The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-30
THE EVENING STOR
A Sop1nambuIist.

A SOn1nambullSt.
While was studying my profession |
the law-I lived with my uncle, Ed
ward Collins. He had married widow
with a daughter. Anna Wayland- Inc
wife and mother had died. leaving a |
small portion of her estate to her nus
band and the balance to her daughter |
Anna was a lovely girl and extremely |
fond of her stepfather, whom she had
been brought up to consider a father |
and who was all she had to cling to- !
But circumstances occurred to cause
me to think that my uncle was not
worthy of her confidence-.n1 nat ne news We
trying to possess himself of her estate,
which had become entangled. Al any
rate he was very much worried over
something connected with the maIter.
and I inferred that he was AFRAID OF
the law, which is very stringent with
The house was under the care of a
Mrs. Lawson who had been It's man.
ager for many years. grum,p oil old
woman whom my uncle ana ms WdIo
were perpetually trying to keep III d
good humor, but always failing.
Put two young people OF opposlle
sex under the same roof ana III LiIile
there is bound to be love analr.
Such was the case with Anna way
land and myself. But it was nlpped
in the bud. AS a boy I had neen
troubled with somr1am bulism, put l
was fourteen. Now while in my
uncIe's house / had a relapse, ana
with very notifying results; one
night in summer when we all Siepl
with our doors and windows open
suddenly awakened standing over
Anna Wayland's bed. She awoke at
the same moment, and as the Iuli
moon was shining in at the WINDOW
no condition to explain the matter; in
deed, I bolted from the room WltnouI
word The next day endeaVored
to set myself right, but Anna was not
in a mood to listen to my excuses.
| The consequence was that by the time
she showed a conciliatory disposition
I was too much disgruntled to MAKE
an explanation. From that time
stood in the position of sinner
One day my uncle called me INTO ms
study and. told me that "shyster at
| torney'' was trying to bleed him IN the
matter of his administration OF ms
wards estate. Certain papers neces-
sary to his clearing himself or VIOLA
ton of the law which ne supposeeo
were in his safe were not there. The
safe stood in a hall room next TO MS
own, and he alone knew the complna-
ton. I asked him if he had ever Will
| ten the combination on paper and leIt
/ it where any one could see II, ana ne
renIied that he had not. He consulted
with me as to what it was best TO 40
whether it would be advisable Tor
| him to pay hush money or throw NM
self on the mercy OF the courts si,a ao5
to do something. This was all ne
could do.
| A few days later I surprised Mrs
Lawson and Anna Wayland in an am
mated conversation From a rev
words I heard l was sure that they
were talking about what my uncle hao
revealed to me and that Mrs. lawson,
who had been Annals nurse, was using
-fTano
her stepfather was robbing her
| Trouble thickened around my uncle
| Papers necessary to enable him TO
show a clean management OF the estate
were continually missing, no nla.eei
where he kept them. He had no once:
consequently he must keep them at
Ihone, and he always locked them IN
| the safe Meanwhile the lawyer, VINO
had in some mysterious way got vino
of his position, was threatening MIN
with exposure if he did not give him
money. The household was not
pleasant one. I was not on good terms
| with Anna who was induced by Mrs
Lawson to believe that her stepfather
was swindling her out of her fortune.
I had become convinced of my uncle s
| innocence and treated Anna all the
more coldly for listening to her ad-
wiser. though I would not advise her
myself.
stances involving a coincidence would
not have Del1eVed mao II HOl HoPPChSe
to myself 1 was standing in front of
nv uncle's safe. Mrs. Lawson had the
safe door open and was rummag1ng the
/ contents. The start I gave at waking
/ caused her to turn. and when she saw
me she gave a moan and sank down on
the floor.
cur to me so quickly. Darling to Anna s
room. without stopping to put on
other clothing than the nightshirt I
wore, 1 called to her, Come quick ana
II will prove your guardians lnno-
cence" In her nightdress she followed
me and we found Mrs. Lawson hur-
riedlv picking up papers that lay on
the floor and putting them INTO the
safe.
II will do that for you said, and
pushing her aside I gathered the pa
pers and took them to my own room
AS soon as the culprit had gone
Anna insisted on going with me to my
luncIe's room, waking him up and
telling him that we had solved the
mystery that was troubling him. He
was astonished that one who had SO
lIone been trusted in his family should
have proved q villain, but was greatly
relieved at my discovery.
When I parted with Anna at her
room door 1 told her that my discovery
vindicating one dear to both OF us had
occurred through somnamDullsm ana
she was prepared to believe that my ap-
pearance in her room was due to the
same cause The reconciliation was
perfect.
ON condition of not being prosecuted
the conspirators returned all the pa
pers they had stolen and soon after
ward my uncle turned over the estate
10 the owner, who in time became my
wife. A AUSTIN h1NGoLE L
| IT.