El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-13
The Heralis
Daily Short Story

. decrepit looking man servant for some
brandy.
"Dfck. darling. you aren't well?" in
quired Lulu solicitously.
ITS the heat" I grumbled, closing
my eyes.
Three minutes afterward I stood ur
and ssid was going aneo tine me sns.
piciously to the front door.
I'm coming back" I assured him.
'I wouldn't miss that so pounds for the
world Go back. They'll suspect that
were plotting. If you don't; snane De
two minutes.
Dicks relatives stared at me gloom
lily on my return. and the bishop OBJ
served that barley water was mucn
preferable TO brandy in hot weather.
1t was half past 10 before Lulu collect
ed eyes and swept the woman up
stairs.
And now, Dick, what d'you say if
ask these gentlemen to attend 10
must be obtained later. Are you feei-
ing better, poor boy?"
Mr.. GRANTEES solicitude startled me.
1 heard him mutter- "A weak heart
very weak" to the bishop, and MAJ
carry him off at any moment" to Sir
for the worst" to the bishops son. an
embryo parson OF saturnine appear
ance
Go upstairs. Don't bother yourself"
he persuaded me. Il will see that ey-
eryIhing is in order. 1ndeed-Wlth
such trustees-it7 could not be other
WISE
The relatives bowed, grimly pleased
at the compliment. Suddenly the door
was opened and the man servant en-
tered with a telegram on a salver. He
took 1t to the bishop. who glanced at
+ In ra~ic nor,
His face went yellow and his eyes
pretruded beneath his blinking eyelids.
'sMerciful Heaveni" he calculated.
"Gentlemen-gentlem Sir James-my
dear boysl. What does 1T mean? What
can it mean? Listen"
The telegram form fluttered in his
shaking hands as he read Its contents
sMr. Richard Kelvinside lies dead at
the Villa Monte Rosa, Rue des Cloches,
Paris"
That intense silence of stupefaction
fell One by one their heads turned
from the bishop and they stared at me
blankly. But l was looking at old
Granite He seemed to shrivel in his
seat, clutching the edge of the table
with his bony fingers, his eyes, blood
shot and full of astounded dismay, riv-
eted on the telegram.
"a hoax, foolish. practical joke!"
he cried, making a wonderful recovery.
iieis W = ~ y CIV INC
1T is-very Fortunate" I observed
grimly. Granite, tell these gentlemen
the answers to some questions. Have
He glared at me in senile impotent
fury. But 1 smiled to him in return.
holding up my hand as the bishop
burst into excited Interrogation.
know it." muttered Granite.
And the 1egatee wasHreally, I'm
very forgetful," 1 observed calmly.
Who was it, Grante?"
he lowered his head till could only
catch a CLINT of his eyes beneath his
shaggy greys eyebrows. Lulu, Dick,
you left your property to her."
It's a lucky thing the telegram's
false / said. IF / hadn't attained 21
my will would not have spoken; 1t
would have been SO much waste paper;
Lulu would have been a penniless wild
ow instead OF my heiress. That is so,
Granite, is it not?"
quite So" he answered, and the eff
fort to speak seemed to throttle him.
I turned and looked at Sir James
and the others. They had followed our
dialogue open m0uthed
you see, Sir James," I remarked,
none OF you knew me. Dick Kelvin
sides only name to you. And yet,
without inquiry, without single pre-
caution, you intended handing over Sc
curities worth many thousands OF
pounds into Mr.. GRANTEES hands. Sup
posing the telegram were true; sup
posing Dick were dead-had died be-
fore he came OF age. before he could
execute a valid will; supposing an
adventures and a rogue plotted to
take you all in with a substitute and
with the connivance of some rascally
doctor, postdated Dicks death; would
you have believed that the Dick you
saw was a sham, would you have seen
through the plot? 1 don't fancy so. I
think Mr. Granite here and Miss Lulu
would have shared Dicks fortune be-
tween them. Why, don't believe that
Rogate, whom you all decry, would
have been so foolish"
'Rogater clustered Sir James Don't
mention his name to me, sir. What
the devil are you driving at? You hint
you fnsinuate-" He brought his fist
down with a crash among the glasses.
What's your meaning? Let's have 1t
clear"
MY meanings this" 1 said, eyeing
him. Il was standing in the street
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