Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1891 — DOUBLE DICK AND JOE; The Poorhouse Waifs. [ARTICLE]

DOUBLE DICK AND JOE; The Poorhouse Waifs.

BY DAVID LOWRY.

CHAPTER XXV—Continued. He held out a paper which a police man scanned closely, saying as he passed it to Monsieur Dufaur, who in his turn passed it to the clown, “Why, it is dated to-day.” “Yes—we were married this night—here is the notary who married us." The notary bowed assent, and Madame Dufaur again exclaimed in her native tongue, as she held her hands up depreciatingly, “It is impossible—it cannot be!” “Is it true, toll me?” said Monsieur Dufaur, turning to Joe. “It is false; ho wanted me to marry him. He said Mr. Caper and Mr. Wonder here, who paid them to bring me hero ” “Who said that? Who said it?" Job could not restrain his temper. His face grew red as he turned to Joe. “Ho told me you planned it all—and Mr. Caper was to pretend you didn't. He said it. And he said you and Mr. Caper would take me no matter where I went —by law —that the only way to keep from going to Barnesville Poorhouse was to marry him.” “You thievin’—you lying—you ornary raskall!” shouted Job, making a rush for Ike, but an officer interposed. “You will have to settle this some where else. Don’t fret, old man. You’ve a clear caso against this young man, by the looks of things. ” • “I've given you all warning—I’ll sue you for false imprisonment—and for alienating my wife’s affections,” shouted Jonns desperately, as the officers proceeded to handcuff him with the notary. “Yes,” said the notary, who, influenced by Jenks, hoped to swear himself out of the difficulty. It was two to one, ho argued, until Dick spoke up. Dick waited until the notary ended his threat in those words: “Yes. gentlemen you are making trouble for yourselves—all of you. I’ll prosecute you if it costs me my last penny.” “No, you won't, ” exclaimed Dick. “I heard that man there plan the whole thing: he was talking to these two men here,” and Dick indicated two ruffians near him who wore handcuffed together. “I heard them plan to protend to let in the notary as a friend —and Jon couldn’t have married him after getting my note. ” “What note?” demanded Jonks, savagely. Joe quickly produced the bit of paper, and Ben Brown read it aloud. As he finished reading it, tho ruffian next to Dick blurted out angrily: “Blast it all! That’s tho bootblack that was in hero a while ago that you wouldn’t let me kick out We may as well own up, Jenks; the game’s up, so far as I am concerned.” “That's right,” said Job Wonder, dryly. “You may as well own up, ’sposhally as wo’ve ’bout got all we. want to know without you ” Then the policemen proceeded with their prisoners to the station, and closed up tne vile den, after providing lodgings for its denizens.

CHAPTER XXVI.

UNCLE AND NEI*HEW—DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND. It will bo necessary, to explain events in their order, to roturn to the morning of the day on which Joe fell into the hands of Ike Jenks’ accomplices. Jeremiah Jenks was not inclined to pin much faith on his nephew. Certain sigKJ manner, when there was no excuse or reason for “preoccupation” to borrow one of Jeremiah Jenks’ ideas; his whistling, very low, to bo sure, but yet it was a clear whistle—caused his uncle to observe more narrowly his nephew’s movements. As Ike was whistling softly to himself in the back room, Jeremiah Jenks sat biting his finger nails. Then he rose softly, and looked in at his hopeful nophew. Ike’s hand was tracing certain “whereases” and “bo it covenanted” upon a clean sheet of legal-cap paper. The nephow did not dream liis uncle was looking at him. ilo had just returned, made his report concerning the girl, Joe, at Monsieur Dafaur's, and was congratulating liirosolf upon his success. Jeremiah looked at the young man steadily, then returned to his desk, and stood beside it thinking. Suddenly a smile—a wicked smile—lit up his face. As his faeo was not a prepossessing one at any time, the expression just now was devili-h. Jeremiah Jenks put out a hand quickly, opened a drawer, and the noxt moment his head was bent over a package of letters. As he placed his hand on the packago, he started and turned pale He ■put down the package, and bit his finger nails nervously. Then he turned tne packago over in his hand—remarking tho tape around it closely—then with trembling hands he untied it and was soon engaged handling, one by one, tho letters tho package contained. Then he rose. Ills face was pale—his eyes glittering with suppressed emotion. He walked up and down his office several times, shaking his hand at the back room angrily. Then ho reseated himself. Still Ike whist ed to h.mself softly—very softly. “Ike!”

