The Irish standard., 1897-02-13

door to CatronB store. The old notary
was sitting at his dkslt.tda and the lines at
reticencc in his sdAoae face deepened
into wrinkles wh4lise looked up and
saw who had opened the door. Thorn
dyle wasted no tiW le,riin Introductory
phrases.
1.-Two or three mS6aht}6s ago, Mr.. Prag-
more, i asked you shine questions about
deed purporting tnshaye been given by
John Kilgrow to James Gates. The
record shows that ,xg pe attested 1T, but
you denied any recollection OF the cir
cumstances. viii you tell me now that
you did not antedate your certificate six
years or more? that you did not ac-
knowledge the signature OF q man
whom you believed to be dead?" !
Pragmore stiffened himself in his
chair and made no sign, though he had
to noisten his thin lips to say: You
cayn't prove anything"
The sulIen defiance overdrew what
ever amount of prudence the discovery
of the. deed had left Thorndyke. Lean
ing over the desk, he held the paper out
spread before the eyes Of the old man.
do you pretend to say that this is not
your signature? Will you tell me that
YOU don't know Fenc4's handwriting
!. when YOU see It.? Did the printers make
mistake Of five years when they put
their imprint on this blank?'
The mask of inscrutability slipped
aside for moment, and Pragmore's
face became gray and furred with
terror. Then he relapsed into sullen-
{ ness again, but there'was an angry snarl
in his voice when he spoke.
IT don't know nothin' about it, mr.
what-all ye're amin at, but I'll tell ye
: first an last, We cayn't bulldoze me-
This here's my Office, an since We found
tho way in, I reckon ye can find the way
out"
Philip started of in a white heat OF
wrath. Halfway to the door he turned
on rragmore.
II came down here to give you one
more chance to save yourself" he said:
.'you don't deserve any more consider
alton than any common criminal, but
you're all old man and you've let these
fellows make tool of you. Once for all,
will you turn states evidence? or shall I
send the sheriff after you?"
There was rasping noise, as OF
hastily opened drawer. and the oldman
sp) ang to his feet and leveled a revolt
yer at Thcrndyke. His eyes blazed, and
his voice qnavered with excitement.
sly the Nightly; il ye don't get out
o. here"
Philip stood his gfoahd long enough
to show his contempt for the argu-
n1ent Of force; manufactured his back
on the angry man and ran up the street
to catch an electric ear for the new
courthouse. AS soA f2p as as he could find
magistrate, he sWore out a. warrant
for Pragmorc's aries" and went him
self with the deput}a Who was to serve
:. it. AS matter of,pevrse, they found
the office locked apad, empty; and, leav-
ing the officer to continue the search
for the notary, Philip Went back to the
Johannisberg to PREPARE the papers i'll
!! the suit against the; town company.
:: The constable had promised to report
:. in. the course Of the afternoon, and
:. when evening came without any word
8 from him, Philip resolved to go to the
Jail and see il Pragmorc had been
caught. With the >hcetllessness which
goes hand in hand with triumphant
perseverance, he left the forged deed,
together with the unfinished papers.
on the writingtable in his room at
the hotel; and, picking his way through
the obstructed streets, he was soon in
the neighborhood Of the courthouse.
Under the branches Of water-oalS, at
a point where the light from the cleo
il. trio lamps at the. crossings made
garish twilight, he stumbled over the
body Of a man lying across the side
!. walk. Before he could recover hinl-
self he was promptly garroted, thrown
down and held by two footpads while
u third rifled his pockets. The assault
vas we'll planned and deity executed,
and when his assailants had left him
Thorndyke was astonished to find tina:
they had taken none of his valuables.
Then it came to him like sudden
stroke of illness that their object had
been to secure the forged deed, and he
grew cold with disulay when he re-
m1:,nbered where he had left it, The
next moment lie was racing n1adfy
toward the hotel, stumbling and *fill-
ling over heaps of building material and
paving-s stones, and colliding biindly
with chance pedestrians who happened
to get in his way.
He breathed freely again when he
reached his room and found that the
papers were undisturbed. but the dis
uuieting experience taught him the
lesson of prudence which he might
otherwise have gone wanting. Button
iEg the papers into an inside pocket OF
his coat, he went out again, taking care
to keep in the well-lighted and fire.
quented streets until he reached Il hard
J ware store where he could buy a re-
volver. With the weapon in his pocket
he felt safer; and. leaving Broadway,
he once more turned his steps toward
the Jail. Pragmorc had not been
found; and, after assuring himself that
a description of the missing notary had
been telegraphed to the neightoring
towns on the railway, Thorndyke went
back to the hotel. Approaching the
. building by a 4wplla through, the
grounds which ed him beneath the
windows of his owl, room in one of
the southern gables. lie was surprised
to see them brilliantly lighted; and,
boiling ND the stairway at the end OF