Who's Who?

4 COPVRIOH ■ iaW BV TOEArtío (Continued.) l'íe f act, the storm vouïü soon "break oñ niy he;id. Deprived of every dollar in the world, shorn of my miracnious strength and in a position where it looked impossible to deny that I was Harold Westcott, my doorn would be as hopeless as that of Torn Discoe or Jake Hnke. Such was my reasoning, Dut how prone we inortals are cc go astrayi ! was uot witü;u 4 iJuousaud rnilcs of the truth My refiecr.cn? were not óf a píoasam nature II lookect as :f ! had walked inte every trap set for me and was deprived of "every chance of escape. "At any rate ne bas written a Mis3 Lawrence and made everythmg clear to ner 6c r.ereafter ! must avoid her." The temptanon was strong to write te Harold. caking him severely to task, witb the threat that if hedid not do my bidding I would exposé him at all costs. Great as would be the scandal, never - theless I couid couvmee him it was possible for me, through au appeai to my college mates and the friends of my boynood, to establish my identity. "However. I will wait uutil ais letter arrivés. " It was uow noon, and I started down town. At precisely flie same minute that I entered the broker's office on the preceding day I stepped across the threshold again to learn my Snancial fate. I quickly learned it. CHAPTER XIX. A RKVELATION'. With the same bland smile that he had greeted me on the preceding day The broker carue forward and extended bis hand. No doubt the headsmau becomes so accustomed to his ghastly bnsi ness that he eau thus welcome his vic tims. "Mr. Westcott. have yon ever specu lated h: Wal! Street before?" "Kever. " "Ivor in any kind of stocks?" "In none whatever. " "Will you promise to follow my ad Vice?" "That's asking a good deal, bnt 1 think it is safe to give you my pledge. ' "Never risk auother dollar as you did yesterday. :' "You have my promise to that ef fect. " And I added mentally, "It isa safe pledge to make, since I shall uever be able to break it. " "Yon are a young man, and I have seeu so many ruiued by doing as you did that my heart goes out iu sympathy for them. Well, since you wisb to close the account, I wijj give you the balance du e you. " "Then I have somethiug?" I askec in surprise. "Yes. I will write our check." He went back to his desk at the other end of the room within the railing, consulted for a few minutes with hih bookkeeper. signed a check which was torn trom a book and then carne forward with the blaud smile .which had never left his countenance. Could I believe my eyes? That bit of paper was an order for the Astor bank to pay me $126,000, with some extra cents added. "I judge you hardly expected that," he remarked, with the beaming smile slightly broader. "I should say not. I didn't expect anything. " "It would liardly have ben ;;? bad as that. but once in sevcral thousand times a man hke you hits it. You weut blind. which is the reasou Had you spent severa! months iijruring out how to make a strike, you wcrald have had ouly a few huudreds raming to you. Allsw mi to congratúlate you and don 't forget your promise. " He extended his hand, which I took in a dazed way and then passed out on the street. Within the sanie iiour the check was deposited in the Astor bank up town, which, I may say, was not the oue where Harold Westcótt kept his account. "It will prevent future mistakes, " I said, recalling the error in his statement to me regarding his balance. "We can't be too careful of such things. " On the sixth day i'ollowing the expected letter arrived from Harold. It was lengthy and left nothingto be told: Deab Sik- I liave concluded to make a clean treast of everytbingfi Since your telegram slicwed that you knew of Miss Lawrence's retiirn to NewYork it is probable that you have met her. At ieast jou learued tlvt óS -i I were rngagt-d iñ raïrrïnge'ïó éacfi óther. This is a deiiced unpleasant fact when I inferm yoü ihat I am alrcady a xnarried n:an. roe folks wil) condemn me and say 1 havo not dono the right thing. Perhaps it isn't exBCtly fair, bilt I swear to yon that I had no intentiou of wronging her. When I asked lier hand in marriage and s!ip accepted it, there was never a poir devil deeper in ïove than I. The -vrong tliinp; done by Jeaiiette was to leave me and go to Europe for an extended tour. Sbe must have known that I conldn't exist without female society, and that if slip doprived me of the pleasure ;f her sweet presenee I had the right to looi; elsewhere. Wel], J looked elsewbere and wcs not long in finding my divinity. lt was bohind the footlights at the Olympia. Divine, entrancingi rav lshiDg, irresistible ás she was, I learned for the 1 lirst time the meaning of leve- true, honest, genuine love. Still 1 was'n't sure it wonld last, ?o I didn't write anytliin; t'; Jeanette about it. Give me credit for not wishing to wuund her teelings. Did it last? It grew more intense as the days and week3 passed until 1 eould net exist out of her presence. Ye gods, but those divlnities are expensive! 