The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-01-26
the real cause of Caroline's accidentg' she

the real cause Of Caroline's accident?' she
whispered
'.Who can tell?' Dick whispered back
well talk Of that Tomorrow
When he was alone in his room Dick
bolted his door, threw himself back in a
chair and drew from drawer the small
box which Nab had brought in by mistake
OH the eventful night when she became so
painfully impressed with the idea that her
father had a dark secret to conceal.
Since that night one event had followed
another so quickly that Dick had not had
an opport unity to examine carefully the
contents Of the box which consisted Of let
tiers dated long previously; and the allu-
sions made in them to certain unexplained
events and circumstances filled the young
fellows mind with the gravest surmises.
'Filton'-did my father ever so by the
name of 'Filton?'" he muttered, passing
his hand over his knitted brow. But, if
so, why? And what is the meaning Of
this?''
And, with hot flush on his face, Dick
read:
Il have thing to tell you which will
make your hair stand on end! BY heavens,
the man is recovering! Who could have
imagined such an unlooked-for contin-
gency, even in ones widest dreams? He
is recovering, tell you-not slowly, not
seeming to revive one day and slipping
back the next, but he is making certain,
easy, rapid convalescence! And Of course
you know what will happen. Come back
then instantly; for the moment I am par
alyzed. We must make terms-bnt what
terms? Yours. A. FILTON."
'Good heavens! the handwriting is very
like what my fathers is now!' gasped
Dick, fixing his gaze upon the faded lines.
ut must have been written years ago il
it is his-when he was in the West Indies.
Who could that man be who caused him
such fear? Ought Charlford to shrink
from any man? What was the thing he
feared from the man who was recovering,
and to whom was this letter written?"
A number Of letters had been put into
one envelope as if thrust together SO as
to occupy as small a space as possible, and
the envelope bore this superscription-
"R. +. Jones, ESQ.,
BY dint of careful scrutiny Dick made
out that this thin worn envelope had once
been posted in America to some place in
London.
1T must have been my father who wrote
these" muttercd Dick, starting from his
seat in violent agitation. did he write
them to my uncle, sending them to him
under an assumed name to an address
agreed on between them? They were
once both in the West Indies. Then I'm
Gle John came back alone, and remained
some months in England, after my moth
er's death, before my fathers return. Oh,
what does it all mean?"
With difficulty Dick forced himself to
peruse the other letters; they all related
to the one subject, which had evidently
created the widest CONSERVATION in the
mind of the writer. The man referred to
was fast recovering; there was not an
instant to be lost in arranging with him
something not specified in the letter.
Frantic appeals to return at once filled
half the pages. And the name signed at
the bottom of the letters was always the
same-"A. Filton."
II think l will show them to my father"
said Dick, speaking aloud mechanically,
"aRd see what he says to them. But Nab
had better not look at them-at least, not
yet She will imagine all sorts Of things;
she will fancy what do And the tor
tured young fellow paced the room in deep
reflection. .
ITO be continued.)