The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-10
CHAPTER VI.
MYSTERY OF THE EXPECTED RoBBER
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& a me as sat alone in my work
room at the office.
Uncle John" said he, Il have de-
cided to make 4 startling and terrible
fool of myself once and for all and
have it over with. If I do, you'll for
give me, won't you? I wish you'd give
I me permission to do any !diotic thing
that comes into my mind. It's better
than getting drunk, as some fellows at
college do, and running around with
all kinds of people, but their parents
forgive them"
I told him that it would indeed be a
startling and terrible thing which could
make him any less my boy than he had
always been.
"Then it's ali settled" said he, "and
here goesw
He strobe up to safe that was in
the room, small safe compared to
those in the outer Office, yet Of new
style and very strong.
In that safe," said he, there are
two packages Of money. They are in
brown paper, with rubber bands around
them. One Of them is not quite so
thick as a pack OF cards, and the other
is thicker than two packs. The larger
one is on top"
THE larger one is on top?" repeat
ed. How do you know that?'
81 know it, uncle" he replied. That's
all I can say
"It is important in such matters as
this" said I, 'to distinguish between
the knowledge that can come from
reading another PERSONS mind and that
which proceeds directly from the heart
of nature. It is the latter class which
is deepest down in this realm of mys-
terry. Now, I know that there are two
such packages as you describe in that
safe, but if you know which of them is
on top you must have got your infor-
nation direct, without the interpoSi-
ton of another mind, for only one hu-
man being besides yourself ever knew,
and he has forgotten. Intact, I'm not
sure that I could have told you the
next instant after had put them there.
don't believe that my mind took any
cognizance of the relative position"
Lets have q look at them," said he
eagerly. eff should be wrong
He did not finish the sentence, but
could see that he felt the invariable JOY
of the true psychic in any suggestion or
prospect Of failure. Meanwhile was
opening the safe. It contained moth
ing except q few documents Of mine
and the money. We had intended to
use it for some books of the Tunbridge
branch, q little independent railroad
which connects our town with the
trunk line, but an unexpected and
somewhat mysterious opposition had
arisen among the executive officers Of
this insignificant corporation, and so
the headquarters remained at the juno
ton. In the Forthcoming annual meet
ing this would all be rectifed, as we
controlled a ajority of the stock.
I swung open the outer doors and
then unlocked the inner ones and my
private drawer, in which lay the pack
ages, the larger Of them on top. rails
ed them with my finger mciently for
Donald to see and then dropped them
back. He nodded many times in q
slow and rather solemn fashion.
Does anybody else know they're
there:" he asked.
your father" said 1, adding, with q
smile: "But he didn't know how they
lay or even that they were in my pri-
vate drawer. He had the combination
of the safe, but have all the keys Of
the drawers and Of the inner doors"
The larger package" said Donald
in g monotonous tone, as if he were re-
peating a lesson, contains So, 900; the
smaller contains $4,000. The bills are
of many denominations. l don't know
why"
"The money came from several
sources" said I. ut is to be used in
payment for part Of what is known as
the Hackett interest Mr.. Hackett was
my partner, who died many years ago.
He left considerable part Of his inter
est to an aunt, whose children have
since inherited it. It is her oldest son
whom we are going to buy out. OF
course, we can pay him by check, but
for certain reasons we wanted to have
a good supply Of legal tender on hand"
That's Mr.. William Hackett, isn't
it," asked Donald. Il remember see
ing him here last winter when was at
home. He's the man with the red face,
red whiskers, red hair--cvcrythiDS red,
even his necktie, as recall him.
That's the man." said l.
We'll, uncle" he returned, Il hope
Mr.. Hackett may get the money, Il
that's your intention, but there's an
other man after it,
I perceived that we had got down to
the root OF the matter.
Another man" Queried.
There is pale, hard featured man,
with prominent ears and brutal look
about the mouth" said the boy. He
has lips that are as stiff and hard as
iron. His chin has a little peaked point
with queer dimple that looks like a
shot hole The left side Of his mouth
is lower than the right. He is coming
here for this money. He is about j
feet 8 inches tall and Of medium
weight, trife thin perhaps. can't
say how old he is, but his hair is griz'
zled. though I wouldn't wish to speak
definitely about that, for I never saw
him with his hat off"
you've seen him. l exclaimed.
Donald smiled at me, and, extending
his hand, he tapped upon the drawer
Of the safe. I understood Immediately
that he had not seen the individual in
the ordinary way Of mortal vision.
You think that he is coming here for
this money!" said I.
Uncle, I know it," replied Donald.