The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-07-18
CHAPTER XIX.
Continued.


at light and CHEEKY manner. when
she's in wax there's nowhere finer
stringer Of big ones"-he glanced fur
tively at his cousin, who stood medi-
fatiBg; ;Shis hand on the bag containing
the Jewels. Now / assure you had
no more notion OF what she was going
ITO, make up this time than you your.
self. Ran them off fine and fluent,
didn't she? In half an hours time she
will by crying on my neck. Poor Har-
Fiet! it is her inirmity. Poor Harriet!
And as for these lies, the less we dis
cuss them the better. They're too ab-
surd to be mischievous."
How came the jewels IN the bag?'
"She put 'em there herself. I know
nothing about them"
How did she get the key of the
xafew
II gave it her. Why, when you were
dead, I thought the jewels and every
thing else were mine. I gave her the
Jewels for herself. She only put them
into the bag to make up story"
"Yet you promised-you promised SOL
emnly-that if anything remained over
after the trust money was paid you
would give it to Katie"
THAT was when We thought there
would be barely enough in that trust.
You could not expect"
. go on"
''Well, I gave her the key of the safe,
where the jewels were lying. That is
all have to explain"
"Then there is the old silver I sup
pose you know that my uncle's collec-
ton Of silver is worth 4 great deal"
II gave it all to my wife as well. I
didn't want old silver. Women like
those things. I gave it all to her-not
ITO sell, of course. She wouldn't have
sold it. What does she do? Pack it up
an this sideboard and pretend put it
there"
Then there are the pictures. no
Siced a whole stack of them in the
fall"
II suppose she put. them there her
self. BY the Lord, Tom, it's as neat 6
put up thing rs ever saw"
"As forsthe wine, now"
ooh, as for the Wine, drank it regu-
tarly till you came home. Why not"
"Jem, there's some law about in
heritance. Were you entitled to all
these things? I have other cousins,
you know, by my mothers side. They
are in New Zealand, to be sure, but
still"
"Well,"-Jem looked embarrassed,
and he winked hard-"I can make all
that clear to you. But it's 4 long
story. can't explain the law of in.
heritance in FIVE minutes. When we
have a quiet quarter Of an hour to-
gether-"
"Ye-yes," said Tom. "Your wife's
revelations have made me see things
more clearly. Ny return must have
disgusted you more than enough, and l
ought to have understood it, forgot
that altogether. Well, you had better,
I think, let me take possession at once
of my own house, if it is mine, or tenn
porary care of it, if it is not mine, with
these valuable things. Please make
out statement of the whole estate
with its liabilities by-say-by to-mor-
TOW. Can you do that? Shall send
in accountants to help you"
II must say" Jem began, that your
suspicious"
II do not allow myself to have any
suspicious. AS for most of what your
wife alleged, shall never make any
further inquiries. But until hear
from-from Kate's own lips-if we
ever find her-the truth about her in
terview with you-whether she re-
vealed her destitute condition to you
or not-I can have no dealings with
you"
II suppose" said Jelp, that may
make out my bill of costs!'
Certainly Oh, Jem! if you had
acted well by that poor girl-if you had
behaved with common honesty and
truth-there is nothing in the house
that you might not have taken! Moth
ing of mine that you could not have
had. Man, would have made you re-
joice and thank God that I returned
There is only one more chapter of
this history to be written, and that is
short chapter. Let me, therefore, ex-
plain that Jems after conduct with re-
gard to Uncle Joseph's estate was per-
fectly fair and upright, He sent in,
the next day, statement of the estate,
and the various securities, houses and
lands, belonging to it. He also sent in
his bill Of costs, which was naturally
heavy, not to say outrageous, and he
wrote letter, couched in most digni-
fed language, stating that after what
had passed he should be pleased to be
relieved of his functions in administer
ing the property without the least de-
lay.
This done, and having received a re-
ply, and check for the bill of costs, lie
sent the whole of the papers to his
cousins new advisers, cashed the
check, called cab, and drove away.
He never came back. The two old
clerks went on doZinS and meditating;
the boy slumbered, and read penny
novelettes, and played at astragals in
the office below until Saturday, and
then-there was no money. and no one
to ask for it, They waited another
week The master came no more, and
then they understood that their ell
gagement had come to an end. The
boy was the most grieved Of the three,
because to him the disaster meant that