The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-08-24
CHAPTER ".

Jethroe fell back a step in amazement,
and some answer to the wonder and hor-
ror of his look translated itself into his
visitors face.
What's the matterY' the newcomer
asked rather grufly.
Il beg your pardon" Jethroe STAN
mered. You took me by surprise. l
have only just left a man who has iden-
titled my uncle's dead body in the local
morgue."
When he came to think matters over
afterward. he knew that he had felt no
real doubt of his visitors identity. Jeth-
roe's dead father might have been in
the flesh again and newly returned from
long foreign journey. The tan of for
eign suns and seas were on cheek and
brow, but the eyes were George Jeth-
roe's and the stature was his, and the
very poise Of the figure and the very
tone of the voice.
I'm a pretty substantial phantom,
don't you thinkY said Uncle Martin.
striking his own broad chest with
heavy hand. But this is a wild business
TO come home to, anyhow. Tell me about
it. Harvey. l know you, if you don't
know me. Tell me about it. Let me
understand"
The bank manager told the story of
the night exactly as it had happened.
and his listener, keeping his eyes fixed on
his narrator's face, drew a chair up to
the table and sat down, with his big
hands resting ponderously on his knees.
He made one interruption only:
Man about my height, you say? This
kind of beard, eh?"
Being answered in the affirmative, he
nodded several times. and when the story
was over he sat thoughtfully for a min
ute or two before he again broke ST.
lence.
Harvey, my lad, I've got a partial
clue to this in my own mind. It's a
million to one that the chap who came
to that bad end tonight is Tom Edge
come"
You can't mean the man-?'' said
Jethroe-
Il mean the man whose daughter
wanted you to marry. He was my part
ner in one or two affairs out yonder,
and l believed in him. But he turned
out bad egg" he added, after a pause.
He vanished eight weeks ago. and left
everything at skies and sevens. He had
let in everybody, more or less-me
among the rest. My share so far is
about seven thousand, and l should be
glad to be out of it at that price, l as
sure you. / should not have been here
yet awhile if it hadn't been for him. I've
missed heap of valuable securities since
Tom Edgecome legged it, and it's my
belief he had 'em, and came here to ne
gotiate 'em. I've been away so long that
| it might not have been a very dangerous
game for him TO personate me here. They
called us The Twins out yonder. We
stood the same height to a barley-corn
and scaled the same weight to a pound.
He knew as much about my private af-
| fairs as anybody did, Oh, yes, that's
Tom Edgecome, right enough-that's
Tom. for a million. But the murder
another pair of shoes. Who murdered
him? And why? l don't know any
one over here who had a grudge against
him, except me. OF course I'd have
broken his rascally neck as soon as look
at him. but l should have had reason
| for it"
II wouldn't say So" said Jet',roe.
| "Oh, WELL" said Uncle Martin, 'syou
mustn't suppose feel like that now the
poor beggar's gone. Was the body rob-
bed?"
apparently not" Jethroe answered.
There was gold and silver in the peck
cts. and there was a handsome watch
and chain. I'm no judge of diamonds.
but on his finger"
"On this finger" interrupted Uncle
Martin, indicating the third of the left
hand, there was big oblong stone
| eh? With cluster of brilliants round
lit That settles it. It's any odds on
Tom now. Now, Harvey, we'lI put this
wretched affair by for the moment, and
I'll say what came to say. wont
NEEDLE in your affairs any longer. It's
a very good thing, as it turns out. that
! you didn't let me stuff Polly Edgecom1
down your throat; and so far as I'm con.
cerned. you're free to marry where you
d will. You're the only blood relation Ive
got ID the wide world. The only pal I've
had this LAST ten years has turned out Q
rotter, and has gone 70 his account
\ don't think it viii take lot of trouble
for you and me to learn to like each
other, and That's a checkbook, and
] your names good for fifty thousand dol
lars whenever you choose to sign for 1t. :
j This, coming upon AL the other
amazements of that eventfu1 night, lei