Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-11-25
CHAPTER XII.
THE CLOSE OF ONE EPOCH

and wrote asking for an appointment the
following evening.
He also interviewed the manager.
Il want the help of a thoroughly re.
liable solicitor" he said. q wish to mr.
chase some property-not valuable prom
erty but of Importance to me Can Won
give me the address of some one known
to your"
NJ, Foret named reputable firm in
the locality.
They may refer to you," added Philip
! "Of course, do not ask you to say more
than that | am staying here, but the
point is, | do not wish you to mention
my age"
"Will you not see them, them"
No. l will endeavor to conduct the
whole business by post"
The manager laughed.
"You certainly are the coolest Young
gentleman | ever met However. Mr..
Arson, it may please you to know that
your bank gave you the best of recon-
mendations. l will say so to anybody"
So Philip first drafted and then copied
the following letter:
Dear Sirs: NJ Foret, of this hotel,
has given me your names as a FL like
! ly to transact certain negotiations for
T! me. | want to purchase a small prop.
erty in the Mide End road, known as
Johnson's News; also a shop near the
entrance to the news, tenanted by a
marine store dealer named O'Brien. The
news is owned by the Cardiff and Havre
Coal company, Ltd l do not know who
owns the shop. | wish to acquire these
properties for a philanthropic purpose,
but | am most DESTROYS that my name
should not figure in the transaction |
propose, therefore, when you have ascer-
tanned the price, which should be at the
earliest possible moment, to pay to your
credit the requisite amount You can
have the properties transferred to any
nominee you choose, and again trans
ferred to me. Kindly add your costs,
etc. to the purchase price NV move
ments are somewhat uncertain, so please
send all communications by letter. 1t
viii be an obligation. and lead to future
business, if you attend to this matter to-
morrow morning. Yours faithfully,
PHILIP ANSON."
He did not compose this letter without
considerable trouble The "philanthropic
purpose" he had already decided upon,
but he thought it was rather clever to
refer TO the possibilities of future bust
ness"
As for the double transfer he distinct
ly remembered copying letters dealing
with several such transactions at the
time of the coal company's conversion
into a limited liabinty concern.
He was early to bed, and his rest was
not disturbed by dreams He rose long
before the ordinary residents. Deferring
bis breakfast, he walked to Fleet street
and purchased copies of morning and
evening papers for the whole of the week.
He could thus enjoy the rare luxury
of seeing himself as others saw him He
read the perfervid descriptions of the
scene in court, and found himself various
ly described as pert" "masterful," sim
perious," highly intelligent" endowed
with a thin veneer of education" and
affected"
Philip could afford to laugh at the un-
favorable epithets. Up to the age of Is
he had been trained in frst-rate lycee.
and his work was supervised by his
mother, a woman of very great culture.
He spoke French as well as English, and
spoke both admirably He knew some
Greek and Latin, was well advanced in
arithmetic, and had a special penchant
for history and geography.
1t was in the glowing articles which
appeared during his imprisonment that
he took the keenest interest. Oddly
enough, one ingenious correspondent blum
dered onto a cue. Gifted with an ana
lytical mind, he had reasoned that the
diamond laden meteor fell during the
extraordinary storm of the 10TH and the
meteorological department in Victoria
street helped him by describing the center
of the disturbance as situated somewhere
to the east of the London hospital
This writer had actually interviewed a
member Of the staff of that institution
who amused himself by noting baro-
metrical vagaries. His instrument re-
corded an extraordinary increase of pres
sure soon after 10 o'clock on the night
| of the storm.
| "Alas!" added the scribe. sit did not
| Indicate where the meteor fell. and not
a policeman, bus driver or railway Of
| fetal can be found who observed any
| thing beyond a phenomenal electrical dis
play and violent downpour of rain"
| That was too close to be pleasant. and
| Philip was glad to hear from NJ Foret
that the solicitors, after telephoning to
ask for some particulars concerning Mr..
tnson, were giving prompt attention to
his instructions
What did you tell them p asked
Philip.
Il said that you impressed me as the
kind of young gentleman who would paw
well for services given unsparingly."
Did that satisfy them?'
Perfectly. Such clients do not abound
in these hard times"
Three hours later, letter came for
Philip Arson, ESQ by hand. It was
from the solicitors, and read:
70 BE CONTINUED.