Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-07-24
ave been inextricab1y involved with

have been fnextricab1y involved with
them.
Harold was his own master and
free moral agent. Simple timidity does
not explain his readiness to enter into
this unlawful business, followed by his
fight when the day drew near for the
demand from these evil men for money.
I would be glad to believe that it
was his love for Miss Lawrence that
took him across the ocean, but his per
sistency in making his term Of absence
q year gives ma discomforting suspi-
cion of which I cannot free myself.
Strange that he does not name an
address through which can communi-
cate with him. If he is kept away, after
learning the whereabouts Of Miss Law
renee, by his dread Of Discoe and Huke,
I can quickly remove that fear. and I
will not permit myself to believe that
any other cause can hold him in check.
My thoughts were revolving in this
channel, when a letter dropped through
the slit in the door. Snatohing it up.
my heart beat more quickly as I recog-
nized the writing Of Harold Westcott,
80 like my own. The envelope bore the
London postmark:
MY DEAR OTHER sELF-I am back at TIL
Berkeley, which will be my headquarters Tor
q couple of weeks, when think Of making
lengthy trip on the continent II you have
anything worth communicating address me
at the Berkeley, and shall be sure to receive
Il. Anyway, let me hear from you, with an ac'
count of how you enjoy being myself or rather
yourself. WALcoTT.
At last the way was opened. Harold
would be at the famous London hostelry
for a week to come, if not longer. It
was easy to reach him by letter, but I
could not abide the delay Of the mail
It was frightfully expensive to use the
cable, but few minutes later my mes
sage was throbbing underneath the At
lantic:
Take next steamer home. Miss Lawrence ar
rived day you left. Have nothing to dread from
any quarter. Discoe and Huke been caught.
Sure Of long terms. [Of course their trial had
not yet taken place. No suspicion against you.
Way clear Expect you next steamer.
I looked for no reply to this, but 1t
came on the following forenoon:
Cannot return. Have written by this mail
explaining everything ".
This was an astonisher. Knowing
that his betrothed was in New York
and that nothing was to be feared from
the two criminals, now safely immured
in prison, he coolly announced that he
could not come back to the metropolis
To my mind there was but one e1-
PLANTATION possible, and that Instantly
presented itself. He was implicated in
some other wrongdoing which was of a
still more serious nature. IF such were
the fact, the storm would soon break on
my head
Deprived Of every dollar in the world,
shorn of my miraculous strength and in
q position where it looked impossible to
deny that I was Harold Westcott, my
doom would be as hopeless as that of
Tom Discoe or Jake Huke.
Such was my reasoning but how
prone we mortals are to go astray! /
was not within a thousand miles of the
truth.
My reflections were not of pleasant
nature. 1t looked as if I had walked
into every trap set for me and was de-
prived of every chance of escape.
cat any rate he has written to Miss
Lawrence and made everything clear to
her. So hereafter I must avoid her. ;"
The temptation was strong to write
to Harold, taking him severely to task,
with the threat that If he did not do my
bidding I would expose him at all costs.
Great as would be the scandal, never
theless could convince him it was pos
sible for me, through an appeal to my
college mates and the friends of my
boyhood, to establish my identity.
However, I will wait until his let
ter arrives.
1t was now noon, and I started down
town. At precisely tie same minute
that I entered the brokers' Office Oh the
preceding day stepped across the thresh
old again to learn my financial fate.
quickly learned it.