Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-05-10

You can talk business with papa. You
could work the conversation round to my
brothers affairs and ask him whether he
was well off, for instance. | tried the
trick, but made a mess of II"
/ had TO promise her. When / made
an attempt TO redeem my pledge | ex-
lpeTienced the same sensation which Ju-
( Tia had described 10 me. There was
something forbidding in Herr Hart
manns manner when the conversation
turned % Victor. He became Inorose
and he smoked more than he talked.
Meanwhile the newcomer behaved to-
ward Julia in a way which seemed to
NE rather singular. lie was bashful in
her presence and layished attentions up
on her which somehow did net impress
me as the usual manifestations of an or
binary attachment between brother and
sister. ] confess it piqued my curiosity
and l watched the two with increasing
interest. Julia received these attentions
as matter of course. With all her ed
ncation and cleyerness she was no philos-
opher of human relations. She was the
most credulous girl you ever saw. and
asked no questions.
Finally my old friend lost all patience
lie was dying TO relieve his heart Of its
burden.
y must speak to you. You are the
only man | can be perfectly frank with.
| am unhappy. This man who calls him
self my son is an impostor. / cannot
prove IT., but | am sure of it all the
same. Something told me so from the.
very beginning. At first | was too oyer
come to mind the inner voice, but the
young mans demeanor makes my sus-
plcion stronger. every day. There is
something IN his manner, his voice. in
everything he says or does which keeDs
buzzing in my ear that | am being made
fool of. If he We're my son | would
experience that instructive feeling which
every parent must feel for his child. Mx
heart is cold. 1t never was otherwise
1t was my brain which accepted the
logic of all the evidence contained in that
correspondence between him and me-
MY heart has all along refused to be-
ieve IT. Why, man, can't you see he is
after some OF my money? 1t seems yul-
gar to speak of these things, but he never
talks TO me in a free easy manner and
he always seems to be beating about the
bush, as II he left a great deal unsaid or
wanted to ask favor and was too BASH
full to unbosOm himself to me-"
But If he is an impostor, it ought
not to be so difficult to find him OUT I
remarked. by q clever system of ey-
animation and cross-examination it ought
to be easy TO trip him up"
Il have tried to draw him out have
has antecedents, but he answers my ques-
tons in monosyllables and he is so care
full of every word he utters that my ef-
forts are all of no ayail-except, indeed.
In 50 far as his replies to my queries in
tenslfy my CONFECTIONERY moral conyic-
tlon, do you understand THAT the man
IS not my son. No, no, no! He is not.
my SOM! My friend pounded the table
with his hist, and, getting up from his
seat he fell TO pacing the floor with
great yehemenee.
\ few days later the young man called
on me. 1t was his first visit at our
house and / could see by his manner
that he came on rather important busi-
ness. When we found ourselves alone in
my room he said without looking mt me:
L wish to come straight to the point
Have you time to listen?'' / said: Eyes.
and he went on: Il know you are a man
OF honor. ] wish to confide in You q
matter which has been weighing on my
mind almost since | set foot ON the soil
of this town. Wen. | wish to say that
my name is not Victor Hartmann. and
that | am not your friends son. Yes.
am an imnostOr, but if you think am
knaye you wrong me. | am an un-
fortunate fellow. weak and capable of
crime perhaps, but | have 4 heart and
conscience and know how to hate my-t
self for being bad. am tired OF this
comedy and have made -up my mind To-
disappear from this town. Tell your
friend his son is dead / knew him. He
looked somewhat like me. He died two
years ago in Honduras When | found
myself stranded the evil spirit came
over me. | thought would impersonate
my chum (by that time / had learned
who his father was), and get some mon
ey out of it.
II was mistaken. have made botch
of IT. | have been wretched and awkward
from the start. That gave it all away
Wcll--Julia is the cause oft. / would give
twenty years of my life TO undo it all.
so as TO he able to sue for her hand.
but, of course that's out of the question.
! am going away. Tell Julia | am no
knaye Mt heart, at least. And if | have
acted like one. tell her my punishment is
severe enough
Before l could say a word he wills
pered:
Remember, l have told you all this
because think YOU a gentleman. Good
by. and don't interfere with my going.
Goodby, sir
When my friend discovered the truth
he was angry with me for not having
banded the wretch over to the police. but
he was gone. Adapted from the German
for the New York Commercial Adver