The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-02-17

| Stanton. The judge was too excited TO
see the muscles of his face contract.
"Met him once, did you?" the judge
| almost shouted, with sneer. "Met him
the time he walked away with your
wife, did you? Well, sit down, young
man, and keep quiet. have something
| TO say TO you. I'm pledged TO your uncle
never 10 speak, but will. You deserve
| II. Your uncle and your mother were
turned out of their home when your
mother was only a child to make room
| for n daughter born TO their stepmoth-
| er. They never saw their father again,
or their half-sister, but years after
wards fellow named Raymond-the
father Of the one you met-settled
down on John Olmstead. calling himself
his brother-in-law, loafing on him, liv-
ing on him, cheating him, even forging
his name time and again. Why, for the
| last ten years Of his life John Olmstead
couldn't be forced TO repeat the name
| OF Raymond. But this son, by some ras-
calty, got hold Of some papers that
| were frauds from the beginning, only
| there was no way to prove them so eX-
cept by bringing into court the life his
tory of your uncle's wife, and he would
never hear of that for moment. He
let them bleed him instead.
'Now your uncle loved you and did
everything in his power for you. He
wantedyou to marry, and he had right
10. 1t was common sense, and il wasn't
common sense for you TO stick ii out
| this way. When he died he left you
everything, on the one condition that
you would marry within ten years.
No man could have been left freer TO
| take his time and make his choice. lie
left this Raymond ten thousand If he'd
give up those papers and sign off his
| claim. But he wouldn't take it. lie was
playing for the whole. No one else
| thought you'd be such an eternal fool
as to stand out for ten years against
your uncle's wishes, your friends and
common sense.
"He kept his eye on you, and when
you did almost blunder into marrying
he deliberately walked of with your
wife. He didn't want the woman. Oh,
no. Lombard thinks he already had an
other wife, out west. At all events, be-
fore she'd been out there long she wrote
| back that she'd made terrible discoy-
cry and was coming home at once. She
never reached home. Young Raymond
was not with her when she started, but
his father followed her. She died, sud
denly, on the way. No one found out
what il was that she discovered, but
Lombard satisfied himself that she was
murdered, and that il was the old Ray
mond who did it. He disappeared, and
nothing could be found OF him till IL was
told that he died, year or more ago, in
California.
Now the son comes up for his re-
ward, and you have paid it,"
With q savage grunt Judge Russell
rose, stuffed his hands deep into his
pockets, and stood glazing at John Ohm
stead's nephew.
Slowly Stanton rose, too, and, speak
ing deliberately, replied:
''You knew that j was ignorant OF
this, but YOU expected me TO follow n
course, because you saw the reason FOR
il. If had known, before, what you
have kindly told me now, i might have
done very differently. am accustomed
to weigh important questions for my
self and to act upon my own judgment,
not on the judgment Of others; and il
you would find the real cause for this
property's going into the wrong hands,
look for il in the obnoxious persistency
Of those who attempted TO drive me into
marriage when the only rational
ground which they could urge or l
could see was the securing to myself Of
John Olmstead's millions. ii was not
a way that il pleased me 10 make for
tune. And now, Judge Russell, il we
have each Of MS spoken plainly enough
TO bc understood / am anxious TO re-
vert TO my original question: Can you
recall any further minute detail con
corning my uncle's death?"
mo, | cannot" replied Judge Rus
sell. And IL would not make a whit Of
difference If / could. IL was on the
night Of the 9Th of December, 1882.
There's proof of it which no testimony
could shake. The law is against you,
and it's your own fault"
II came on a question of facts, not OF
law" Stanton remarked, calmly. How
do you know that my uncle was alive
when you left the room?"
~ heard him speak while your man
Sam was writing his name. remember
looking back to see If he was calling
me"
ut may seem strange TO you, Judge
Russell, but the incidents of that night
were painfully impressed upon my
mind. remember that you looked at
your watch at about that time. DO you
recall it?"
Certainly. II was just as was hand
ing Sam the pen. | remember IL we'll
for the shock IL gave me to find that II
was SO late. IL was precisely u
o'clock"
you are sure OF it2"
"Of course. ! even remember, now,
wondering II something was not wrong
with my watch. and that the clock be-
gan striking while | was looking. With