Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-21


tracts that we had found.
l passed my hands across my eyes and
Tor an instant sat i'm silence. dreadinc
to take the next step.
turned. finally. To the blue. much
blurred blotter upon the desk, with its
border of tiny ink dots. as IL their make
mad sat with we'll wet pen I'm his hand
through many an distracted moment. l
had worked out a theory that the blotter
could tell. Would IL tell IL? I turned
the magnifying glass upon it with bated
breath.
The mass of blur was so heavy that at
first ] could distinguish nothing. bat per-
severing | detected at length, a letter
for which / looked-a capital s. After a
little further study | found, also a cap
ital P. But that which lay between the
two letters was too indistinct TO read.
1t occurred to me to turn the blotter,
and l did so. II was almost as much
used on the one side as on the other. No:
| could make out little more!
With the help of the lens | picked out
innumerable capitals-always the same.
p. and s., p. and :. But soon I found
that they were i'm different style OF
handwriting Presently I found the key.
One was the handwriting Of Peter Som
hers. the other Of Philander Summerfieid
could not doubt il.
| sprang to my feet and held the blot
ter to the mirror. There the names ap-
peared over and over again, indstinct
and i'm places almost illegible. but there
heNeitHeieSs- But III was Philander sum
merhefd always. never Peter Somhers as
at first | supposed. NV mistake was due
to the fact that the signature changed
gradually from the bold uprightness OF
Peter Somhers chirography to the small
ef nand of Philander Summerfieldi
In my excitement I did not notice the
approach OF footsteps and | was pacing
up and down the tiny room. mutterin9 To
myself, when Milbraths voice brought
me back to my senses
You back so soonr' I cried. "was M
, one at home p"
me evening must have been interest
ing to you, he answered. dryly. 1T is
considerably past ~ o'clock
AND SO 1t was. The two hours that l
had spent in the little room had passed
like SO many minutes.
! what's the matter with YOU. old
MANI? asked Milbrath, coming nearer to
me- rs 1t the way the light falls on you
or are you Lord, Bliss. Won ara
pale-ghostly. What's up?"
He glanced hastily about as il expect-
1Dg to find the reason for my changed
color in some tangible form. and his eyes
paused in question on the blotter that 1
still held.
Come here and pinch me- I said.
Pinch hard. l want to be sure that I'm
not dreaming. Ouch! Yes; that's real
enough: Now. see whether this is
L outlined with pencil the letters as 1
had found them. and then again held the
blotter before the mirror.
Whose handwriting is it," / asked.
Why, it's uncle's." answered Milbrath,
promptly.
"All of it?''
Wei. this. surely. is his, and this, and
this Here il changes and is almost like
some ones else-Summerfield no doubt.
and here it is entirely disguised
DO these facts signify nothing to YOU
Milbrath?''
Milbrath looked at me sharply.
suppose they show that uncle was to
take on old Summerfield's handwriting
when Summerfield became him, SO to
speak. And 1 dare say it may signify
what L hadn't thought of before, that ne
purposed to be Summerfield during the
time-a sort of change of manifest that
Is what you mean
to me altogether unlikely that Mr.. Som
| hers would play the part of Symmetrical
while Summerfield was doing Somhers. 1
wish to God it were probable. though
mean?" cried Milbrath
In answer l reached under the desk
and brought forth a book that I had
found there behind the typewriter that
afternoon when / took the machine out
to get a sample of its type.
1t was scrapbook with a cover of red
and white notified pasteboard. and on the
back OF black linen was pasted square
or white paper on which was labeled In
the bold, upright hand that was unques-
tionably Mr.. Somhers, one word:
personal"
1t was filled with newspaper clippings
and as Milbrath took the book I'm his
hands and opened it l knew that he was
wondering. as l had wondered. what on
earth Peter Somhers, a reticent. retiring
man. could have found about himself i'm
print, or have put in print, that would
fill a volume like that
From cover to cover 1t contained moth
ing but reports Of the coroner's inquiry
into the death of Peter Somhers and OF
Harrison Milbraths two trials.
Milbrath fingered the leaves of the
book, at first with surprised expression.
and then with puzzled. questioning look.
Presently he looked up from il and off
into space. When his eyes returned to
mine / knew that he had reached the
conclusion that seemed inevitable.
Great God, Bliss he whispered. You
don't mean to tell me that uncle put
these clippings in here; that-he-is-Sum
merfield?''
1T looks like that
Then he is La Cour."
"Yes"
Milbrath hid his head in is folded
arms on the couch and his big frame
shook with emotion. Presently he lifted
his chin to his hands his elbows resting
on the couch, and again stared off into
space. He appeared to be thinking deep
ly. Then he sat upright and his face was
colorleSs.
ITO he continued tomorrow