The Weekly Journal. — 1903-11-06 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 1003.  New Zealand. I was in that service when I met with an acident. I had a quarrel with a nigger boatman and he struck me across the face with • boat-hook, breaking the bridge of my nose and my upper jaw aa well, very nearly. It was a serious injury, and I lay far six weeka in the infirmary, and who should be lying in the same ward but a man who came from England, and from Camberwell, where my uncle was in business. To my surprise he informed me that my uncle had died almost suddenly about a year before.. _ _ _  " This -set me thinking. My uncle, I knew, was rich—worth ten or twelve thousand pounds, at any rate. I had never heard of his having made a will, and if such was the case at the time of his death I was his next of kin. Beside myself he had no living relatives but my two female second cousins, and I should by right be heir to his estate. True, it was supposed that I was long ago dead and buried, but if I could get back to England, it would be easy enough to disprove that. "I was poor, and after I came out of the infirmary it took me several months to save enough to get back to Eugland, but at last I managed it. And now comes the cruellest part of my story. "On arriving in London I went straight to my uncle's house at Camberwell, where one of my second cousins was still living, and made myself known to her. Or rather, I intended to do so, but, taken off her guard, she was beforehand with me. It was she herself who opened the door, and as soon as our eyes met, she exclaimed, ' Why? Good God, Fred—?' "And there she suddenly stopped, and the expression (-a her face changed. • Who is it you want, sir she asked in a constrained tone of voice. _ _  "1 saw how it was. 'Why do you ask?' I replied. 'You know me. You just now acknowledged it. I'm Fred, my late uncle's long-lost nephew. a lie,' she answered.though she did not dare look me in the face while she was speaking. 'As you no doubt know quite well, the young man you speak of has been dead and buried these three years past and more.' "Naturally, I felt angry at such a reception, and insisted on entering the house, but she is a big, strong woman, and thrust me off the step, and banged the door. " I went straight to the other second cousin, and was even less civilly received, for she threatened me with the police, and to lock me lip as an impudent impostor. I was that, she said, or a lunatic, though, all the time I could tell by the expression in her eyes that she recognised me. A pair of unnatural wretches? and for the first time during his narration there was a lunatic gleam in Mr. Faulkner's eyes, "I felt that between them the, would defeat my just claim, and I was furious. I can't remember what I did or said, but at last this preeioto cousin of mine sent for a policeman, and I spent my first night in England in • police cell. - •  '1 was allowed to go at large next morning on my promise that I would not molest the two complainants again, but, of course, I did not keep my promise. I soon ascertained for certain what I had suspected, that they were in possession of all that my uncle had to lease. was helpless, and made known my willingness to come to terms with them, but it Was all of no use.  "With a view to proving my case, I called on several friends and neighboirs of my uncle with whom I was well acquainted before I went away, and though most of them shook their heads, there were two or three who were in my favour, but when the lawyer toy COUsitti had engaged, showed am a photograph of the young man, Frederick Faulkner, that was taken only a few weeks before he disappeared, owing to the damage my face had sustained in my fight with the black boatman, of course my resemblance to it was not so striking as it otherwise would have been, and those I depended on turned against me. " My shameless cousins refused to see me, and returned my letters unopened. I wrote over and over again to their precious lawyer, and he wrote back, threatening me with prosecution if I continued the annoyance, and hinted that I might consider myself lucky if no graver charge than that of attempted imposture was brought against me. it being questionable whether it was not me who had in the first instance, robbed the young fellow I now had the audacity to impersonate, leaving him in such despair that he was driven to commit suicide.  " W MA it not natural that the villainous insinuation ahould make me more furious than ever? I went to the lawyer's office, but be refused to see me, but I did not mean that he should get off like that. It was he who was managing the whole diabolical plot, you understand. Well, I lay in wait for the vagabond as he was walking home one evening, and demanded my rights. Be again threatened me with the police, and I seized him by the throat. He made no outcry, and I thought the expresaion on his face was a grin of derision, and I squeezed him harder. " But I was mistaken. Ile wasn't chuckling, he was choking. When at last • policeman interfered to release him, he fell down sameleas on the pavement. They said I struggled and fought like • maniac. Ha, ha. Very likely. I had that bit of sport for my money, at any rate." . And the unfortunate lawyer! Surely you did not kill him?' Mr. Faulkner looked from me to the Doctor with a mad sly glance ere he replied. "No, Re is alive still. I am 'peaking of what happened a long time ago, remember. and though Tees • roly Vicugs makes me angry for le time. I o longer bear ruff of them any • • • 4 f • vs the la forgive my two ltze .. • r . t all three ooze f ie. t*l. * , •• iis• Deem.,  his teeth closed on his under lip, and he looked vicious.  Doctor D. smiled as he glanced at me mean. ingly. " We will, bear it in mind, Mr. Faulkner,' he remarked. "It is unlikely that the intereNting family reunion will take place yet awhile, at any rate." And leaving Mr. Faulkner anything but reconciled to his lot, we returned to the Doctor a abode.