The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-01-22

Of course l snail De Of age in another month and master of my in- heritance from my own father; but Drew wouldn't wait. The notes were long overdue: and he was pressing me and threatening until I was almo osr crazy.''
 Only another month? Ode1rs thoughts were far afield. Mrs Lorne had refused to sign away her rights to certain property, and she had died; of his estate, and he also had perish ed. Gene would be of age in four short weeks; and it was obvious that he, too. W>I;d want control of his all but crushed out his life when 1t fe11i All this capital had been in- trusted to Richard Lorne's- keeping. < With an effort the detective matter in hand. Why couldn't Drew wait one month more ?'
 q didn't know then. He always seemed prosperous, though I fancied he was sailing pretty close to the wind himself. I hadn't the faintest idea of his real motive. I owed him all told about s12.oo0; but he said he would return all my notes and call it square if I would get $10.000 for him then and he told me how it could be done"
 When was this MT. Chalmers?''
 ADOul SlA "cShS dSo llSSoiA tell you what a rotter I felt forging my mothers name: but I knew she would save me from exposure if the worst came to the worst even though she had agreed with my Stepfather not to let me have another cent; and I could pay her back as soon as came into my own money. Of course, didn't dream. then what was conn., ing; and she died without ever know ing what had done.
 ''I made the check out to myself, indorsed it and gave it to Farley Drew; and he returned all my notes. But when dad and old Titheredge were settling up her estate after her death, the check didn't come back from the bank with those my mother herself had drawn. I didn't know what to make of it. and was in a blue funk for fear the people at the bank had discovered the forgery and were Investigating it quietly I went to time learned the sort of man he was and how I had put myself in his power"
 Sergeant, he was in no such need of ready money as I had imagined; he had not cashed that check, nor had he ever intended to do so.
 'fHe was going to hold it over my head, and when I came into my own | money bleed me of every cent! l didn't grasp all that at first; it came to me gradually later. He said he had not cashed the check himself, I-but had given it to someone else, and that it had gone through the bank all right, and there must have been some mistake about it's not having been re- turned with the others. I would have believed him, but just then he sprung his real game on me
 ''He had paid my debts for me, ac- cepted my notes and held them | when they were long overdue with l out making any trouble for me, and i now in common decency I must help 1 him out; that was the way he put 1t, | but I was on in minute and saw the | trap I had walked into.
 "He was in immediate need of five thousand more, must have 1t by the l 9th of the month, and I must get it | for him as I had the ten thousand. | honor her check if l made it out I carefully enough to pass muster. I
 could indorse it over. not to Drew, l but to a friend of his who runs a private card club, and who would
 stand in with us to the extent of
 presenting it to Itftheredge for pay
 ment, and would then turn the money
 over to Drew for a liberal commis-
 sion. This man was not to know
 that the check was a forgery, of | course He was to be told that owed
 the money to Drew and that my mother had agreed to lend me the
 required sum until I came of age;
 that I did not want my family to
 know I had borrowed any more
 money from Drew; so he was to say that it was a gambling debt which ]
 owed to him and to threaten exposure
 if it were not paid
 This was the brilliant plan which Farley Drew had concocted for his
 first levy of blackmai1 upon me, ser.
 geant but it didn't work I was 9
 er6 md f0 steal from
 my own mother when she was alive
 even though I could return it so soon but with her dead and her body sccarcely cold in the grave T.,
 couldn't! I defied him and he saw
 he had gone too far, but he has beer
 sta1ling along ever since.
 That last meeting was the end.
 told him that knew his game ant : he could go as far as he liked; ht l would never get another penny out O
 me by fair means or foul; and if ht intended to use that check to expos' } me I would anticipate him. I swort ) I would go to dad and old Titheredg ? and tell them the truth. and the.
 could do what they wanted to w1tl r me: at least I would be out of hi clutches. I suppose he means to sel them that check for about five time l it's face value, but don't care if the, = refuse! I don't care if the who'll = world knows, for it couldn't condeml me ha1 as D1CteIlv l Coi1dCiiil y myself" Genes voice broke sud
 denly and he buried his face in hi r hands ."Oh, if my mother only. un
 derstands and forgives!' 3 Odel1 waited until the young man
 emotion had spent itself and then h ] asked gently:
 ] Have you told your stepfather? :? t 'tNot yet. He's been mighty squar
 and patient with me; and I canno 0 forget how he loved my mother. Nov r that he is injured and grief-str1cker 6 and has all this hideous affair on hi
 hands besides, I can't bear to add t = his suffering by having him kno7 f that there is criminal in the family = Don't think that I am trying t s hedge. sergeant Gene added. '' }, am only too anxious to get the burde i of what I've done off my shoulders l. but-but it seems like hitting ma n when he is down to go to him wit e such a confusion now"
 f 'HThen if you will accept a word c 't advice, if I were you I would go y Mr, Titheredge, and tell him every