The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-04-23
copyright. 1896. BY F. rennyson Nee,y.l

'odH EIdHClSCO, inc lefklnSeS nau dis
appeared. Two of the sisters were liv-
ing the lives of atlvent,lrcsses. Old Per-
kins was dead and buried, and no one
knew where the rest had goue-a host
of Sacramento tradcsmcn wished they
could find out.
Then McLanc came east, bringing his
shcaves with him, and his family not
unnaturnlly forgavc and welcomed
hum. Prosperity followed him. He
fairly coined money, and Uncle Abe
Mcllen was only too glad to have him as
partner; and then after IL lapse of
years, when he thought her dead and
honestly wished her SO, his blssful
bachelor life was broken in upon by the
temperance of his Sacramento wife,
now Il handsome woman of nearly 40,
and stalwart STRIPPING whom he
recognized at once as his long-lost son.
For two years he provided for her and
tried to educate the boy, but never
again acknowledged her as his wife,
and SO long as she was amply paid
and housed, lodged und cared for, she
never protested. MUGS club friends
sometimes winked and nudgcd each
nthcr when the tall young fellow app
Feared ut the wuitingroom with let
ter. or when occasionally n dashing-
looking womnn patrolcd the ncighbor-
hood until he would come out and Join
her. The boy was wild and wouldn't
study. and was expelled from the
schools at which he was entered by he
name of Perkins. and the landlords
complained Of the people Mrs. Perkins
received and cntcrtaincd; then Mac put
the young man in Mellcn's bank, and
there he WAS when the Hayward nicces
came back from Europe, and Charlotte
married Ned Parry and Fan wished to
marry Merriam. 1t was J. II. McLane,
Jr., who did Uncle Abe's work for him
aud went around among Mcrriam's
creditors and got them 10 unite in their
complaint TO the war department.; but
oy that time he had seen something of
Randy, had taken shine to him." as
&C. expressed it, and when he learned
That Merriam had been llnished to the
frontier as consequences he told the
Did nun that he was done with that sort
ut dirty work, and WIS minded to go
and confess to Miss Hayward what he
had done. To buy him OFT Mcllen gave
him all the money lie needed and babe
him go and live the life he always
longed to live, that of Il prospcctor and
miner in the Sicrras. McLnne, the ia
Their, was away and had been away for
several months. Mrs. McLanc, the
mother, after fnrions quarrel with
her protector something over a year be-
fore, had agreed to return to California
md never trouble him again upon pay
mcnt of IL big, round sum in cash. She
would not listen to IL pension, and the
story that came to the husbands ears
soon after WIS that at last his Sacra-
lncnto wife had rewarded the fidelity of
her old friend, the steamboat engineer;
but the lawyers sent to trace the matter
were confronted by unloollcd-for news
--unwrlcomc news, and therefore news
they fully investigated before report
ing, since, if true, it would put an end
to what promised 10 be most profit
able case. That S25,0GO was practically
wastcl--AIrs. john II. McLnne was
dead.
They found her grave, hcadstone and
all, but could get no trace of her long
devoted lover. 1T was surnsed that lie
had taken what was left of The money
and gone elsewhere in search of con-
ISOLATION. McLane came back to New
York, met Fanny Hayward, fell in love,
and Uncle Mellcn urged the mattel, in
every way; and we know the result.
There was fortnight in which McLanc
seemed the happiest Of men. Then came
u shock. Fanny found him nearly
crazcd with trouble. A letter had come
purporting to be from that supposed
to-be-dead woman demanding further
heavy payment as the price of her 81
lencc. McLane honestly told Fan the
truth, and was astonshed at her de-
cision. She babe him ''pny the money
and have done with it,"
They might have doubted the gcnu-
inencss of her letter, but there was no
doubling that of young McLnnc's dying
statement, witnessed by the officers
from Sedgwcl. He declared his moth
er alive. And SO one crime led to an
other. No sooner had they reached
California than the whole Perkins
family seemed resurrccted, and black
mail was their business. The eldest
sister demanded heavy hush-money,
and it was paid. The second sister
turned up with her husband and q pre-
posterous demand. 1t was they who
haunted him Mt the San Francisco club,
and the man, drunk and triumphant,
insolently demanding money that
night, had fired that wcll-nlgh fatal
shot when repudiated, dciicd, and
struck. The very next day at their
hotel came letter warning them to 81
lcncc as to the identity of the assailants.
So long as these latter were allowed to
escape arrest they would keep the Sc
cret, but if arrested and brought to
trial they would proclaim McLane
bigamist. All this was made known to
Cnclo Mellcn, and he, too, backed the
niccc's cause and kept up the deception.
Tut no one could tell where the first
wife was hidden. "Shc will be pro-
duccd when needed, and her money
must be paid through her sister," The
money, large sum, was paid, and then
there was temporary peace. But Nc
Lane dropped and died under the
weight of shame and anxiety. There
was quarreling between the widow and
the guardian and further demands
from those cormorants, who now OPEN
IL fhrcnfppcl n Tho ,1o,l ,,,,,,r