PAGE 8
SUPMiBMENT NO. 2; THE CITIZEN, FIUDAY, DEO. B, 1011.
! B fiQ.
COPVMGHT 1911 BY AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION-
I WAS one of the Marshall heirs, ex
pecting a fortune and weakly
waiting for tho contest of the
will to bo compromised. Mean
while I was a species of errand Boy
for Oliver Garland, who seemed to bo
some sort of capitalist I never hud
tho faintest comprehension of his busi
ness. I met htm llrst at the Harvard club
ono evening, and we took a fancy to
JSSJAP'
Cr'rVM!kER
CELIA BICINO USUALLY TnE LAST.
each other, though ho was very much
older. That evening, as ho informed
me, was the twentieth anniversary of
his wedding. Ills wife was long In her
grave. In return for this confidence
I told him that 1 had spent all my
money nud muat go to work. Tin
result was that I became his errand
boy, though he treated me llko a friend.
This relation continued for mouths.
Ono day toward the middle of Decem
ber ho told mo n queer tale about hav
Ing sent money to somo poor relations
on tho Blaine coast for a year and n
half. They were his cousin's widow
and her son and daughter. Recently
he had received a letter from the son
which led him to believe that none or
this money had been received, where
upon ho had sent a check tho other
remittances having been In currency- j
ivuiuu uibu puuuiuu io iiu ve Kuue astray
lie showed me the stub marked "fellii
K. Garland, Nov. 27, '07, $250."
I could not understand this story- in
fact, I never expected to understand
any story of his, for he always omit
ted all tho essential particulars but 1
agreed to go to Easterly Harbor and
see what was the matter. It was ar
ranged that on the next day after my
departure he should mall another lettei
In a pink envelope of unusual snap:1
and I should watch for It. I was to
say nothing to anybody and conceal
tlio fact that I camo from him. But at
tho last I was to play Santa Clang for
this family In munificent fashion, for
which purposo he gave mo some checks
signed In blank and a letter to a bank
er named Manning in Belfast, aa old
friend of Garland.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, 1 arrived at
Easterly Harbor and found my way to
tho Garland house, whero It was be
lieved that I could secure, board. I
was, In fact welcomed with the most
charming courtesy.
And here I received" a surprise quite
characteristic of Garland and his er
rands. Tho household consisted of
tho mother, whoso name was Lucy; a
cousin of about her own age, who was
called Aunt Kate; tho boy, Frank, and
tho most beautiful blue eyed, golden
haired girl who ever existed. And she
was Celia!
Surely nobody but Garland would
have failed to tell mo that he had! sent
his benefactions to the daughter and
not the mother and why he had done
so. It was possible, of course, that at
the time when ho began to send the
money Mrs. Garland may havo been
prostrated by her recent bereavement,
In which case Celia would have been
tho natural head of the family, for
Aunt Kate seemed not quite of sound
mind, her great affliction tempered by
God's mercy and her own lovely na
turo Into n gentle, dreamlike detach
ment from the world's realities.
It required no detective skill to dis
cover that this family was In very
narrow circumstances and that Gar
land's remittances had gono astray.
I waited with great Interest, there
fore, for tho test letter, or, rather, for
tho day set for Us arrival. The truth
is that I had no expectation of seeing
It, having mndo up my mind that the
whole Bcrlcs of letters had been stolen
In the Easterly Harbor postofflco.
But tho letter came. I saw Frank
take it from tho box at the postdfflce.
Right at the foot of tho steps he
:mct his sister.
"Nothing for you. sis," said he.
This whs dire. I had not for nn
Instant dreamed of theft by a member
of tho family. What should I do?
After somo hard thinking I decided to
state tho facts to Garland in the mild
est possible maimer, not condemning
the boy unheard, but merely asking
for authority to question him. A re
ply by mall could not bo expected bo-
foro tho fifth day, and meanwhile 1
might observe Frank and try to solvo
the riddle of his1 conduct
Ho seemed a good boy, but some
what secretive and mysterious. Ho
had built n little -house for himself
at the rear edge of the garden, and
though he lacked any direct instruction
In carpentry tho work had a distinct
professional finish. There ho spent
most of his leisure, working with tools
and often making salable articles, but
chiefly occupied with somo invention,
his sister told me.
Frank would admit mo to this house,
but not to its secrets. An end of Its
single room wns always screened off.
I became moro and more firmly con
vinced that tho solution of tho whole
mystery lay behind that screen.
There was no way to get Into tho
little house unobserved In tho daytime,
and at last I resolved upon n burglari
ous midnight entry.
Upon tho evening which I had select
ed for my amateur burglary Celia and
I sat a little later than usual by the
fire, and it was some while past 12
when I crept out of tho Bllent house
and across the back garden and broke
Into Frank's den.
The first object that met my eyo
when I had removed tho screen com
pletely staggered me. It was an up
right piano covered in the usual way
for shipment, but absolutely unmis
takable. A placard was attached, and,
bending forward with my candle, I
read the words, "Celia. from Undo
Oliver."
There were several smaller objects
whose shape did not disclose their
nature, anil I saw that Frank's own
name was upon one of them. The boy
must have played Santa Claus with
his uncle's money. But how had he
managed to buy tho things and -
'I BEAD TUB WORD 'CBLIA.'"
havo them carted to that houso with
out his mother's knowledge?
