Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-05-31
The Daily Short Story +;
The Heir of Blooming Bill.
BY ESTHER HAMILTON.

l.
with purpose / am your niece, Uncle
lin j am very unhappy. 1 have got
nobody to take my side. They are all
against me. and 1 think 1 shall die If 1
can't get somebody to be my friend.
1t came TO me in the middle of the
night that had an Uncle Jim, and now
I've come to you. If you can't help me.
nobody CANT And the tears started to
Comics eyes. while her sensitive lips
began TO CULVER.
BLESS me, child. Sit down there and
tell me all about it, and Wen see what
can be done"
'It doesn't sound much TO TELL" said
Connie. but it's just everything to me-
/ met Leonard last autumn at n coun-
try house. We were SO happy, and ia
Their seemed friendly too. Now he
wants me to marry a horrid baronet,
Sir Andrew Fox. l hate him. / think
he's horrid man. I've nobody to help
me. Uncle Jim. and you don't know
how hard ii is for girl to make n fight
alone with everybody against her"
And again the bright teardrops welled
up and nearly rolled over.
There, there. my dear; don't cry
about it. Well see what can be done.
I've heard of this Fox fellow, and 1
don't think much of him. Who's the
other? Who's Leonard? Tell me all
you know of him.
His name is Leonard Darlington.
He's had rather a sad history in some
ways He doesn't know about his IA
Their, who went off TO Africa to make
his fortune and never came back. They
think he must be dead now. He had
dropped his name, and in the mining
camp he said he hadn't got n real name.
They just called him Blooming Bill
and that was alF'-
Connie stopped short, for her uncle
had bounded to his feet.
"Can you give me young Carrington's
address," asked the uncle. whose face
was working oddly. as though his
mind was in some indescribable fer
ment. When he had obtained this in
formation, he thought a moment and
then said kindly:
Now, go home. little niece. and don't
say 4 word about this visit. I'll help
you out of this hobble. You just wait
and see"
Three days later there was great
excitement in the Drummond house
hold. Uncle Jim was coming to din
ner. He was going to bring somebody
with him. Comics heart beat so fast
that she thought it better not to talk.
She only promised with unwonted
meekness to make herself look mice"
She was more than nice; she was eX-
quisitely lovely i'm her flowing white
draperies as she stood in the lamplight
waiting for the half expected an
nouncement of the butler.
"Ar. James Drummond-Mr. Car
rington."
Uncle Jim kissed her. and she heard
his big laugh as he introduced Leonard
afresh as the son of an old African
chum of his. But she was too happy,
too bewildered, to take anything in
save the fact that Leonard was there
and that her friends were smiling in
stead of scowling upon her now.
Most extraordinary thing. Tom,"
said the traveller when the ladies had
left the room-"one of those strange
condolences one reads of in fiction.
Poor Darlington and l shared claim
and worked for years together. but he
never told me his name. He died, poor
fellow. and when l opened his papers,
why. they were nothing but soft pulp.
They fell to pieces at the touch. He
must have got them wet without know
ing it. and there was l with his money |
and no way OF finding out to whom to |
hand it over. When I cleared out at |
last and looked into things. found l /
had between 100000 and $4,000 to /
hand over to Blooming Bills unknown |
son. But how on earth 1 was to set |
about the task didn't know.
''Well. just put the money out at in
terest and bided my time. won't tell /
you what 1 did do. because nothing |
came of my abortive endeavors. Then
when 1 was about thinking the whole
show would have to go to government /
to be dealt with what happens but /
that little girl of yours comes to Uncle
Jim to be helped out of a difficulty and /
puts the clew slick into my hands. She
can produce the man who can produce
the letters I used to see poor CARING
ton write and who tells his wife and /
boy in them how he is only known in
the mining camp as Blooming Bill
II that's not evidence enough for law
yers, it's good enough for me. And
I've taken a fancy to that girl of yours,
and IL you'll give her to Darlington,
who'll keep her good Tory all her life.
why, she shan't be married without a
bit of a dowTy from her old uncle and
may look for something more when he