The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-10

Eacn death was preceded by scene
OF alteration or violent controversy
between the victim and the alleged
master Of these premises
In ench case the master OF the house
reaped some benefit. real or fancied.
from the others DEATH
A curious set of paragraphs. Some
one besides myself was searching for
the very explanation l was at that mo-
ment intent upon / should have con-
sidered it the work Of our detectives IL
the additional lines | now came upon
could have been written by any one
but Moore. But no one OF any other
blood or associations could have in
dited the amazing words W hich follow
ed The only excuse 1 could find for
them was the difficulty which some
men feel in formula ding their thoughts
otherwise than with pen and paper.
they were SO evidently intended for
the writer's eye and understanding
only. as witness.
LET me recall the words my father
was uttering when my brother rushed
in upon Us with that account OF my
misdeeds which changed all my pros
poets in life. Ii was my twenty-trs
birthday, and the old man had just in
formed me that as the eldest son l
might expect the house in which we
stood to be mine one day and with it a
secret which has been handed down
from father to son ever since the
Moores rose to eminence in the person
of Colonel Alpheus. Then he noted
that was now of age and Immediately
went on TO say: This means that you
mus be told certain facts, without the
true Moore. These facts you must
hereafter relate to your son or whoever
may be fortunate enough to inherit
from you. 1t is the legacy which goes
with this house and one which no in
heritor as yet has refused either to re
ceive or to transmit. Listen. You have
often noted the gold fligree bah which
l wear on my watch guard. This bali
is the talisman of our house. of this
house. II in the course OF your life
you find yourself in an extremity from
which no issue seems possible-mind
the strictness Of the injunction-an ex-
tremity from which no issue seems
have never been in such a
case; the gold dligree ball has never
been opened by me)-you will take this
trinket from It's chain. press upon this
portion of it % and use what you will
find inside, in connection with
ALAS, it was at this point John Jud-
son came rushing IN. and those dis
closures were mAf which lost me my
fathers regard and gave to the inform
er my rightful Inheritance. together
with the full secret Of which 1 only
got q part. But that part must help
me now to the whole. have seen the
filigree ball many times. Veronica has
1t now. But it's contents have never
been shown me. II knew what they
were and why the master Of this Sc
cret always left the library
Here the memorandum ceased with a
ong line struggling from the letter "y''
rs II the writer had been surprised at
his task.
The effect upon me of these remark
able words was to heighten my inter
est and raise me into a state Of re-
newed hope If not OF active expecta-
ton.
Another mind than my own had been
1T work along the only groove which
held out any promise of success, and
this mind, having at its command GER
.ain family traditions. had let me into
/ most valuable secret. Another mind!
Whose mind? That was a question |
EASILY answered. But one man could |
nave written these words. the man
Who was thrust aside in early life in |
ayor of his younger brother and who |
low by the sudden death of that broth |
RS daughter had come again into his |
Uncle David, and he only,
vas the puzzled inquirer whose self |
I had just read. This fact |
aised a new problem for me to work |
lpon, and / could but ask when these |
ines were written-before or after Mr.. |
pfeifer's death-and whether he had |
,ver succeeded in solving the riddle he |
lad suggested or whether it was still |
moved by the suggestion conveyed in /
lis final and half finished sentence |
hat / soon lost sight of these lesser |
INQUIRIES in the more important one /
with the filigree ball. For / |
lad seen this ffligree ball. I had even |
andled it. From the description given /
was very certain that it had been |
me of the many trinkets I had OBJ
erved lying on the dressing table /
vhen I made my first hasty examina-
ion of the room on the evening Of /
frs. JeFrey's death. Why had no pre-
aonition Of its Importance as con-
lecting link between these tragedies /
nd their mysterious cause come to me |
t the time when it was within reach
+ my hand? IT was too late now. 1t |
lad been swept away with the other |
oose objects littering the place, and |
ny opportunity for pursuing this very I
PROMISING investigation was gone for
be night.
Yet it was with decided feeling Of
riumph that 1 finally locked the door
+ this old mansion behind me- Ger
ainly l had taken a step forward since
ny entrance there, to which / had but
o add another of equal Importance to
merit the attention of the superintend-
Mt himself.
CHAPTER XXI.
"HE next. morning I swallowed
my pride and sought out Dur