The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-02-13

look; obviously nothing had been
changed here for long time.
The two brothers who here await
ed Richard Wayne seemed to have
been bred and raised by the New
England furniture. Both were older
than Richard, and when he looked
at them he was sometimes happy to
remember that they were only his
half-brothers, after all.
1T does seem to me, Dick" Err
nest Wayne said fretfully, 'that you
would show a little interest in what
is happening here" Ernest, tall and
thin, did not look entirely well; he
wore gold-rinmed glasses, which
did not seem to be strong enough
for his purpose, and when kept up
late he developed peaked look.
Dick sighed and sat down. IF I
weren't interested / wouldn't be in
Honolulu at ALL" he said. "Now,
please try not to get all excited.
will your"
"You don't realize the seriousness
of the situation, Dick" Willard said
heavily, without heat. ''This thing
is critical in the extreme-perhaps
even desperate. Uncle Jim can't
seem to understand that he is not
invulnerable. He has delayed, and
delayed"
Gas I understand it from your let
ters," he said now, 'the complaint
| is that when our mutual father
bought the island of Alakoa from
Garrett Waterson he practically
cheated the old boy out Of his eye
teeth-is that the story?"
Father was an Industrious and
intelligent man." Ernest Wayne said
with annoyance.
"Do you know anything much
about the original swindle?"
81 object to your Tone" Willard
Wayne said; and Dick was aston
| ished by the vigor of his brothers
resentment. "Garrett Waterson was
a disreputable old pirate. He was
waster and Spectator Of the
worst enthusiastically typical of
! certain kind of riffraf which trou-
| bled the Islands in the early days.
| If father saw values in Alakoa that
Waterson did not, that certainly was
| Waterson's lookout. But now comes
this girl, this grasping, piratical lit
] tie adventures, intent on Selling not
only the whole of Alakoa, but all the
development which has cost Uncle
Jim the best years of his life, and"
"Have you checked the identity of
this girl?" Dick interrupted.
"She's Garrett Waterson's grand
daughter, all right" Willard said.
"Well brought up?"
''The family has no distinction
whatever. The girl has been work.
ing as a stenographer. Her relation
ship to the island of Alakoa proba-
bly, would never have occurred to
her as offering any possibilities, if
| it had not been for this John Colt"
"And who is this John Colt?"
"John Colt is thirty-six years old
and was born in New York. He is
one of the predatory spectators
who came to light in the boom days
Of the late twepties. He acquired
considerable fortune through water
developments in California. In 1882
his stock-juggling activities were in
vestigated, but without success"
"You seem to have snootled
around to very good effect" Tonga
Dick complimented them.
"And now" Willard concluded,
"Karen Waterson, through her at
torneys, and undoubtedly acting on
the advice and direction Of John Colt
is bringing suit, on the complaint
that her grandfather's sale of Ala
koa was illegal-that Garrett Water
son, at the time of the sale, was
mentally incompetent. That shows
you the girls unscrupulous type
she is willing to discredit her own
grandfather-pro him to have
been virtually insane-to gain adj
vantage for herself"
Same old story" Tonga Dick
murmured. ''But not so easy, in
the case Of Garrett Waterson,
should think"
willard Wayne exploded. 81 tell
you it Is easyi Unless we find a
way out, it is most certainly going
to be donel This is what comes Of
dealing with irresponsibles Of Gar
rett Waterson's type. Evidence can
be brought In to show that Garrett
Waterson was not only totally ire
sponsible, but eccentric in the ex-
treme. / myself am convinced he
was more or less deranged. Let
me remind you that we've had hum
| dreds Of such cases in the Islands
mostly successful"
ITO BE CONTINUEDj