The sun., 1901-03-17
SECRET OF A STONE PILE.
JHs DTsAPPEARANCE or JULIAN ELY
HEIR TO A FORTUNE.
yestises OF . Tragedy In Family Of CovsnAnter
ssrsin--Guesses Made by Cronkite. the
Detective. From His Observ ations Of Little
Thfngs ISOLATION OF the Mystery.

the time Is apt 70 come when II Is a matter Of
prime importance To determine whether he Is
shve or dead.
"You saw Mason Sprole In hero Just now
an honest painstaking man, whose life has
been filed with misf)rtunes and sorrows
which he has borne with infinite patience
you remarked how agitated he was. his face
contorted, his hands tremulous. his whole
being plainly under a strain.
We'll, It. isn't more trouble; oh. no. he's
Injured TO that: but tho prospect of good
fortune which Is ar1icting him lie doesn't
dare to hope. he s fairly forcing himself
70 believe the whole thing n malicious myth
Perhaps he's right. perhaps he's wrong:
Il all depends on whether Julian Ely is alive.
or dead without heirs for In the latter event
Mr.. Srole comes into the entire estate OF
his cousin. old Ruthven Ely, who died sud
denly few days ago. not leaving will.
You may have heard Of old Ely; there has
been gossip enough about him on the Street.
1enyears ago he made as disastrous failure
~ ever came out on the Street. and yet this
fortune which the law will have 10 allot is
not less than ten millions There is the his
tory OF the man in a sentence hard headed.
close. indefatigable.
Can you wonder that poor Sprole Is like
a lost soul catching a glimpse Of Paradise
from the gulf? 1t means so much to him
relic! from tho monotonous. hopeless life
OF an elderly clerk. whose highest ambition
has been not to be advanced but 20 be re-
tanned and also comfort and luxury for
his invalid wife, and the best Of the worlds
sits for their only child. Elsie. as pretty
and plucky girl as ever taught school TO
help out her parents.
I'm sorry for him. am and more sorry
for her; and that Is why I'm going to give
you a rowing commission to find out whether
the most worthless rascal I've ever known
Is still in the land OF the liyinG-julian Ely.
60 wit
Hard language. you may say. but not half
30 hard as that his own father used 10 apply
To him. Why, twenty years ago | never
could have stood his rawlings against his
son had he not been valued client As
II was he was in here almost daily with some
new horror about Julian.
Julian was idle. dishonest. vicious he had
run the whole gamut OF youthful niquity.
from pawning the family plate to forging
his fathers name What should be done
with him?
Send him 10 sea. l suggested or into
the army or out on a farm Hold up some
prospect before him il he Will only keep quiet
and respectable. say for two years. when
he will reach his majority. Of course. he's
wild. you've neglected him in your ntcntness
on business: but he is bright. handsome.
fascinating in u way; give him one more
chance. say. If not for his sake or your own.
Al least for the sake OF his dead other
Il think It was that reference TO hl1 dead
wife that caught Ely. Cronkite for an arrow
al lnvn xyit
penetrate an IRON bound heart Without
demur he decided to follow my advice.
Now, many ears before. he had sold
section Of prairie IN the lar West on easy
terms to young scotch farmer named
NlcGae. who had come oyer to this cotntry
TO found a home and livelihood for his grow
ngfamily Agooi man. this McGale narrow.
but strict, faithful to his ideas Of duty. strong
and sufficient for every crisis, type Of the
old covenanters IN q word
Very WE'LL said Ilv, IN send Julian
out to McGale for two years. III pay his
board. III supply him with horses and books:
but il he goes TO town and breaks out again
III wash my hands of him
Julian sulhed. OF course, but Welding TO
necessity went. and nothing was heard
from him directly for nearly yeur. though
.'N'di' Nl'Nc ll'lll l8Hl' W liln", MS reports
being all fairly satisfactory. the first better
than the last - was natural. for the lad
always did put his bcst foot foremost
Then al length came letter from Julian
himself. abrupt. ncoherent, abusing his
father for neglect and cruelty and announc-
ing his intention to depart for parts unknown
] laughed when read il. making some refer
snce 20 bad penny, but by Jovr! from that
Il, TO 81, ,tu I,g
Il suppose McGa!e wrote" aske! CrOn-
kite
"Yes, hut very briefly lie merely sent
his accounts, with the statement that he had
been unable to dissuade or retain tho Young
man lie forwarded his trunks. too which
] always thought Slngular' for lulIan could
not have had any money for clothes There
was no further inquiry. luthNcn Fly ac.
cepted the situation. ! think, with sGtisfac-
ron, becoming more and more engruss,d in
business Md that - all
"lts a mind lead to UlCk up after 30 many
yrnrs ro'ccted Cronkl'o. "aiter 50 many
rolrs ! soc no other course except to 20
"Cut 10 Mct;ala'>" returned the Judge
-lc', that Is Just my idea ! will writo 70
hm ~ ono" That yor are comlrg. and he
sneHk his assistance
don't do thai. :" oh biectsd Cronlitc while
NcGnle is Gouht'esS al YOU sav, I wlr' to
torn my own conclusions uraded hv theorirs
which Oh" wears may have strengthened into
peneh and an, fr"cr from, preiudces than
hc 10 Judge why u happencd
ION its face there Ia n mystery 10 solve
Young man OF that sort would naturally
have taken his belongings with him. il for
no other purpose than 70 pawn them How
then. is the beat wav 70 discover the attending 2
circumstances Why. from the unprenedl-
rated talk Of people who back and MI and
qualify and fence when bound down TO a
formal statement
NV plan Is simple enough Here il large
family, living in q remote. spnrselv settled
country and during these winter months
necessarily thrown on their own resources
for matters Of interest. Let me In some waV
become n part - them: I'm n commonplace
fellow, quiet, uneXaCting In little while
thcv'l forget to reckon on my presence
Whom the present Is dull and the future
promises 70 be n repetition, the past ia tho
hook which nll choose To read 1hus. with
limo and patience the DAYS when Julian was
there must he freely dscusse| and I will
hear moro from not being is'.crestei IN m
they could tell 10 the most expert cross-ex-
Il think your plan Is wise" said the Judge,
thoughtfuy, and what's more TO the point
Ia feasible. From all I've heard the McGales
have not prospered Of late wears. There
i a regular tribe Of them. all drawing on the
land, md from time TO time selling n piece
of IL, in order 70 get along. No doubt they
would welcome Won as a boarder. II YOU could
fnd some excuse for wanting to stay In that
vicinity "
There's where YOU can help me. Judge. =
explained Cronkite you are counsel Won
know. for the English settlement COMPANY.
that big syndicate that's going to furnish
farms for the surplus agricultural population
anime lands for II in the West and guess
can stablsh mvself with the MEG ales with
out much diricultv"
And so II happened that about ten DAYS