Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-16

|
|IO eastern part of Essex, the Red House
hUFil1f was the loncliest and least attractive
SHaE6U To east and west and south and
north the land lay fiat and uninhabit-
ed, save for an isolated cottage, the home of
some watchman or ferryman.
| " Not tree broke the monotony Of the land
scape On the eastern horizon lay the sea- On
the west, six miles away the rising ground
showed up dim and indistinct, like miniature
range of mountains
A straight road commenced at the mound and
ran west between two creeks. This road con-
structed at enormous expense by the who
built the house, ran inland for six miles, and
then cut at right angles into the same road
that past Heatherstone Hall-a wide cause
way that had been built in the time Of the Ro-
MANS and had been maintained ever since as
communication between the north and south of
Essex.
| The house itself vas as unattractive as the
| scenery that surrounded it-a great, bare build
ing, badly constructed of very inferior bricks.
| Behind it lay numerous outhouses and sheds,
and brick stable large enough to accommo-
date dozen horses and as many carts or car
riages. A tarred fence some three hundred yards
in circumference incosed piece of ground
which had once been a garden
| To this lonely spot, after fourteen years of
hell in convict prison, and eight years of fe-
verish work in France, came John Porteous, now
known to the world as William Jordison.
The hard work and simple fare of prison life
had broadened his shoulders and strengthened
his muscles But his hair was white as snow,
and the deep lines on his rugged face spoke
| eloquently of the mental anguish he had suf-
fered
For-there had been more than the degrade
of HE ont tO IOh Por-fo Altob
mind There had been the daily, almost hourly
| thought of the who had betrayed him.
! John Porteous had gone into the prison man
who had indeed lost his honor, but who still
retained many admirable traits of fine and
gentlemanly nature.
He came out of it wild and ravening beast
insensible save for the love he still bore his
son. to every passion and emotion but revenge
| When he left Portland he had few pounds
| in his pocket, and he spent several weeks look
ing for job that offered some prospects in the
future. He was man of fine commercial capa
bities, and with a few hundred pounds of cap
ital he could doubtless have soon built up a
business But he was handicapped by want of
money, and he realized that he had to start at
the very bottom.
The idea of a clerkship was dstasteful to him.
| He knew only too we'll how few chances came
to clerk and how the most splendid abilities
have rusted for years at the office desk.
He picked up an odd job here and there and
kept himself alive, travelling about the country
on foot from place to place. During this time
he made diligent inquiries for his son.
He had no intention of making himself known
to him, nor asking for assistance, but his
heart yearned for some news of the boy. He
learned nothing save that Mr.. and Mrs. Behag
were both dead, and that the boy had away
| to sea.
He also made inquiries about Marie de la
Mothe, but he found out absolutely nothing
about her movements. He was hampered in
his search by want of money, and resolved to
wait until he could pay detectives to prosecute
systematic inquiry.
At last, after long period of semistarvation,
he found the evening that he required. At
that time the motor-car industry was in its in
fancy in France but astute men of business
were already trying to grasp the future posi-
bilites of the petroldriven machine.
| Tt was fortunate circumstance for John Por-
| teous that mechanical engineering had been one
of the hobbies of his earlier days. AS boy he
had invested all his spare savings in little verti-
cal and horizontal engines that had whizzed
round wildly and perlousy under the influence
of methyated spirits.
On the strength of his mechanical knowledge,
he applied for and obtained position with
Jacquart ct Cie., new motor-car firm that had
just been started in france.
He picked up the language in few months
and before he had been there a year the direc-
tors recognized that they had got hold of a
man who might do much for them, and whose
mechanical skill was nothing compared to his
commercial capabilities.
He was speedily transferred from the construc.
tive to the executive part of the business, and
before another two years had elapsed he found
himself general manager of fine business, with
a liberal remuneration and commission that
brought him in three times his fixed salary.
He invested his savings in the company. He
was elected to a vacant seat the board. Mo-
tors were then on the boom, and he raked in
money hand over fist.
When he had saved thirty thousand pounds
he retired from business and returned to Eng,
land, bringing with him hfty-horsepower car.
He would have in it speedy means of loco
motion from place to place. he would be indie,
pendent of trains and timetables. He could
scour the country from John o'Groat's to
Lands End, and follow up every clue in per-
son.
But no such clue came to William Jordison,
The practiced skill of detectives failed to dis
cover anything of Marie de la Mothe or his
} son.