The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-12-18
CHAPTER XIV

Dawson was not surprised as
Ara related her first meeting with
young John Douglas. but the
young mans connection with Ar
mold Benthorne was stiil mystify-
ing. The detective waited for Ara
to continue.
Let me 60 on from here. dar-
ling" Douglas put in. anxious to
spare her as much as possible of
the ordeal But she refused. ten
derby but firmly.
There are some things I've
never even told you, John. dear.
she said, taking his hand and pull
ing him down to the arm Of her
chair. I've never let You know
how much I hated my father.
You've thought l wanted to find
him because l loved him. And
perhaps YOU wondered that I fell
50 much In love with you, almost
Immediately. I really didn't. I
detested you, because thought
you were related TO my father.
That's why l ran away that first
night"
John laughed at the memory.
You see, Captain Dawson" he ex-
planned, after Ara had promised
to help me search for this man.
she left me standing there after I
told her my name. I couldn't fig
ure IT out. I went back to the
coffee shop the next day, though.
and explained that I was looking
for my uncle, John Douglas"
"And thought your uncle was
my father. | saw a chance to To-
cate him, at last, through you,
possibly to hurt him, by hurting
you. But l never could have,
honey" Her smile revealed the
love that had grown out of her
hate.
Ara and John could find no trace
Of any John Douglas in Salt Lake
City. Then one day, when they
had almost given up hope, John
found a picture of Arnold Ben
thorne in the rotogravure section
of New York newspaper. Ben
thorne and his wife had been
guests at a costume ball, and the
financier had gone dressed as a
miner.
"Benthorne made only few
mistakes" Douglas said, but that
was one-a fatal one :" Daw-
son gave no indication that he had
noticed the word "fatal"-as the
young man continued: II had one
picture of the man 1 was trailing,
an old, faded print. But 1t showed
the man with a beard. Benthorne's
picture was astonishingly similar.
Then Ara had one of the pictures
of her father copied and we
sketched beard on his face. The
result was so perfect we were con-
convinced that Benthorne was our
man.
"You would have thought that
dressing as a miner for a costume
party was the last thing that Ben
thorne would ever have done. I
guess he was so confident that the
past could never bother him, but
he oyerplayed his hand. Perhaps
I'd better explain" he added, not
ing Dawson's unspoken questions.
The real John Douglas was Big
Red, my uncle, as I've already told
you. He was a prospector in the
Yukon, went TO Alaska in the first
gold rush. For years he grubbed
along, making a little strike, al
ways looking for that one great
mine. Then he disappeared into
the unmapped interior.
For years no one heard of him.
The family, my father and the
others, lost track Of him. believed
him dead. That opinion would
have remained unchanged if had
not got a job with the Great
Northern Mining company. after
from college.
In going over some data for a
survey. ! found that a John Doug
las had sold a rich claim TO the
company in Seattle in 1916, long
after my uncle had disappeared.
I told my father about it and he
sent me to Alaska to check on the
sale. II took me over a year to
search out old miners who had
known Big Red personally, and
To check 20-year-old records.
I had one piece Of real luck.