Why did Ike jump? He did jump. There was something in his uncle’s voice that made him leap from his seat. The whistle was cut right off. Ike's mouth, still puckered, gradually opened wider a« he listened and looked askance at the office door. “Yes, sir; coming.” Then Ike’s head was bent, and his hand was up to his head. “He's found me out! Certain, sure! Well, who cares? I’ll make a fight for it and see who's ahead. ” He entered the office and stood waiting. His uncle eyed him steadily, coldly. The nephow did not flinch. His uncle tapped his desk. “.Somebody has been in my desk.” Ho did not answer. He took out a penknife and began to clean his fingernails. “Look at me ” Ike looked at him. “Why don't you speak?” “You are speaking. ” “Was it you?” “I don't need to criminate myself; nobody but a fool would do that ” Ike smiled serenely; his ancle bit his nails, and thought quickly. “No; nobody but a fool would. Ike, you R%ve been looking over my private papers. ” Ike smiled. “You have opened a package of letters. ” Still Ike smiled in his uncle’s face. " “I see you have. Well, now, what did yo* learn? All you have learned is not worth that” (Jeremiah snapped his fingers) “to you!” “Then why are you making so much talk about it?” » “Because you have betrayed me—•baaed my confidence."

“Humph. Yoq never betrayed any one. You never abused any one’s confidence. Oh, no!” Ike’s sneering smile more than his words made his uncle furious. He sprang to his feet and advanced. “Hold on, Nuncke, none o’ that. Just you keep your hands off me. I won’t have It” Jeremiah Jenks stood aghast. “You—you villain) You ingrate! You hound! You—you ” “Take time. You can’t do justice to It in a heat,” said Ike, seating himself leisurely. “What in *he devil’s name do you mean?” Jeremiah shrieked, shaking his clenched hands at his nephew. “Now see here. I did read the letters, but I wouldn't if you hadn’t excited my suspicions. You tempted me.” “How—how did I tempt you?” “Why, you were so awful mysterious when Mrs. Howson called, I couldn’t help noticing it Then you gave yourself dead away, Nuncke. “Gave myself away!" “Dead away, Nuncke, thq way you showed her to her carriage. If it was Queen Victoria you couldn’t been more particular. Of course I noticed It. Then when you had me tell you all about the girl, don’t you think I wondered. Lord! How stupid you are, Nuncke!” “Am I? We’ll see." “That’s what I’m coming to. Just what I’m getting at. Of course, I put on my studying cap. I says to myself, hello! Something's up. Something uncommon. Nuncke ain’t wasting no time on that old woman. An’ this here girl—she’s worth money to him someway or ho wouldn't have me keep her in sight so long and no move made—only just finding out who she lived with and how she was treated—such things as that. I says—what’s Nuncke’s little game? And what happened then? Why, I found them letters. Just all by accident—or maybe it was Providence put 'em right in my hands ” “O—o! groaned Jeremiah, “providence —providence! I’ll providence you, Ike.” “I don’t think you will. Not when you know it all. You’ll not say a word, Nuncke. You’ll just do like Crockett’s coon—come right down. ” “Go on! Go on, you scoundrel!” “Yes—l am a scoundrel. Yes —that's so. But I'm not half as big a scoundrel as you are, Nuncke. What made you keep Mrs. Howson ignorant of the whereabouts of her granddaughter? Eh?” “How do you know I did?” “How? How? Why—l heard you tell her—l heard you putting her off with lies, until that morning she said she would put it in another lawyer’s hands—and then —then what did you say?” Jeremiah'Jenks did not answer. He was dumb with rage. “You said, ‘Very well, Mrs. Howson. I will gladly retire, and shall take pleasure in giving all the aid in my power to whomever you select’ Then you called me in, and asked me a lot of no-account questions, and when I went out —I held the door open—l was bound to get at the truth that day. Why, you discovered all at once the girl was in the city —was seen in the city only the day before. Then she got mollified like—let up on you—gave you another trial and a hundred dollars! A hundred dollars!” “You lie. ” “You lie, Nunclco.” “How do you know what she gave me?”

