Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-07-18
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER ".
Jethroe fell back step in amazement,
and some answer to the wonder and hor-
ror Of his look translated itself into his
visitors face.
What's the matter?' the newcomer
asked rather gruf1y.
II beg your pardon" Jethroe STAN
mered. You took me by surprise. l
have only just left a man who has iden-
tilted 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
a 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.
Pm a pretty substantial phantom,
don't you thinkY' said Uncle Martin,
striking his own broad chest with a
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, ell? p
Being answered in the affirmative, he
nodded several times, and when the story
was over he sat thoughtfully for min
ute or two before he again broke ST.
lence.
Harvey, my lad, I've got 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. l should not have been here
yet awhile if it hadn't been for him. I've
missed a 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-thats
Tom, for a million. But the murders
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 should have had q reason
for it."
81 wouldn't say So" said Jethroe.
ooh. well,' said Uncle Martin, "you
mustn't suppose l feel like that now the
poor beggar's gone. Was the body rob-
bedP
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"
ION this finger" interrupted Uncle
Martin, indicating the third of the left
hand, there was a big oblong stone
Ell? With cluster of brilliants round
it. That settles it. It's any odds on
Tom now. Now, Harvey, We'll put this
wretched affair by for the moment, and
I'll say what l came TO say. l won't
NEEDLE in your affairs any longer. It's
a very good thing, as it turns out, that
you didn't let me stuff Polly Edgecome
down your throat; and so far as I'm con-
cerned, you're free to marry where you
will. You're the only blood relation I've
got in the wide world. The only pal I've
had this last ten years has turned out o
rotter, and has gone TO his account.
don't think Il viii take a 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 it."
This, coming upon all the other
amazements of that eventful night, left
| Jethroe speechless for the moment. but
when he began to try to find some form
| of Acknowledgement, his uncle cut him
short.
| You can't put me up here tonight?
Take the sofe? Why should you take
the sofa? No. I'll tell you what: /
want TO have good, long, satisfactory
with I Fa-.Ia
| in my sitting room at the hotel on the
off chance of finding you tonight. Well
so down there together and make a
harmless, quiet night of it. You can ex-
cuse yourself from business in the morn
ing. If you'll look at that" he vent
on. pointing to the check book. with a
| laugh, you'll see that I've chosen your
| own people, Perrott- Perrott & Lane
and your own branch. You'll find your
/ proprietors quite willing to give you a
few hours freedom, I'll go bail Ny cabs
| outside, and Wen be at the hotel in no
| time Come along"
There was nothing for it but to yield.
and the pair set out together, the uncle
alternating between bursts of noisy
| cheerfulness and deep-chested, half-in-
ward allusions to old Tom Edgecome.
and the nephew listening to him with a
brain so whirfng that everything seem
ed unreal ana confused. There was
nothing unreal about the supper, or the
welcome with which he was invited TO
it. or in the handshake which went along
with the welcome and left his fingers
limp for full FIVE minutes He began
by nd by to do some justice to the meal,
though he confessed that at his ittest his
host would hays left him very far be-
hind