The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-11-06
Continued From First PageJ


until you decide TO marry and have d
/ home for yourself
/ "Supposius he had known the truth
! thought Blackford bitterly. THAT IN
stead OF a successful practice OF law i
! have thrown away my time since nave
/ been lu Washington 1 viii be met IN
! few days with hundred bills when i
! have Tun up on my prospects OF inherit
| inE. I am completely ruined ana all De
! cause the old imbecile, in Keeping with
! his long Tsr of ecceutricities, has chosen
! 10 dfsinherit me at the very end. Why
/ ia the name of fate didn't he die year
/ aEo before I was fool enough 10 tell him
/ j was making living. If / had been
bounded by gambling debts and note
/ brokers during the last six months while
I lac was alive, what viii IT come to when
I the whole crew finds that he has cut
I me on like a dog"
/ The spark in the bowl Of his pipe had
/ died away into ashes. He secured a
/ light from the open hre and pufred Wig
/ 0r0usly Tor moment but the tobacco
/ had burned away and with a savage
curse he flung the pipe into the bed OF
glowing Goals before him. Bowing his
Z head on his crossed arms he gave him
self up 10 black despair The sounds
lEom his aunts room overhead ceased
and the house became stiIl. In his men
/ tai anguish he euvied the peace and rest
/ his uncle had found ia the quiet coun-
/ try graveyard. He was beyond all
trouble. Might IL not be the part OF a
gentleman to follow him His father
| mad been a gentleman before him and as
/ Tar back as The records OF his family
/ were remembered their esCutcheOn had
/ never been furnished with dishonor.
In the grave of a suicide his faults
/ would be COudUngd and he knew his
/ aunt would pay the obligations he had
/ incurred SO that the good name OF the
| FAMILY should be preserved He would
/ put term to an existence that had
/ brought him bitter disappointments and
/ held our nothing but miserable future
/ Across his memory came the words of
I Malcolm 10 his father. Nothing ia his
/ life became him like the leaving it: he
/ died as one that had been studied In
his death TO throw away the dearest
/ thing he OVID, as 'twere a careless
/ -ritie-" In his thoughts he commenced
/ 60 consider self-destructi0n q praise
worthy ending OF the tragedy and TO
regard himself ia the light OF d hero.
ana then came a reyulsiou OF feeling
My should he be driven 10 an uutimeIy
( grave. With his debts paid and money
--- r--~ ----N--t --- ---e possession aEr fEALA
/ face the merry world that had extended
/ hand OF welcome in the DAYS Of his
| seeming prosperity. Might there not be
| some mistake Possibly the second let
I ser from the dead man would show
/ change OF heart and disclose the TACT
/ hat he had at the last provided FOR
[ .he boy Ee had reared 10 manhood
/ There would be no harm in finding the
letter before the others saw It and dis
/ cover the exact state of affairs.
Fired with this new hope he lit
/ -audle and entered the library There
/ were long shelves Of books. many OF
-hem covered with dust and the greater
/ sart untouched for many years. On the
top shelf he found a row OF Greek ana
/ roman classics and near the center q
/ worn copy Of the essays OF Marcus
/ Aureiius. With a hand trembling with
/ excitement and something OF hope he
/ -urued 10 the page mentioned in the
/ aLteT 10 the lawyer and seized an en-
I Felope. uuaddressed but with a heavy
] black arrow drawn In ink across the
! -aCs. ii was sealed. but q hasty re-
/ lection assured him that he could with
| .ertect safety break the seals and pre-
] 1are a duplicate envelope when he had
/ ludled the contents. He shaded th-
/ .audle so that its light shOne only upon
/ be paper IN his hand and read at irEJ
/ rapidly and then slowly and carefully
/ Le promised disclosure Of MS uncle s
/ hiding place for his personal fortune
/ was not addressed 20 anyone, but in
/ few brief words set forth the follow
/ .ag brief facts;
1 "In the gold I0cket." 80 ran, 'is a thiu
! sheet of paper on which IS written
/ minute Instructions 20 direct you 20 the
/ spot mentioned in the letter you have
/ directions are so carefully set forth that
/ us whereabouts cannot be in doubt II
/ strict attention is paid 10 the iustTuc-
/ lions. The l0cket contains q secret spring
I which may be detected when its exis-
! teuee IS known. The instructions viii
I be found In the hiding place disclosed
/ when the spring is pressed
With an oath that came from the
] depths OF mis- heart the disappointed man
/ thrust the paper into the flame of the
I candle and watched it burn with in
/ tense satisfaction. knowledge is pow
/ -r' he thought "aud i am now the
/ only one who holds the key 10 the sit
cation But what Iocket was referred
-9 in the paper he had destroyed2 What
did lL mealZ And then Ike a Hash 81
came 10 him. lie recalled that the old
man had given his cousin q Iocket and
her to wear 81 next TO her heart iu
! memory OF him. lie recalled how his
uncle had made her promise. with q
soleuuity that. no one could understand
that she would wear o. always anG
never Jet IL 60 out OF her keeping Ar
tle time be had set the whole AFFAIR
down as merely another indication OF
-ne old mans ecceutricity. but now he
understood the significance OF his ac-
ton. That l0cket contained the SCI
areL che spring must be gIeverlv con
cealee- for no one had detected It's exist
eHce- AS be brooded over the new
complication Le was startled by inc
efeaElHS or The hau steps, which tod
him some one was descending. Hurrfe5-
.y =ELuguisLiug the flame " the candle
He stole into dark corner and listened
with beating heart
-u moment the door OF the library
was softly opened and "a figure iu white
entered and crossed over 20 the win
cow. AS &c advanced into the InoonIlest