Eyes"
"And the keys?-those of the cup
board and the money chest?'
Locked within my portmanteau."
That's it, thenv' cried Tony 1.-THE
rascal, whoever he was, had found a
key which would open your portman-
teau and had thence distracted those
other keys"
But that was impossible Sydney
asserted, "for the keys had been placed
in a secret compartment of his port
manteau, which no stranger to it would
be able to detect; and which required
for opening it key of most peculiar
construction"
Ills a mysterious piece of bust
ness" Tony said, after a long pause,
e, lii