The Holly chieftain., 1904-03-18

~ To tEe view OF anyone "uO nap
pened to pass by.
One hundred pounds reward" and,
but for the detectives advice, this
sum would have been doubled and
| trebled BY the son OF the murdered
.map.
Wait and see Whit happens" We're
| the words OF. the oracle in the person
of Mr.. John Sharp. Let nothing be
| done to excite the alarm OF the in
dividual under suspicion"
Ted had written to Dr.. jeremiah
/ according to promise. and the doctors
answer. when II came, contained the
news of an approaching flying visit
to London-an expedition which was
to combine business with pleasure.
Under these circumstances, of
course. ne must be invited To make
| Magnolia Lodge his Headquarters.
| The invitation was dispatched and
accepted. and. in due time, the doctor
arrived, sold-rimmed spectacles, mil
itary bearing and all complete.
| 1t is hardly necessary to state that
he made himself quite at home in an
astonishing short space of time.
Il Ike your doctor" said May Bur
ritt to her brother. Il liked him be
fore | saw him. from what you told
me about him: but ! like him better
even than | thought | should now We
met him"
Later on. in the retirement of the
best spare bedroom, DIR. Cartwright
was communins with himself:
Il had an idea she'd be nice girl,
and ! wasn't far out. If I'd said an un-
commonly nice girl. should have
been nearer the mark. Seems sensi-
BILE girl, too, this one. l should say
her waist was quite twenty-five inches
and an appetite to match. And her
names May, Pretty name that
short and SWEET
/ At the same moment that the doc
tor was pursuing these reflections,
Ted Burritt was inserting the key
into the lock of the study door. Dur
ing all this time, he had allowed none
to eHter the room except himself. II
seemed to him to be full of mysteri.
Gus associations, which no outside
influence should be allowed to dis.
| turb.
Nothing had been moved. His faith.
er's chair. pushed back against the
wall, remained just as he had left il
on the last time he had entered the
broom. The pen lay beside the blot
ting pad, and the dust had accumulat
ed over everything. He placed the
lamp upon the table and drew up a
chair.
1,a oil nI hot anna
partment, removed the bundles OF pa
pers as before, touched the spring
which opened the secret recesses and
took from it the burnt letter.
Again he took sheet of paper and
pen from the desk-he would not
use that other which lay beside him.
with the ink dried upon it--and be
gan again to write and re-write tho
words which he knew by heart:
Have not forgotten -. of twenty
years -. on receiving this letter -.
at once for Dover -. expect to reach
-. There is that between us which
" not allow you to deny -. | ask
-. and many =. you alone can -. II
you refuse. shall -. . that you -. as
the criminal -. of your youth -.
d."
After working at this for about hall
an hour, without being able to add sc
much as single syllable to what he
had already deciphered, he threw
down his pen.
Il would give anything to be able
, to discover the missing words, but il
is quite beyond the bounds of posi-
bility And there is no hope this time
of any intervention-any guiding in
, fiucnce to direct me--to point out the
way-of any spirit voice to speak tc
me and tell me-"
Taking up the sheet of paper again
on which he had been employed, he
saw. to his surprise, as he turned il
| over, that it was the same on which
, his father had written those words:
MY dear" The letter which haC
never been finished; 1t was strange
he had not observed this before.
Then he took up the pen which his
father must have last used, with the
traces of ink dried upon it. Should
he put it away carefully as relic:
Or should il remain where it was a
little longer? He dropped it and gave
expression to something between Z
yawn and sigh. I'm uncommonly
sleepy" he said, ''and yet don't feel
in the least inclined to so to bed. J
have sort of feeling as though !
had to sit up for someone" He gave
a short laugh. Suppose | turn in on
the sofa for a bit? | wonder what
Il ;l,,'& @n1-