Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1919-10-16
Fairy Gold
o0
By T. B. ANDERSON


in low, definite tones, and Edgar Rudd
realized that she meant what she said.
If he had shown genuine disappoint-
ment or real heart pain she might
have regretted it, for Myra was freely
sympathetic. Instead, however, his
wrathful, sinister way that made her
shrink and shudder and he fairly hiss
ed out:
'There's somebody else!''
"That is not for you to know" said
Nyra simply, and just then someone
came into the room and, though sui
lenly, Rudd managed to leave the
house without further outbreak.
"And I know who it is" he grated
out. "It's that Morton fellow. One
of the girls told me he was regular
caller on Myra. A beggarly mechanic,
and she turns me down-me, with a
fortune and social position. Well, I'll
use both to down this presumptuOus
pauper who has dared to cross my
path"
"The other fellow was indeed
Bruce Morton, but he was neither pow
erty stricken nor a common laborer.
Only a year previous he had taken
half floor in a building fitted up for
small industrial plants. He made a
speciality of nautical instruments and
acquired very fair mechanical equip
ment. There was something of mys-
terry about Morton. He had come to
the city home of his old uncle, Albert
Durand, about a year previous with
his mother Mr. Durand was said to
be out OF his mind and his sister un-
deEtook his care.
Nobody was encouraged to visit the
old Durand home. 1t was a gloomy
mansion gone into decay.
Edgar Rudd craftily set his wits at
work to find some vulnerable spot
about his rival that would discredit
him in the estimation of Myra, but
failed utterly The moral character
of Morton was above reproach. 1t
had been in the craven mind of Rudd
to seek to undermine his business by
the introduction of rival in the same
line, but he learned that Morton, while
making no great pretensions as to
prosperity, had contract for his out
put reaching over several years with
a responsible distributing house.
One day Rudd was seated in
drinking place he favored with his
presence occasionally, when the CONVEX
sation of two men at an adjoining ia
BILE attracted his attention. He prick
ed up his ears as the name of Bruce
Morton was mentioned, and an eager
hope came into bis specious mind as,
like his companion half intoxicated,
one of the men made the remark:
Morton, let me go. He wouldn't
II he knew what I could tell about
him. I could send him to the peni-
tertiary, and he's made the mistake
Of his life in setting me adrift be-
cause / went on a two-days' little cele-
bration"
The two men finally separated and
Rudd set himself insidiously at work
to reach the condolences of the former
employee of Morton. He piled him
with liquor and famed the flame Of
resentment against Morton. In
maudlin way the man, who gave his
name as Ethan Daily, impaired to
him the substance of his unfavorable
knowledge regarding Bruce Morton.
"Whisper, now" he said, as Rudd
pressed into his hand folded bank
note. Don't mix me up with it, but
work out my hint as far as you like.
Morton is counterfeiter, and the
storehouse of his false coming is the
mysterious old place, where he lives
with his mother and uncle"
1t was under the impulse of fervent
elation that Rudd interested detec-
tive in his service. A close watch was
set on Morton. One day, the detective
made decisive report to Rudd.
''Two nights in the week." he stated,
Morton remains after working hours
he allows no one to enter but himself.
There he has mOlds, a stamping ma
chine and a greM mass of metal. 1t
looks like gold. He turns out about a
peck of what resembles twenty-dollar
gold pieces. places them in a satchel
and disappears with them in that
gloomy old home of his uncle. This is
one Of his working nights"
"Then nail him with the goods on
him." directed Rudd. ooh, but I've
got him fast now. / wonder how old
John Lee would like to have son-in-
law who is a counterfeiter."
Edgar Rudd waited at his hotel all
the morning expecting great news
from the detective. About noon there
came brief message from that in
dividual: "Wrong clue. Drop the
case" And, as Rudd had fully paid
him, the detective came upon fur
Their evidence. A week later Rudd
learned all there was to the counter
felt coins.
They were simply formed Of a de-
ceptive alloy and bore the mineral
"twenty'' on their face, the reverse
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