"May I inquire," said a voice, "what
you are doing here?"
I turned like n flash, and there was
Celia. Bcforo I could answer her she
had seen tho outlines of tho piano.
"What is that," she cried, "and who
uro you? Have you come from Mr.
Garland?"
There was no help for it now. I had
to tell tho story, dealing with Frank's
unbelievable conduct In th most gen
erous and light hearted spirit m
mere freak of youthful folly.
"But theso things can't have cost all
that money!" exclaimed Celia, horrified
and heartbroken. "Ho must have
stolen tho rest."
"Pianos are expensive," sold I, "and
we don't yet know what tho other
things are. Let's have a peep at this,
which seems to bo Intended for your
mother."
It looked llko somo sort of chair,
and so it was tho most dilapidated,
the most pathetic, tho most laughable
wrock of a chair that ever was soon.
A card fastened upon it boro this let
tering: COUSIN LUCY:
GENUINE ANTIQUE. GUARANTEED
BY COUSIN OLIVER.
"That chair has been In our attic for
forty years," said Celia.
I turned to tho piano nnd lifted" an
end. It came up like a balloon. Tho
thing was a framework of wood,
cleverly built and protected by a cover
borrowed from a citizen of tho narbor
who had receutly received a real
piano.
"These merry Jests," said I, "acquit
your brother. If ho had touched that
money he certainly would not Joko
about It."
AVo stood dumb with utter perplexity.
"Tou are sure tho money was sent
to me?" snld Celia at last. "I can't
understand. Oh," she cried suddenly,
"wns it Celia K. Garland?"
"Yes. Isn't that you?"
"No; it's Aunt Kate. Her first name
is Celia. No doubt Mr. Garland used
to call her by that name."
"They were friends in youth,?" I
asked.
"I suppose so," he replied. "Aunt
Kate, of course, was not always as
sho is now."
"She lives In a gentle dream," said
I. "What was It that disturbed her
mind?"
"I never knew," answered Cc'aa,
and after a moment's pause, "Let us
go back to tho house."
Celia lighted tho sitting room lamp
and bade mo wait. Sho was gone only
a few minutes and returned with an
enameled box, which she placed on the
table.
"I took this from her room while sho
slept'1 said she. "Is It right?"
"Yes." said I. "It seems right to
me."
She opened tho box, which contained
only somo trifling keepsakes nnd a
package of letters tied with a faded
blue ribbon. At tho top was the pink
envelope, nt the bottom a letter post
marked more than twenty years ago,
upon the day of Oliver Garland's wed
ding. Tho others had been received
within a year and a half, perhaps a
dozen In all. None had been opened.
It was tho wedding date which
solved tho riddle for me, revealing the
old, long hidden, sad romance. Gar
land had broken this woman's heart
and dethroned her mind. I already
knew that the man had married nn
heiress.
His attempt to make Aunt Kato his
almoner wns a clumsy effort to as
suage his conscience. Upon her side
the gap of years was nothing. She had
laid the new letters with tho old, un
opened. I sat down that night nnd wrote to
Garland the moro facts, without my
explanation. Next day I began the
execution of a counter Joko upon Master
Frank. I went across to Belfast, cashed
ft check, bought n piano and somo other
things as near as possible to the lino
of tho boy's Christmas Jests and had
(hem shipped ncross to mo nt the nar
bor, but not sent to the house. I wrote
nn account of this matter to Garland,
from whom I had had no word.
Tho days slipped by. On Dec. 23
I received notification from tho local
telephone office that somo one wished
to speak with me. It proved to be
Manning, tho Belfast banker.
"That check has como back no good."
said ho.
"For heaven's sake, why?" I de
manded. "It cost mo 518 in telephone tolls to
find out," said he, "but I know now.
Garland has gono to smash and has
skipped. Present whereabouts un
known. I look to you to make good."
"All right" said I. 'Til see you to
morrow." I returned nt once to the houso and
told Cello tho whole truth. Tho girl
was nghast
"They can put you In prison," she
cried.
"No, they can't," said I. "Nobody can
do any tricks with me any more. It Is
my turn. I came hero as Oliver Gar
land's errand boy to help you, and this
Is tho end of It Give mo tho right to
do It in my own proper character. Celia,
If you will put your hand In mine nnd
trust In me if you can do It if your
heart prompts yon I will bo a weak
man no longer. I will fight this world
to Its knees." '
It seemed a long time that wo stood
qulto still, looking Into each other's
eyes. Then I felt her hand In mine.
Tho rest was easy. I saw Manning
next day nnd made him take my note.
I crammed it down bis throat.
Then I went to New York, and for
about a week I raged around among
5.AitfKKER.
"I TOOK THIS FBOM HKB ilDOM.
the Marshall heirs like a mad bull
until they were all so frightened that
they didn't dare to stay alono in the
dark. Then the strongest of us got
together and forced an equitable settle
ment over tho heads of tho lawyers. In
February I returned to Easterly Har
bor a rich man, with a reasonable self
respect under my waistcoat.
Oliver Garland's letters still lie In
the enameled box. So they shall Ho
until Aunt Kate is gone. Then Celia
shall open them, bestow the money In
charity and burn the letters unread
31
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