The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-05-17
":Vho knew H this particular

":Eho knew 1t this particulars
amount being there at this particular
time?"
mo one as far as I know except
Uncle Abner, Of course, my cousin,
Bruce Halliday, and myself. Uncle
Abner says he did not tell Mrs. Teb-
bets, she denies all knowledge of It
and ! am inclined to believe that that
settles that"
1T would so seem And what kind
of man does Bruce happen to be-"
| hesitated, endeavoring to choose my
words with cirCumSpectiOn before an.
swerins question which embraced
so many qualifying and modifying
phases.
Well. that Is hard question to
answer Off-hand. He is complex
proposition. you know-a sort of a
paradox You should know him thor.
! oughly before passing Judgment. But
| cOmprehensively should say that he
is genial, generous, outspoken and in
clined to be reckless along certain
lines. But I never knew him to even
contemplate doing a dishonest thing
and | don't believe that he ever did.
The only two things that I ever knew
him to do that might be criticized
from high moral standpoint are to
occasionally take few highballs or
cocktails and to habitually speculate
on Change. He is a broker, you
know, and plays the game himself.
like most of the rest of them"
"And his financial condition these
days.? pursued my companion con.
templatively. shifted uneasily. It
was plain that LeDuc was going to
dig deep and ask me questions that
would make it necessary for me to
put Bruce in an unfavorable light, and
it Is not a pleasant task for one to
be compelled to cast suspicion, even
by inference. upon a lifelong friend,
especially when the friend is of hin
own blood Yet a serious crime had
| been committed against both society
at large and another of my kinsmen
| in particular, and should l conceal
any essential fact that l knew and
LeDuc discover that had done so, It
would put me in the miserable plight
before Uncle Abner as having tried
to shield some one and thus acted
against him in the recovery of at least
a portion of what had been pilfered
from him. l did not for an instant
believe that Bruce would even con.
template such an act, even though
standing blindfold against the wall Of
financial despair, yet certainly there
were things which in justice to every.
body concerned he should explain:
and while did not doubt but that he
could do so without difficulty, I dis
liked exceedingly to speak against
him.
LeDuc sat quietly throughout my
mental colloquy, cycling mo keenly.
That my hesitancy in answering was
|
flatter myself, for as we'll might one
expect the fox to miss movement OF
the cornered hare There aeems to
be something disagreeable IN your
mind. Perhaps you had better out
with It," he suggested at length. Re.
member that / am asking you, as q
good citizen, to help me in this matter
and am taking you into my confidence
l therefore expect you to assist mo
to the fullest extent of your powers
regardless of whom it may help OF
hurt; always bearing in mind that no
innocent man need be afraid. Further
more, you may trust me not to give
any information you may convey to
me any more publicity than the exf
gencies of the case demand. What 10
it you are keeping from me now"
you have asked me as to my
cousins financial condition, and under
my protest and your promise l will
say this" l returned slowly. He
was in a miserable fix through losse'
on the exchange aud came to Uncle
Abner yesterday for loan. Uncle
Abner only grinned at him. as Bruce
should have had sense enough before
hand to know he would. When l saw
Bruce afterward he was way down o.
his luck and fairly desperate. He
knew that uncle had the money in the
house, because he was the one who
called my attention to that fact, say.
ing to me: My God, must get hold
of $4,000 some way He then left
me. When l saw him again he ap'
peared to have been drinking. put
him in a carriage to get him out Of
sight and he was driven away, whers
1 don't know, for I have not seen
him since. That is all know about
that phase of the matter" My com.
panion was following my every word
and action with the intentness Of
watching lynx, and when l had fin
ished pounced upon my last and quail
Tying words instantly.
| <T0 pE CnNTJNIyENl