The Virginia enterprise., 1909-02-26

been left me by my father. 1 was in
love with beautiful girl and believed
that she was equally in love with me,
and that shortly we would be mar
ried. l was ambitious and intended
with my patrimony to buy myself into
the firm
my ruin came in day through this
man. Through his advice and on al
legged inside information furnished by
him, l invested my little fortune in
the stock of railroad, buying large
block of shares on margin. The up
ward turn of the market was to make
me independent for life. The next day
the company was in the hands of a
receiver, the stock fell 20 points, and
l was penniless.
"This delayed my marriage In the
meantime, had introduced Bolton to
my intended wife. He seemed to take
heart as l did, and believed him. My
suspicious were not aroused until l
learned that he had accumulated S10,.
600 and was to be taken into the firm.
For lack of evidence I smothered my
wrath and accepted the position of con.
fldential clerk with apparent gratitude.
Then the love of my intended bride
began to cool, because, l thought, of
my fall in fortune. I was undeceived
when her engagement to Bolton was
announced. Again l stif1ed my hatred
and took his hand in congratulation.
"A few months after they were mar.
ried I found among his papers dam.
ming evidence that he had deliberately
led me into trap with the intention
of running me and profiting by my
ruin, and that the money which bought
his place in the firm was my meney
The idea of revenge took root in my
heart. I meditated murder, but what
Is death compared to crushing blow
to vain mans pride? Besides, he
was safe from me through the love !
bore the woman who could never be
| mine. While she lived l made no
move against him, I went steadily
about my duties, learning his business
intimately, that I might strike tho
harder when l did strike, raising a
family as was raised in the fear and
admonition of the Lord, and witha
| awaiting my turn of the wheel of fate.
when a year ago the dear heart
that was my first and only love was
laid in the grave, l set my machinery
in motion. made a connection with
house in New York city which Bolton
would never suspect. We arranged
| telegraph code in which the names of
various domestic animals stood for
various stocks. We thus were enabled
to block every deal which the house of
Bolton & Co. started, and besides, by
unloading in time, to make nice
| profit of our own. In few months
we would have driven Bolton & Co.
to the wall, but l suppose I got too
| anxious, and gave the plot away some.
| how"
Il trust that you can defend yourself
from his charge, Mr.. Bolton" said
| Clarke.
"No, God forgive me, I can't. I did
take advantage of him in the early
days. I made myself believe at the
time that it was all in the way of busi-
ness, but have suffered in conscience
for 1t ever since, and have regarded
the $4,000 which have paid him
every year as partial atonement. can't
blame myself on my dead wife's &C.
| count. She did not love Nipple. and
she did love me. She never would
have married him anyway"
Now" said Clarke, there is only
one more point to be cleared up. and
that is why Nipple scribbled on tho
backs Of the reports the messages
which he declares he wired. think
We shall find, Mr.. Bolton, that you owe
your discovery of this plot more to
brooding on his trouble has produced
in Nipples naturally fanatical brain,
than to my efforts. He Is afflicted with
agraphia, a peculiar disease of the
mind which causes him to write, not
always what he intends to write, but
what is uppermost in his mind. met
a similar case once in Bellevue hos
pital, and I rather suspected as much
when I advised you to ask him to in
dorse one of the reports. He tried to
| ind0rse the report as he has done In
| his methodical way for years, and as
you probably would have noticed, hsd
you not been too engrossed with busi-
ness to look at the backs. Then the
last message he had wired to New
York came into his mind, and he
wrote that instead. It was q chance
shot on my part, admit. All, 1nspec.
tor Shipp; here Is your man. Wait
until unhandcun him, and sec that
he does not do violence to himself
until we can notify his family. think
you will find it case needing medical
attention and not properly one for the
penitentiary."
| Dazed and bewildered at the strange
company In which he awoke to con.
sciousness Nipple was led away, and
the chapter closed on the wreck of a
brilliant mind and the blasting Of q
once fair name. / did not see the check
which Carlton Clarke received from
Bolton. but never heard him com
plain that it was not satisfactory.
| Copyright. 1909: by W. G. ChapmssA
Copyright In Great BritainA