San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-08-01
THE : SUNDAY : LIGHT.
SUNDAY, AUGUST /. 1897.

pose you can arrange that much for me,
at least?" He appealed to the squire,
who replied:
"I am sure of it. Virgie would not
turn stranger from her roof. and am
confident that when she understands
that you are SO near a relative she will
offer you the hospitality which is due to
you. In fact, if know her character, /
doubt IL she will accept the property at
all, now that you have returned.
"Once more" said Burrows, 81 hope
you will see that am speaking con-
scientiously when I remind you, Mr..
Lewis, that you have given us no proof
of your identity. Of course your word
alone was sufficient this morning when
we were coming here. We expected to
find Mr.. Lewis alive. and it would have
been his privilege to satisfy any doubt.
But now, under the peculiar circum-
stances, I hope you don't miscontrue
my motives
"Not in the least, replied Lewis.
"You are investigating a murder and
are right to demand thorough expla-
nation Of my movements and proof OF
my identity. / am stranger to you,
and you have but my unsupported word.
am more glad than sorry that I am
disinherited by my fathers will. l did
not deserve any consideration at his
hands anyway, and under the distress
ing circumstances, and considering my
appearance just after his violent death.
were his heir it might seem-you un-
derstand? might be implicatedP'
''Nonsensel Nonsenser exclaimed
the squire. mo one would think such
thing" The squirrels positive assertion
made Burrows feel little uncomfort-
able, for he was inwardly conscious that
he was entertaining the very idea at
that moment. Lewis continued:
"As to my identity, fortunately /
foresaw that the time might some day
come when I should wish to prove to
my father that I am indeed his son.
Therefore / have carefully preserved the
last three letters which received from
him, determined, should it ever be
necessary, to produce them as proof Of
my identity, in the event of his failing
to recall my changed face. Now he is
dead, but the evidence thus attainable
assumes, it seems, an in' reased value.
have preserved tho lett5ra ~ my pocket
book through all these years, and from
frequent reading they are not in a very
perfect condition, though 1 hope suf-
ficiently decipherable for you at least,
squire, to recognize their genuineness. "
So saying, he produced a dilapidated
wallet and took from it three letters,
apparently quite old. They were in en-
velopes that scarcely held together, and
the edges of the folds of the letters were
almost worn through in places. Never
theless the writing was sufficiently dis
tinct to be leRible. The squire and Bur
rows looked through them, and the for
mer unlesitatingly declared that he rec
ognized the handwriting as that of
John Lewis. The contents were not es-
pecially interesting, being simply such
as father would send to son absent
at school A detective is naturally sus-
picious. He is apt 10 doubt and ques-
ton to the last, and though Burrows
was comparatively new he nevertheless
possessed this trait to strong degree.
He therefore examined the date of the
postmark, which was 1879. Although
he could not but accept this as unim-
peachable evidence that the young
mans story was correct, still, without
knowing exactly why he did so, he cop
led down the address ON the envelopes,
which was:
John Lewis, Jr. Care 7. Jamison,
ESQ, Washington Heights, New York
City, N. Y"
"Mr. Lewis" said the squire, 81 am
satisfied that you are my friends son,
and am sorry that this will leaves you
nothing by its provisions. I am sure, as
I told you just now, that Virgie will
do what is right will see her at
once"
He tapped gently on the door of vir
ginia's room and was admitted. While
he was absent Burrows took the oppor-
tunity to ask Lewis few more ques-
tons
"Mr. Lewis" said he, show long is
it since you were at sea, and why did
you give mp the life? Though perhaps
you mean to return to iti"
"Oh, no. i have had enough of it.
, The beautiful ease and comfort of the
messroom, described in the books Of
adventure written for boys, are very
much oyerdrawn, l assure you. 1t was
this kind of literature which first made
me long for the sea. After l became a
sailor in earnest the charm of the TO
nance dimmed considerably before the
stern reality. I was sorry enough that /
had left home"
why, then, did you not return
sooner"
"Ah, that is easier said than donei
shipped for voyage to China There ]
was forced to leave my ship and find
another homeward bound, which was
not easy, or else to follow the fortunes
of my messmates. 1 chose the latter, the
consequence being that it was five years
before we reached the States again, and
then it was ON the Pacific coast. Al
there was little chanca If finding mx