Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-09
The
Substitute
| millionaire
By
HUBERT FOO1'NER

tiOns of the past few weeks. But to
me 1T smelled rank of. blackmail. 1t
seemed to me that If I once submit
ted, the impost would promptly be.
doubled, tiebfed. quadrupled, and in
stead of securing peace l would be
letting myself in for a life of con-
tinuous alarms. might SIS we'll die
! at once. Anyhow, L thought. it
wasn't possible that every rich man,
would submit, and they couldn't very.
well nssassinate MS ak My chance
was as good as another's.
so / turned the polite young man
down. and took my own measures.
closed my office down town, and
carried my business under my hat,
as they say. l traded impartially
thru every broker in town. have
moved into my retreat in the old
house, and venture out only by day
light, keeping to the crowded streets.
The secret of my sleeping place is
still a secret am sure. l have had
no more threatening letters, and j
hope they have crossed me off their
lists as a hopeless prospect. But if
they do get me, YOU will know all
the circumstances"
The next entry had been made nine
months later.
..HIy dear boy:
THE long evenings are hard to get
thru. My eyes tire with reading.
and my thoughts are not cheering.
/ have tried playing solitaire, but it
soelns,like stthe last resource of the
feeble minded. | have got me a
little dog for company, picked him UP
haIf-starved but he's a great sleepy
head.
: az think of You more and more.
wish | dared go to you and make
r,vseif known. But I have put it
OF TOO long. know now that shall
never go. This is the only medium
7 can use to communicate with you.
You will know me after I am gone.
Who knows, perhaps / shall have
left a friend here after ALL"
Several pages of good advice fol-
I loved here; cynical. humorous,
friendly, out of the old millionaire's
store of experience. A very different
sislas Eyde was revealed from him
the world knew. But for the moment
Jack SKINNED over this part hastily
facts bearing on his benefactor's end
ode sThealasts entry was only thlsee days
s old
& Three years have now elapsed
since I told you of the first threats
against my life. The threats have
been renewed from time to time.
That l am still above, &, ound is due
to no 'eck of effort on the part of
my enemy. / am sure. More and
more feel that one man is behind
1t all. One attempt has been made
on iny7lifeN that l know of, and no
doubt others. My supposed room in
the Madagascar has been entered.
But my real abiding place is still my
secret. believe.
''Now I want to tell you of new
direction their activities have taken
about three weeks ago in the
& flock of begging letters that assail
me every day there was one which
caught my attention. 1t plrported
to be from a young girl struggling
to make her way in New York as a
visiting stenographer, and asked me
If / could give her occasional work
An affecting note of simplicity SEEM
ed to distinguish it from the usual
type of such. letters why shouldn't
even Silas sGyde do a good act" l
asked myself, and sent for her to
come to the public writing room of
the hotel.
'.Previous to that had been die
tating to public stengraphers wher-
ever l happened to drop in. They
didn't know me of course, and thus
my business secrets were safeguard
ed. So you see it was at somewhat
of a sacrifice that l engaged my
pretty petitioner.
"She was extremely pretty, and
seemingly well-bred. Her modest
manner carried out the promise of
her letter. Perhaps l am not suf-
ficiently experienced with the sex. No
man ever fooled me for long. For
two weeks she came every day that
needed her. She was not a very
expert stenographer but filled my
simple demands. I noticed on her
part willingness to enter into more
personal relations with her employer,
but | didn't blame her for that poor
girl hundred millions I supposed
was enough to sugar even such an
old pill as Silas Clyde.
But q week ago in amongst the
bundle OF completed letters she left
with me, had been slipped by chance
the page, Of q letter she had been
writing on her own account. The be-
ginning was missing but the piece 1
had was sufficiently significant. l
will paste 1t below"
The inserted typewriter page read
e follows:
5 where the old man sleeps. You
say you are sure he doesn't occupy
his bed in the Madagascar, but I |
haven't been able to find out any,
thing to the contrary. Apparently
be comes down from his room to give !
me dictation. He never has me up
there, tho have complained about |
the noise down stairs, etc. l got in |
touch with the chambermaid that
does up his room as you suggested. |
She doesn't suspect that the bed is
not slept in every night. I understood
that she has to make 1T up in the
mornings. like all the other beds So
I think you are mistaken in saying
that suite is blind. Give me a
little more time and I will make
sure thru one of the clerks with
whom am friendly If S. G.. hasNan-
other suite somewhere in the hotel |
M. c.
II Silas Gyde's ms. resumed:
"When my young lady came the
following day l observed certain
anxiety in her glance. Evidently she
was not sure where she had lost that
ha
creetIy. / was careful to show her |