Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-27

he ulu uOt refer ulFeClly W Tic SuDJeCl
Instead he asked quietly:
Had it to do with the business tina
took you the>e?'
Not at all. not at all. assure you.
'Then won't you tell me about th
business. The duel can watt
II can tell you about the business il
two words-I succeeded"
Then You are glad you went?'
Most certainly. The fact is, Craig
l should have gone there long ago o
sent you, as l talked of doing. l thinl
the trip has been gooG for me in NOR,
ways than one. 1t surely has per
formed one miracle, for l have discov
cred that l still have left sufficient en-
ergy to do things il l only work myself
up to the proper pitch. left this Mex
lean business altogether too long.
should have attended to 1t Immediately
would have been easier and better, and
| think the people down there would
have understood things better. How.
ever 1 fancy 1t is all right now"
you fancy? l thought you said you
had succeeded"
$50 1 Unexpectedly, entirely, ut.
terly, in every way but one, and that
one is apparently unimportant. have
brought back a mystery, and l hate
mysteries, as you know"
rs the mystery connected with the
business?"
Eyes and no.
THAT reply is ambiguous, Burr. OF
!, course l possess ordinary curiosity.
Naturally l would like to hear all about
all that you will tell me- but you must
remember that was left in ignorance
of many points in this affair Of yours,
and do not like to ask questions"
Pendleton waited moment before
replying. Then he tossed away his CT
gar and took q turn up and down the
room. Reseatng himself, he said
slowly:
Briefly. then, will say this, for the
present-the duel, as you say, can wait;
in fact, it came mighty near waiting
anyhow: You know. ever since the gov
nor died l have felt that / ought to
take this trip, and you also know that
the only reason why l did not do so
was my own consummate laziness.
wanted you to go there for me, and
you consented to do SO. But, Craig.
could not bring myself to tell you all
that was necessary for you to know
If you had undertaken the trip simply
because l asked 1t. I would have felt
that l was not keeping faith with my
dead father. You knew or ought to
have known. end, I believe did know,
that my hesitation did not arise from
any reluctance to take you into my
confidence"
"Assuredly, Burr"
1.-THE written injunctions that the
gov'nor left for me-you remember that
did not get home until three days aft
er his death-imposed the obligation Of
silence upon me with considerable
emphasis; that Is, silence up to GER
tain point, after which could, Of
course, exercise my own discretion.
That point could not be reached until
had made personal investigation, q
thing that he practically ordered me to
do. Well. have made it. The obliga-
ton Of silence is upon me no longer. l
can see no reason for keeping still now.
In fact, the time has come when must
tell somebody, and naturally you are
the one whom have selected for con-
fidant. More than that, feel the need
of advice and help, and you are the on
ly one l know to whom / am willing
to apply. There is not time and this is
no place for me to go into details, but
in my rooms-well, we'll have 1t out to
the end. 1t is a mighty strange thing,
Craig, that a man can leave behind
him when he dies tangle which In
wolves two families and which may yet
involve two nations in trouble, but that
is precisely what my father did. Not
only that, but | have permitted these
years since his death to roll past, never
dreaming that the matter could take
the serious shape it has. regard my
self as rather guilty party as things
are situated now, for / cannot help be-
lieving If had attended to'matters at
once much that is now unavoidable
might have been prevented. believed
the old man was deceived-that he I'M
agined a great deal, but found-well,
wait until tonight, and will tell you
what l discovered"
81 think, old man." said Wyndham
deliberately, while he drummed the
burning end of his cigar upon the ash
receiver-'I think that perhaps, having
from a long trip and being
delighted upon meeting an
old friend, you may be inclined to
place too much confidence in him. Let |
us revert to the part Of the business
that l understood before you went |
away, which, as / remember, related |
only to property. Did you find the |
that your father directed you |
10 recover? Have you brought back the /
title to it, so that it is undeniably I
yours? Have you fulfilled that part Of
he obligation that rested upon you?"
Entirely, yes"
"Then it seems to me that ends II"
''How so, Craig?
"Why, that Is all that / supposed
lad anything to do with"
"You are right 1t is Pendleton
made this last remark between the in
.ermittent flaming Of a cigar which at
hat moment he was engaged in light
ng. When he cast the match aside, he
\