The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-30

II can tell you about the business II
two words succeeded


ways than one. 1t surely has per
formed one miracle, for | have Giscov
cred that | still have left sufficient en-.
ergy to do things If | only work Inyseli
up to the proper pitch. | left this Mex
lean business altogether too long.
should have attended 10 it Immediately
after the death Of the goy'nor IL
would have been easier and better, and
think the people down there would
have understood things better. How
ever. / fancy IT is all right now"
You fancy: l thought you said you
had succeeded
$50 l Unexpectedly, entirely. Mt
terly, in every way but one. and that
one is apparently unimportant. | have
brought back a mystery. and l hate
mysteries. as you know"
us the mystery connected with the
| business?"
Yes and no.
'That reply is ambiguous, Burr. OF
| course / possess ordinary curiosity
! Naturally / would like to hear all about
all that you win tell me. but you must
/ remember that | was left in ignorance
/ Of many points in this affair of yours,
| and | do not like to ask questions"
| Pendleton waited moment before
| replying. Then he tossed away his ci-
| gar and took turn up and down the
| room. Reseating himself. he said
slowly:
Briefly, then. I will say this. for the
present-thc duel. as you say. can wait:
in fact. il came mighty near waiting
anyhow: You know. ever since the gov
Tavt
take this trip. and you also know that
the only reason why | did not do so
was my own ,consummate laziness. |
wanted you to go there for me. and
you consented to do so. But. Craig. |
could not bring myself to tell you all
that was necessary for you to know
If you had undertak ken the trip simply
because | asked it. | would have fell
that | was not keeping faith with my
dead father You knew or ought to
have known. and. l believe. did know.
that my hesitation did not arise from
any reluctance to take you into my
confidence
"Assurelly. Burr"
1.-THE written injunctions that the
Eov'nor left for me-you remember tha+
l did not get home until three days aft
er his death-imposed the obligation Of
silence upon me with considerable |
emphasis; that is. silence up to a GER
tain point, after which l could. Of
course. exercise my own discretion
That point could not be reached until J
had made a personal investigation. 4
thing that he practically ordered me 10
do. Well. | have made it. The obliga |
ton OF silence is upon me no longer. |
can see no reason for keeping still now |
In fact. the time has come when L mus
tell somebody, and naturally you ~ |
the one whom | have selected for con |
fidant. More than that. / feel the neea |
of advice and help, and you are the on |
ly one | know to whom | am willnc /
TO apply. There is not time and this Is
no place for me to go into details, but
if you viii give up this evening to me
in my rooms well. we'll have it out to
the end: 1t is n mighty strange thing
Craig. that man can leave behint
him when hc dies q tangle which in
wolves two faniles and which may yet
involve two nations in trouble but thai
Is precisely what my father did. Not
only that, but | have permitted these
years since his death to roll past, never
dreaming thai the matter could take
the serious shape it has. | regard my
self as rather guilty party as things
ire situated now, for ] cannot help be.
ieving if / had attended to matters al
,nce much that is now unavoidable
night have been prevented. | believed
he old man was dcceived-that he i'm
Igined a great deal. but l found-well.
wait until tonight. and l will tell you
What | discovered"
II think. old man." said Wyndham
while he drummed the
burning end of his cigar upon the ash
eceiver-"l think that perhaps, having
eturned from a long trip and being
delighted upon meeting an
I'D friend. you may be inclined to
lace too much confidence in him. Let
is revert to the part of the business
hat l understood before you went
way. which. as / remember. related
My TO property. Did you find the
property that your father directed you
0 recover! Have you brought back the
tile to =. SO that it is undeniably
ours? Have you fulfilled that part OF |
he obligation that rested upon you:"
Entirely, yes.
Then it seems to me that ends it."
How SO. CraiSf''
''Why. that is all that / supposed !
ad anything to do with
You are right. 1t is" Pendletou |
lade this last remark between the in {
ermittent flaming of a cigar which at
hat moment he was aged in light [
NJ. When he cast the match aside. h |
Eft the table with some haste and in [
Il gentleman who was at that |
loment passing. They talked together
everal moments and then disappeared !
] the direction of the club cafe. am '
Syndham. supposing be would soon q
eturn, waited. but when an hour had
assed and he was still alone his pa /
ence was exhausted.
He summoned the waiter and. hay a
IL signed tie necessary check asked :!
lie name of the man whom Pendleton
ad intercepted. for he remembered v
lat the waiter had been standing near
lem IT the moment.
He is a club guest. sir,'' replied the G
alter. Il do not remember his name