The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-10-07
Tl5TAASAnNGg III (lR5@
--@[oS 90
5I0AA HyGloh599s>
Z To 81 R@RERr LOUIS STEVENSON. A ~
INTERNATIONAL PRESS ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER Iv.-tCosrr Nuxp. /,

STIht iNs-tNOSTi NUEn'
That same night the clerk entered
upon bout Of drunkenness SO con-
sistent as to surprise even his intimate
acQuaintances. He was speedily elected
from the boarding house; deposited his
portmanteau with perfect stranger,
who did not even catch his name; wan
dered he knew not where. and was at
last hove-to. all standing, In hospital
at Sacramento. There. under the i'm
penetrable alias of the number OF his
bed, the crapulous being lay for some
more days unconscious Of all things,
and of one thing in particular: that the
police we're after him. Two months
had come and gone before the conval-
escent in the Sacramento hospital was
identified with Kirkman, the abscond-
ing San Francisco clerk even then,
there must elapse nearly fortnight
more till the perfect stranger could be
hunted up, the portmanteau recovered,
and Johns letter carried at length to
its destination, the seal still unbroken,
the Enclosure still intact.
Meanwhile, John had gone upon his
holidays without word, which was ir-
regular; and there had disappeared
with him a certain sum of money,
which was out of all bounds of pallia-
ton. But he was known to be careless,
end believed to be honest; the manager
besides had a regard for him; and lit
tie was said, although something was
no doubt thought until the fortnight
was finally at an end, and the time had
come for John to reappear. Then, In
deed, the affair began to look black;
and when inquiries were made, and the
penniless clerk was found to nave
amassed thousands of dollars, and kept
them secretly in rival establishment,
the stoutest of his friends abandoned
him, the books were overhauled Tor
traces Of ancient and artful fraud, and
though none were found, there still
prevailed a general impression OF loss.
The telegraph was set in motion; ana
the correspondent of the bank In Edin-
burgh, for which place 1t was under
stood that John had armed himself
with extensive credits, was warned to
COulI VIII thc PoiiSSs
Now this correspondent was friend
of Mr.. Nicholsons; he was well ac-
quainted with the tale Of Johns calam-
itous disappearance from Edinburgh;
and putting one thing with another,
hasted with the first word Of this scan
dial, not to the police, but to his friend.
The old gentleman had long regarded
his son as one dead; Johns place had
been taken, the memory Of his faults
had already fallen to be one OF those
old aches, which awaken again indeed
upon occasion, but which we can al
ways vanquish by an effort OF the will;
and to have the long lost resuscitated
in fresh disgrace was doubly bitter.
"Macewen," said the old man, this
must be hushed up, II possible. If l
give you a check for the sum, about
which they are certain, could you take
1t on yourself to let the matter rest?'
81 WILL" said Macewen. II will take
the risk of It,"
"You understand" resumed Mr..
Nicholson, speaking precisely, but with
ashen lips. 81 do this for my family, not
for that unhappy young man. III 1t
should turn out that these suspicious
are correct. and he has embezzled large
sums, he must lie on his bed as he has
made it." And then looking up at
Macewen with q nod, and one OF his
strange smiles Goodbye" said he;
and Macewen, perce:ving the case to be
too grave for consolation, took himself
off, and blessed God on his way home
that he was childless.