Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-05-20

| hs took the missve. ut shall be posted
any luck, l shall beat that beast Pegram
yet and now I will say good-by."
Jack awaited the arrival OF that note
of Mrs. Lyme Wregis' which no had him
self posted. feeling little disposed to
anathematize that lady's over-caution. NO
sooner did 1t arrive than Jack sped to
the Temple, and, placing 1t In ring
woods hands, suggested the sooner they
saw Mr.. Hemmingby the better. the two
accordingly proceeded to the "Nivacity,
and were fortunate enough to ina that
| Mr.. Hemmingby had not left the theater
II gave you a hint he said, about
what should do If | were in your place,
and l told you then that | had nothing
now to do with 1t, and as they were
| both friends of mine, had excellent reasons
for not meddling with. what docs NOT con-
cern mo-"
YES" replied Ringwood, who had evil
IDENTIFY got up his brief with great care !
but you would not see the young lady
sacrificed fraudulently to Pesram when
| 1t Is within your power to prevent II.
ALLOW me to remark that know
| nothing about any fraud; and as Tor the
| lady. she Ia going to marry Bob Pegram
of her own free will. and it is most obyi-
ously no business of mine even II she
| is only marrying him to please her reia-
| tons"
He took the letter that Ringwood
| proffered He read it carefully, and as
he concluded, said
III ~ ~ mind
| ty plainly. She is the young lady's grand
mother. is she not? 1t does seem rather
| throwing herself away" continued the
manager, "a beautiful girl like Miss Phll-
| limore marrying such a one-horse looking
concern as Bob Pegram. Still, though
they won't match, Bob is a good-tempered
fellow; they will have plenty of gold
dust. and | have no doubt will run to-
gether pretty comfortably"
But still" burst in hot-headed Jack
Phillimore, you are an old friend of Lord
Lakngton's; you would surely not see
his daughter made miserable for life by
being married to a man she cannot care
about-a man like Pegram, whose account
of himself, after all, is extremely doubt
full"
Excuse me, Mr.. Phllimore," replied
the manager THAT Bob Pegram is what
he represents himself to be, can vouch
for: but you are a relation, and 50 have
claim to interfere; to say nothing" he
concluded slowly and with a slight twin
ke of his eye, 'of a rather personal in
terest in the matter if l mistake not"
BE quiet, Phillimore," suddenly ex-
claimed Ringwood. Look here, Hem
mingby. you know just as we'll as we do
that this marriage is simply the amalga-
nation of the two last shareholders, as
they suppose themselves, in the Great
Tontine' l declare | think, under the
circumstances, that somebody ought tc
see that old Pegrams claim is all right.
If Lord Lakington is too indolent 10 take
the trouble, then I really think that
Jack Philimore, as Miss Beatrice's next
nearest relation, is justified in seeing that
Miss Beatrice's wedding settlements,
which, in good truth are involved in the
'Tontine, are all right and genuine
Quite So replied the manager. Still,
as l said before, what have | to do with
all this
"Everything and nothing" replied
RlngWOOI. we Will investigate iue L eS-
ra ms; but what we want you to do for
us. is lust to give US hint where to be-
GIN"
And now exclaimed Ringwood,
breathlessly, what is to be our first
move?"
Il think" replied Hemmingby slowly.
that the history of the illness of Mr..
Krabbe, from the time he broke down in
Pegram's office and had to give up work,
down to the state of his health in his re-
tirement at the present day, would very
likely pay for looking into
"Crabb-Crabb; | never heard the
name before" observed Ringwood How
do YOU spell it-C-r-ab-b?'
NO; it is rather sngularly spet-
K-r-a b-b-e-K rabbe. He was. till lately.
old Pegrams confidential clerk. and that
is where should begin, no matter why
"Well. Philimore,' exclaimed Ring
wood rising, I'VE must be very grateful
for what has been vouchsafed to us.
! Good-by. Hemmingby; | do not suppose
we shall get any more out of you"
"No," rejoined the manager laughing.
"The oracle has spoken. When you have
worked out the clue | have given you let
me know the result. AND ! will tell you
what | think of you as detectives"
(To be continued