1 daren't teil you how much 1 spent on her dur mg the threc months of wooing. But at last she consentec. :o become mywife, and we were narried I h-l been marcled several weeks when I met ycu on the avenue. That wbich I was nguring on was as to how J should straightec matter with Jeanette. I was stil! ñguring at it when tate brought yon and me together. Then a seheme fiashed upon me Vou won 't deny my clcyerr.es? -:en you cemt ío v.nderstand it beaut:es I woulri po ahroaa with ::iy charmer wc.ild hunt up Jeanette ano introduce my wife to her Of CQUrse there would be a scream and likely enough a faint. But lt would be all over in a few minutes. Then, too. Jeanette ecuid not help adnnnng the choleo I had made ïro would you if you couid meet her. I hope that pleasure may be yours aome day But that isn't :ny scheme. Smce you are ti the ground and to all intente and purposes are myself why not take my place as the engageri lover of Jeanette? It may startle 3011, bnt I beg you to think of it. rihe is a real good girl, and if you are not taken at first with lier you wil] soon grow to like her. She is rich, which reminda me 1 made a little mistakc when I told you the size of the balance in bank to your credit It's just half the smu I pvomised. The expenses. of my hutnming bird have campelled me to wiihdruw all my property t'rom your 'side :if the Atlantic and to invest it liefs in the Old Lady of Threadn edle Street. I hope thert' is enongh to last my charmer, thougb she is getting away with a ood deal more than I expeeted. As far Huke and Diseoe, 1 intended to suggest that their matter was worth your attention. 1 really thought Beriously of goingin with them, for the prospect is pood. I meant to reoommend it to you, but sinco they seem to have made a miss of it of course that is out of the question. I must speak of another matter- the amount which I agreed to give jou for taking the character of Harold in place of Harmon Westcott. I named (50,000 as the right year's salary, but that is like me - always too generous. Have you reflected tliat it equais the pay of the president of the United States? I aru surprised that you agreed to accept :t without protest, and vet I dor. 't blame you. It isn't oftra a fellow (ets such a soft snap. Ho I've changed my mind and decided to make it one-half the sum. That surely will be good wages for a mighty easy job. !Now, don 't attempt to Lecture me. I faucy you will be grateful for the bandsome bonus that is yours, but will feel like scolding me as to Miss Lawrence. But none of that, Hal, as thou lovest me. I have decided, too, to leave to yon the tas); of explaining matters to my former fiancee. It would be deuceri awkward for me to write to her, for I havent done so since leaving Hgw York. I shail remain here, as I told you, for somt time to oome. Sincc you have been so lucky in disposing of the Diseoe and Huko business 1 1 foncy it would have been luclrier had yira fallen in with them) it may relieve you to know that there are no more snags in your pat-h. All now is clear sailing, and with best wishes I am Walcott. It was some minutes before I couid master my emotious snfficieutly to reasou over the unpreceUented state of affairs. My first impulsr was ro seud bim every dollar in my possession, and I actually set out to do so, but comraou sense iiatervencd. "Yesterday aud today down to the moment I reccivcd this letter the $25,000 was as much uine as is the snit of clothes I am wearing, but not a cent belongs to me now, for to keep it would be to accept the wages of sin. Since the principal belonged to me yesterday and today does not, the aecretions already made are wholly mine. Through provideuce and the good judgment of my brokers my fortune was quadrupled. From the gross amouut I will dednet the 0,000, plus the small sum he turned over to uit1 before lus depaxtnie, and send U to liira. The resr belougs to me I was impatient to earry out my decisiou No doubt, now that Harold had a spendthrift wife 0:1 lus hands, he would be r!ad tö receij'e the money, and any iudiguant comment Ichoseto make would be thrown away. A bil' of exchange for the exact sum was purchased, placed in an envelope and directed to H. O. SValcott, Berkeley House, London. The hardest thiug to do was to restraiu myself from giviut; rein to my eouuniing indignation I did write a letter, áttch as would have blistered the hide of a rhinoceros. bat after reading n over twisted it up and held a lighted match to the corner until it was ashes. "He would cali it adeucedgood joke. He would show it to the womsa with him, and she, too, would laugh at the absurdity of it. They shali not have that consolatiou, " yo when the missive reached Harold he found withiu the envelope a draft for the amount named. There was nol a single word. He would understand ie. There ax'e some occasions where silonci is a thousaudfold more expressive thau speech. That disgustiug business off my hands, 1 lost no time in leavingthe apartments which he had occupied so long. I couid no nioxe breathe and exist in them than (To be continued).