The Delta independent., 1896-12-16
10 be Co.,i...s s. e..- .e.s t...e.)


"Very well; the moment begin to
show you proofs that things are as
say"
MY dear SIR" cried the elder man,
with some heat, "you are not showing
proof. You are merely making asser-
tions. and assertions about a man vino
is absent-who is not here to defend
himself. If you have anything to say
against William Longworth, come and
cay it when he is here, and he shall an
swer for himself. 1t is cowardly OF
you, and ungenerous to me, to make
number of accusations which am in no
wise able to refute."
"Will you listen to what 1 have 10
say?"
mo; will not"
Then, by God, you shall!" and
with that Wentworth strobe to the door
and turned the key. while the old man
rose from his seat and faced him.
DO you mean to threaten me, sir, in
my own Officer"
81 mean to say, Mr.. Longworth, that
] have made q statement which l aru
going to prove to you. l mean that you
shall listen to me, and listen 10 me now."
'And, say, il you have anything to
charge against my nephew. come and
say it when he il here"
when he is here, Mr.. Longworth, IL
will be too late to soy it; at present you
can repair the injury he hns done. When
he returns to England you cannot do SO,
no matter how much you might wish 10
make the attempt"
The old man stood irresolute for q mo-
ment; then he sat down in his chair
again.
Every WE'LL" he said, with sigh, ~
am not SO combative as once was. Go
on with your story"
'.My story Is very short" said Went
worth. "It simply amounts to this:
You know your nephew formed part
nership with us in relation to the Cana
Jim mine?"
81 know nothing about it, tell you."
answered Mr.. Longworth. /
"Very well, you know it now" !
IL know you say So"
"Do you doubt my word?"
81 will tell you more about that when
hear what you have to say. Go on"
"Well, your nephew, pretending 10
aid us in forming this company, did
everything to retard our progress. He
engaged Offices that took q long time
to fit up, and which we had, at last, 10
take D hand in ourselves. Then he left
for a week, leaving no address, and re-
fusing to answer the letters / sent to his
office for him. On one pretext or au-
other the forming of the company was
delayed, until, at length, when the op-
tion by which Mr.. Kenyon held the mine
had only q month to run, your nephew
went to America in company with Mr..
Melville, ostensibly to sec and report
upon the property. After waiting q
certain length of time and hearing moth
ing from him (he had promised to cable
us), Kenyon went tn America to get re-
ncwal of the option. This cablegrani
explains his success. He finds, on going
there, that your nephew has secured
the option of the mine in his own name,
and, as Kenyon says, we are cheated.
How, have you any doubt whether your
nephew il scoundrel or not?"
Mr.. Longworth mused for a few mo-
him.
"If what you say is exactly true, there
is no doubt that William has been guilty
of a piece of very sharp practice"
SHARP practice!" cried the other.
"You might as well call robbery sharp
practice!"
my dear sir, have listened to you:
now 1 nsk you to listen to me. If. as
I say, what you have stated is true, my
nephew has done something which
think an honorable man would not do;
but as to that cannot judge until 1
hear his side Of the story. 1t may pu.
n different complexion on the matter,
and have no doubt It will; but, even
granting your version is true in every
particular, what have to do with It?
1 am not responsible for my nephew's
actions. He has entered into a business
connection, it seems, with two young
men and has outwitted them. That is
probably what the world would say
about it. Perhaps, as you say, he has
been guilty of something worse, and
has cheated his partners. But even ad-
nitting erything to be true, do not
see how am responsible in any way"
Legally, you are not; morally,
think, you are"
"Why?"
"If he were your SON"
"But he is not my son; he Is my
nephew"
IF your son had committed a theft,
would you not do everything in your
power to counteract the evil he had
done?"
II might and I might not. Some ia
theirs pay their sons debts, others do
not. 1 cannot say what action should
take in purely supposititious cnse."
Very well. all / have to say is, our
option runs out in two or three days.
Twenty thousand pounds will secure
the mine for us. want that 5000
before the option ceases"
"And do you expect me 70 pay you
6 10000 for this7"
ssH~a dn -