Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-12-24


/ family of unblemiShed lineage
But a mere change of clothes and
condition does NOT penetrate fur he
/ low the surface A Silken gown can
not alter the currents of a shoddy
/ soul, and while externally the spurious
/ heir was all f. F. Y. internally he was
negro. After a few years. never hav-
/ ing discovered the deception praciiced
I upon him by RoXana. rarcy Driscoll
died, pennileSs. but his brother. the
+ judge, his prayer for children of his
I own denied, adopted the supposititiouS
Tom, and made the boy his heir He
/ sent him to college. He gave him ev-
/ cry advantage that an affectionate
/ father could have given a boy of his
/ own, but the raw material which was
/ the real Tom was poor, and the soil
unfruitfui. The boy acquired a taste
/ for dissipation for which the simple
1 life Of DawSon's Landing offered no
! Arrangements. He plunged into the
/ gay whirl of st. Louis. garnering Moth
/ ing but disgraceful gambling debts.
I
abused the real heir now become his
slave, and acquired a profound detes-
/ tation for his ancient nurse, Roxana,
! of whose real relation to him he was
unaware, until goaded TO intense re-
! sentiment by his contemptuouS and
brutal treatment, she acquainted him
with the terrible facts of his birth
and ancestry, and demanded that he
treat her as a mother on penalty of
exposure.
The revelation Frustrated the i'm.
poster for a brief period. hut failed to
spur him on TO better behavior He
went from bad to worse. STOPPING even
to HOUSEKEEPING in order 10 obtain
funds TO pay his gambling debts. In
his mothers power, and she not at all
disinclined to blackmail, he was drlv-
en- to all sorts Of expedients to satisfy
/ his own and her demands. But through
It all he managed to maintain an out
ward appearance Of superiority that
enabled him to dazzle his interiors
and deceive his equals The judges
love for the boy blinded him to the
lads evil character. hut once he near
" disinherited him on the score Of
cowardice A pair Of mysterious Ital
| ian twins settled at DawSon's Land
ing, and at a public meeting Ton
having provoked him to action by his
inSolence Luigi the stronger Of the
two had kicked the scion of the
/ House of Driscoll off the stage into the
audience. the stain of which insult {
real 4. Il. V. would have wiped on
upon the field of honor, but for which
the cowardice of Tom found ampl,
satisfaction in the police court which
| proceeding SO outraged the good iudg,
that for the honor Of his family h'
| personally fought duel with the Of
Tending italian, wounding him, an,
thus laying the foundations for mucl
future trouble
Came now the supreme touches Il
the career Of the spurious Tom. To
the payment of newly acquired gam
bling debts. With RoXana's consent
Tom sold his own mother back init
the slavery from which at Drlscoll'
death she had been freed hut in vic
lation of his promises he sold he
down the river" a crime that reacted
upon his unfllial head when the re
sourceful Roxana escaped. and unde
threat of exposure Of his real status
in life, required him 10 indemnify he
new master lest she be apprehendet
and returned to him. Having no Othe
resources Tom resolved upon the rob
berry Of his benefactor, the judge, il
the fulfnment of which venture h
murdered him. his weapon being al
oriental knife of unusual design, whicI
he had stolen from Luigi, the italian
In one of his theft-raids.
The murder Of Judge Driscol
brought great excitement to Dawson
Landing. and the Italian twins narrow
ly escaped Iynching for the crime
The whole community udjudged then
guilty-all but Pudd'nhead Wilson
who volunteered to defend then
in court. a poor reliance since the
were his first and only clients. Blu
Pudd'nhead was unafrald. The eyi
dence against them was most convinc
ing. but
There were fnger-prints upon th
knife handle, and they were not III
. | fnger-prlnts Of the accused
Whose fnger-prints were they?
Tom, secure IN hts sense Of safet
because Of the overwhelming evidenc
against the twins, ventured to taun
Pudd'nhead upon his confidence +
winning his case He entered hi
study. and seating himself at Puddl
heads side while be situated the print
fin his collection he picked up one o
the records.
"Why here's old Roxy's label" b
said contomptuously. "Niggerp paws
eh2 There's 9 line across her thumb
print. Now how comes thatT
Pudduhead taking the glass iron
Toms hand held il Mp to the lamr
The blood sank suddenly ont Of hi
! face. He gazed at the polished sur
/ face with the CLASSY stare Of corpse
The mystery was solved
,r-.,- .t,,r,. t rs-fr,f s.Fr.r9fves clog RI