“I opened the door. Your backs were turned, and I saw you turn up five twenty-dollar bills —ah! am I lying? And she said, ‘That makes five hundred dollars I’ve given you, Mr. Jenks.’ ” Jeremiah groaned, “O! you may groan. You ought to. Five hundred dollars for a job many another man would have been glad to do for five or ten. What trouble was there? Didn’t I do all the work? Who found the girl? Wasn’t it me? And what was you keeping her living place hid from the old women for—eh? What was you doing it for—eh? Toll me that.” Now Jeremiah Jenks smiled craftily. He looked wickedly at his nephew and said, very deliberately: “You would like to know. Find out. You’d best do it soon. Because you’re game’s played, young man. You’ve talked too much. My turn is coming. Now”—he rose, and threatened Ike with look and hand—“go! go at once —and never let me see you again—go!” Ike laughed in his uncle’s face. “Do I look frightened. Not much. See here, Nuncke—l’ve got ready for this ” “What do you mean?” “Why—l know all about it.” “What do you know?” “I know you’ve been milking two cows. ” “Milking ” “Yes—yes, yes. Now you sit down. Best get yourself a glass of wator, because like as not you’ll faint when I’m done. ” Jeremiah Jenks could only glare at his nephew,who very coolly tapped his head. “It ain’t a great head —no? Never said it was, did I? Did I, Nuncke? But it s level—perfectly level. Now, I’ll just open out. Why, the girl's worth two millions cash. Two millions. She’ll get that from Mrs. Howson, who ain’t Mrs. Howson, by a long shot. Well, who’s she, then? Why, sho’o Laly Howson—or not Howson —that’s the family name—Lady Morford. And that’s the name on the top of her letters, and it’s the Morford crest You don’t think I’m so awful green I don’t know who to go to to find out all about the English aristocracy, even if there wasn’t a book in the next block telling all I wanted to know. That old woman you’re so attentive to is Lady Morford. ” “You’ve sa d that twice. ” “Well, I’ll say it again, because it does me good to say it. Has a sort of rich, swelling sound. And the girl is her granddaughter. ” “I’m glad you've found out,” said Jeremiah, with a sneering laugh. “Yon think so—you're almost sure of it. Ail you want to make dead sure is—” “Well, what?” Jeremiah Jenks forgot himself. He leaned forward anxiously. “Why, the name of the girl’s mother when she went to the poorhonse in Barnesville. If the girl isn’t found, then the money and land goes to a nephew—a rich nephew of Lady Morford’s, who don’t speak to her. They’ve not spoken for years; and she hates him. because she’s found out he was the fellow that introduced her daughter to the man who ran away with her. Good enough, ain’t it? Ain’t I right, Nuncke?” “Go on, go on—l am listening. ” “They want 10 find the name, and they want to find the name of the doctor in New York—is this very city, mind you—who was with her mother and attended her two years, and afterward accidentally saw her, and talked with her in Barnesville Poorhouse. ” “Curse you! You’ve rummaged all my letters!” shouted Jenks. “Of course, Nuncke, of course. You'd have done the sa:: ein my place. I read all you wrote to Mr. Israel Heber. ” “Gh-h h!” Jeremiah Jenks groaned in mental anguish. “If I could kill you I’d do it.” “Yes: but you're afraid of hanging, Nuncke. and so you won’t kill me. I read all you wrote to Mr. Heber. Nuncke, you’ve had a good pull at this thing. All you’re sorry for is that you didn’t get a few hundreds from Joto Wonder; but the countryman sired you right up—ho did for a fact, Nuncke—sized you right up, and sat down on you. I’m workin' the o.d man now. ” “You!” “Why, bless your soul—l’m working

this for sTI it’s worth. I’m keeping a little surprise back for you—you’ll read it in the paper some day soon. I’m only telling you what will Interest you, Nuncke—make you’re mind easy on the sure thing, that the jig’s up with you.” “You are talking too much again.” “Am I? Well, maybe I am. I’ve learned that Israel Heber paid you five hundred dollars to keep your mouth shut —when you hadn't anything to tell him. He thought you told the truth when you said you would inform Joe's relatives where she was —where they could put their hands on—and at that particular time, Nuncke, you didn’t know, because I read an advertisement in the paper—and answered It, and went to the place you said to address —and you—you come and got the letters marked M. M. You was M. M.” “Ike—you’ll be hanged some day, you will.” ' “Will I? Well, the devil will get you without hanging. I found where Dufaur's was for you—you were very anxious to see the girls there —and you seen Joe—you were pretty sure of her long before I found positively. You got money from Heber and Lady Morford, and was going for Wonder. ” “Yes—you’ll come to a bad end, Ike— I see It plainly. ” “And you are sprouting angel’s wings. Well—now, I’ve found out all about Joe's mother’s name—and she is Lady Morford’s heir, and I am going to have some of that pi e of money, you bet.”« “You’d best get it quickly then—for I’ll telegraph Heber the truth, and I’ll call upon Lady Morford inside of an hour—less time. ” Jeremiah Jenks put his hat on as he spoke. Ike coolly stood at the door, with his hat twirling in his hand, and his cane swinging “I’m afraid—just a leetle afraid—you’re too late, Nuncke. However —byby, old man! Ta-ta— I’ll give you all a surprise, Nuncke—ta-ta.” And Ike. after setting his hat on his head jauntily, disappeared. Jeremiah Jenks looked after him with a devilish smile; then he, too, went out and looked for a cab. [to be continued. 1