Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-04-30
CHAPTER xxvI.
A CHANCE MEETING.

Anere wasn't Mucn tlme lett. however.
| for Guy to make up his mind in. He must
decide at once. Should he accept this mys-
| teriou> warning or not? Pure ate decided
| it. As he hesitated he heard boy crying
in the street. 1t was the specialization
| fiend calling his evening paper. The words
! the boy .aid Guy didn't altogether catch:
| but the last sentence ofall fell On his ear
i an awful sound: Warrant issued today for
| the apprehension Of Waring'
Then the letter, whoever wrote it. was
not all lie. The forgery was out. Cyril
| or the bankers had learned the whole
truth. He was to be arrested to-day as
shame. He hid his face in his hands.
Come what might, he must accep, the
| mysterious warning now He would take
| the ticket and go Oft to South Africa.
| In a moment whole policy had arisen
like O cloud and framed itselfin his mind
He was forger. he knew and by this time
| Cyril too most probably knew it. But he
had the three thousand pounds safe and
sound in his pocket. and those at least he
could send back to Cyril. With them he
! could send a check on his own banker for
/, three thousand more; not that
there were funds there at present
to meet the demand, but il the UNI
known benefactor should pay in the six
thousand he promised within the next few
weeks, then Cyril could repay himself from
that Hypothetical fortune. On the other
hand. Guy didn't disguise from himself the
strong probability that the unknown bene-
factor might now refuse to pay in the six
thousand. In that case, Guy said to him
self, with groan, he would take to the
diamond-tieids, and never rest day or night
| in his seli.imposed task till he made
enough to repay Cyril in full the missing
| three thousand, and to make up tie other
( three thousand he still owed the creditors
| OF the Rio Negro Company; alter which he
!! would return like man, to stand his trial
tt ted '0' 'ne CRIME ne na' commit
1t was a young mans scheme, very fond
/ and youthful; but with the full confidence
! OF his age he proceeded at once to put it in
practice Indeed, II he came to think
| upon il, he iancied to himself hes some
thing like solution of the mystery i'm the
presence OF the great q. c. at Plymouth
that morning Cyril had found ont all. and
had determined to save time. The bankers
had found out all, and had determined to
| prosecute. They had consulted Glider
sleeve. Gildersleeve had come down on
holiday trip. and run up against him at
Plymouth by pure accident. Indeed Guy
looked not q little surprised and excited at
] meeting him. Clearly Gildersleeve had
| communicated with the police at once;
| hence the issue of The warrant. At the
same time the writer of the letter, whoever
he might be---and Guy now believed he
! was sent down by Cyril, or in Cyril's inter
est---the writer had found out the facts
hetimes, and had taken passage for
him in the name OF Ellington. Uncertain
as he felt about the minor details. Guy was
sure this interpretation must be right in the
main. For Elma's sake for the honor OF
the family--Cyril wished him for the pre-
| sent to disappear Cyril's wish was sacred.
He would 90 to South Africa
| The great point was now to avoid meet
| ing Giidersleeve before the ship sailed So
he would pay his bill quietly. put his things
| in his portmanteau. stop in his room till
| the landing-stage
But first Of al, he must send the three
thousand direct to Cyril.
| He sat down, in fit OF profound peni-
tence. and penned a heart-broken letter of
confession to his brother.
| 1t was vague. of course; such letters are
always vague. No man, even in col, essng.
likes to allude in plain terms to the exact
nature Of the crime he has committed; and
besides. Guy took it for granted that Cyril
knew all about the main features of the
case already. He didn't ask his brother
to forgive him; he said; he didn't ~ to ex-
plain, for explanation would bel pos IDLE.
How he came to do it he had no idea him
self A sudden SUGGESTIONS strange. un-
| indecision--and almost before he knew il.
! under the spell of that strange eye. the
thing was done, irretrievably done forever.
The best he could offer now was to express
his profound and undying regret ut the
wrong he had committed, and by which
he had never profited himself single farth-
| ing hewitt had deceived him with incred-
| ible meanness; he could never haye believ-
| ed any man would act rs hewitt had
acted. hewitt had stolen three thousand
i Aa x,E \ s~vs =
paying off his own debt to the Rio Negro
creditors. The remaining three thousand.
sent herewith Guy had recovered, almost
| by miracle, from that false creatures
grasp, and he returned them now. in proof
Of the tact, in Montague Nevitt's own
pocket,book, which Cyril would no doubt
Immediately recognize. For Himself he
| meant to leave England at once. at least
Gnr tha nresont Whore he was going he
wouldn't as yet let Cyril know. He hoped
| In new country to recover his honor and
rehabilitate his name. Meanwhile. it was
mainly tor Cyril's sake that he fled-and
Tor one other persons too--to avoid .
scandal He hoped Cyril would be
happy with the woman Of his choice. for
II was to insure their Joint happiness that
he was accepting the offer OF escape so
Unexpectedly rendered him.
He sealed up the letter--that incri n,inat-
ing letter, that might mean so much more
the post, with the three thousand pounds
and Montague Nevitt's pocket book in .
| separate packet. Proud Kelmscott as he
was by birth and nature, he skunk through
the streets like a guilty man. fancying oil
eyes were fixed suspfciousiy upon him.
Then he returned to the hotel in . burning
heat. went into the snaoking-rnom on pur-
pose like an honest man, and rang the bell
for the servant boldly.
"Brin. my bill, please" he said to the
waiter who answered it. ~ 70 at seyen
O'clock
YES sir, /" the waiter replied with offlc-
ial promptitude. Directly, sir. What
nun, ber?
II forgot the number" Guy answered,
With beating heart; "but the names Bile
ington." s
Yes. sir, tina waiter responded once moro
~ the sali-sarA anvaried tone, sand went
OF to the office.
Guy waited in profound suspense. half.
expecting the walter to come back for tho
number again; but to his immense snrpriss
and mystitication, the fellow didn't Tn
stesd ofthaf, he returned some minutes IL
Ter. al respectful attention. bringing the
blu on ! salyer, duly headed and Iettered,
"Mr. Ellington, number 40" In unspeak.
able trepidation. Guy paid II and walked
away. Never before in ali his life had he
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