Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-21

from father to son ever since the
Moores rose to eminence in the person
of Colonel Alpheus. Then he noted
that was now Of age and Immediately
went on to say: This means that you
must be told certain facts, without the
knowledge Of which you would be no
true Moore. These facts you must
hereafter relate to your son or whoever
may be fortunate enough to inherit
from you. It is the legacy which goes
with this house and one which no IN
heritor as yet has refused either to re-
ceive or to transmit Listen. You have
often noted the gold filigree ball which
I wear on my watch guard. This ball
is the talisman Of our house, Of this
house. If in the course OF your life
you find yourself in an extremity from
which no issue seems possible mind
the strictness OF the injunction-an ex-
tremity from which no issue seems
possible-Q have never been In such q
case; the gold fligree ball has never
been opened by me)-you will take this
trinket from its chain, press upon this
portion Of 1t SO and use what you will
find inside, in connection with
"Alas, it was at this point John judi
son came rushing in, and those dis
closures were made which lost me my
fathers regard and gave to the inform
er my rightful inheritance, together
with the full secret of which / only
got part But that part must help
me now to the whole. have seen the
filigree ball many times. Veronica has
it now. But its contents have never
been shown me. II knew what they
were and why the master Of this se-
cret always left the library
Here the memorandum ceased with q
long line struggling from the letter ~
as If the writer had been surprised at
his task.
The effect upon me of these remark
able words was to heighten my inter-
est and raise me into a state OF re-
newed hope If not Of active expecta-
ton.
Another mind than my own had been
at work along the only groove which
held out any promise of success, and
this mind, having at Its command GER
tain family traditions, had let me into
most valuable secret. Another mindI
Whose mind? That was, question
easily answered. But one man could
have written these words. the man
who was thrust aside in early life in
favor Of his younger brother and who
now by the sudden death Of that BROTH
er's daughter had come again into his
inheritance. Uncle David. and he only,
was the puzzled inquirer whose self
communings had just read. This fact
raised new problem for me to work
upon, and could but ask when these
lines were written before or after Mr..
Pfeiffer's death-and whether he had
ever succeeded in solving the riddle he
had suggested or whether 1t was still
battling mystery to him. was SO
moved by the suggestion conveyed In
his final and half finished sentence
that soon lost sight of these lesser
inquiries in the more important, one
connected with the filigree ball. For
had seen this filigree ball. had even
handled it. From the description given
/ was very certain that it had been
one OF the many trinkets had OBJ
served lying on the dressing table
when made my first hasty examine
ton OF the room on the evening Of
Mrs. Jeffrey's death. Why had no pre-.
monition Of its Importance az q con-
Meeting link between these tragedies
and their mysterious cause come to me
at the time when it was within reach
of my hand? It was too late now. Il
had been swept away with the other
loose objects littering the place, and
my opportunity for pursuing this very
promising investigation was gone for
the night
Yet it was with decided feeling Of
triumph that l finally locked the door
Of this old mansion behind me. Ger
tainly had taken step forward since
my entrance there, to which had but
to add another Of equal Importance to
merit the attention Of the superintendA
ent himself
fro 10 conf,pnaAl