The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-09-25 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

SUMMARY OF OPENING CHAPTERS.  This story opens with a description of Weird Lands,' or as it is more commonly called, Sinclair's Farm,' a steading which, for some not very well-known reason reason-7beyond the fact that most of the terialits of it hi,ve been unfortunate—bears an evil reputation. The occupier at this period is one John Mure, a taciturn DUX, a stranger to that part of the country, and a man who performs most of the domestic work of the house himself, he seeming to have as strong antipathy to women. The season is November, and as his servants are all leaving him he proceeds to the Hiring Fair at Ayr to engage fresh ones. The humours of the farm servants are enlarged on, and in one tavern sitting among them is adissipated-looking young man, of the shabby genteel order, who displays singular excitement OD hearing that John More has a farm in that neighbourhood. Inquiring the way to it leaves the inn hastily. We are next introduced to the home of Mrs. Weir, a blind widow, who resides a few miles from the farm. She has two sons, Walter, a surgeon in Ayr, and Ralph, who is in a merchant's office in Glasgow. Walter is anxious to engage a companion to cheer up his mother in the winter months. A medical friend of his in London strongly urges him to engage a Miss Bernie Hay, a beautiful girl against whom there is only one possible objection— her past is a profound secret. After some consideration he writes and offers her the appoint- I ment. He has just finished the letter when he is called out of his surgery to attend to John More, who has fallen down in a fit in the middle of the street. The old man is so shaken that Walter thinks it necessary to accompany him home. There being no one in the farm, he stays there all night. Struggles and cries disturb him, and when he rushes into the room where the farmer is sleeping, he finds him in the grip of the shabby-looking young fellow whom we saw in the public. house at Ayr. Walter endeavours to secure this midnight intruder, but John More insists that the young man be set at liberty and he implores his deliverer to forget the incident for ever. The scene changes to a notorious billiard room in Argyll-street, Glasgow. Here the shabby young man makes his appearance in the forenoon following the incident at Sinclair's Farm, dirty, tired, covered with clay, and with scratched hands. He falls asleep, and at one o'clock Ralph Weir comes in, rouses him with great anxiety, and demands whether he has "the money." It seems that Ralph has been gambling heavily, and has tampered with his employer's cash on the solemn promise of the shabby young man that he will provide funds with which to replace the stolen money. This disreputable fellow (who calls himself Allan Jones) explains that he has failed to get the money he expected, and Ralph is in despair, fearing detection and consequent ruin. A bookmaker, to whom he owes a. considerable sum, has threatened to inform his employers of his betting transactions, and he is at his wits' end. Allan Jones assures him that he is certain to secure money in three days' time, and that meanwhile he had better go once more to the firm's cash box and settle with the bookmaker, and also get sufficient to meet both their immediate requirements. • Walter Weir and John Mure accidently journey to Glasgow together, the former to see his brother and afterwards to meet Miss HO on her arrival from London, the latter to meet the young scamp Allan Jones, and to give him two hundred pounds, which he (the former) has managed to borrow from his bankers. Few words are exchanged between Allan and the old man; the latter in solemn and significant tones declares it is the last money that he will ever receive from him; that if he comes to him again to extort money with the threat of divulging some fearful secret, he will commit suicide rather than submit to further persecution. Allan, when the old man leaves him, makes a bolt for the street fearful lest Ralph, with whom he has an appointment, and to whom he has promised to give money, should come up. He is just jumping into a hansom cab in Cambridgestreet when he is stopped by Weir and his brother Walter. Ralph has confessed his defalcations to the latter, and also told him all about Allan's share in them. This brings us to