UNKNOWN

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 199, 25 August 1886, Page 3

UNKNOWN

IlliAL'K IKII'AV. Tut. crime which had brought down disgrace on tho head of Oscar Averill won him the contempt of honest wen, Iho displeasure of his family, and led to Grace De'/.cmar breaking troth with him, had boon his financial failure, ;»long with hundreds of others, on that Black Friday which has bocomo celebrated in Wall-street annals. But there weio circumstances connected with his failure which were far more damaging than tho mere money loss. His love-suit with Grace had prosporcd as tiowera prosper in spring. it had peeped abovo tho surface, grown, budded, burst into full bloom, as naturally as violets blow in April sunshine. They had not been six weeks in oach other*) society before they wero ongaged.. Everybody in each family was pleaded and sat islk'd—except Vanco. With tho injustice of eucli a disposition as his, ho chosu to consider that Oscar had steppod in between him and Mise Dalzemar— had made love and proposed to hor to tantalise him— waa going to marry her because he knew that he, Vanco,waa madly in love with hor ! He said that it was a personal injury to himsalf —eatd co until, as often happens in similar cases, ho almost thought so. Oscar did not lovo Grace as lit loved hor! Oscar did not neoc a rich wife, and ho did ! A rich wife was positively necessary to hin existence. He waesubsistingalmost entirely on his brother's bounty, which was lavish to tlio bounds of prudence, but not lavish enough to suit tho reckless extravagance of Vanco. To bo fretted, bating Oscar, because Oscar was too noblo to breathe a word, oven to his sisters, of tho large sums ho was lending Vance ; hating him because he was happy in his betrothal to a boautiful, innocent girl —hating him because he had always "good luck," as Vance sailed it in gambler's phrass. Os:ar guesaed something of his state of mind ; but never dreamed of tho breadth of Vance's feelings. He was too happy to notice Email vexations. The weeks glided on, brightened by Graco's presence, until hor visit to New York came to an end. Oscar escorted hor homo, with Lillio, and had a delightful visit in Boston. Shortly after his roturn both families adjourned to their villas in Newport, whero tho daily intimacy was renewed. The engagement was known to their friends—the wedding was fixed for the week before Ohrietmae, Tho season at Newport ilow swiftly on the wings of love and bliss —a realised dream of youth and hippiness and luxury. Towards its close Oscar became rather importunate for an early wedding-day, saying that he saw no reason for such delay. Why not marry in September as roadily as in December? But it is the privilege o' young women to be wilfnl on such occasions. Grace was as wilful as the most perverse. Sho had beon doing nothing but enjoying tho passing hours during tho indolent summer weather. When sho returned to Boston sho would have to set to work in sober earnest to get up her bridal trousseau. Did Mr Averill suppose such a momentous business could bo accomplished in less than three months ? Being off his bearing in that latitudo, Mr Averilldidnot venture to^express an opinion. But .he made no objection to an early retreat from Newport, in the expectation that his bride-elect would at once begin the important tnsk befors hor. Separation was more endurablo to bo r from tho fact that she was up to her eyoa in tho delicious oxcitement of shopping for a welding -deluged with silks, satins, lacea, shawls, lingerie ; and oh, happiest of girls .' at liberty to buy the most costly and dainty wares which her exquiaito tasto coveted. Averill was not co fortunate as to be thus full/ occupied. He had long thought of going into active butiaess on Wall street and now that he had Vance to support, and was also about to "marrya wife," ho concluded to seek the advice of some elderly friends and begin operating in stocks, gold, or whatever promised fairest, under the wing of some experienced operator. He talked with Vanco about it, in a brotherly way, not thit he prized his advice. " Vance urged him on. " If I had your capital I'd be a second Belmont in less than live years," ha eaid, in hie utual magnificent stylo. "I wish I had gone to work instead of spending my prior little property as I did. Ono has to learn by expßrience ! I thought it would last a life time, my poor, little patrimony ! Don't you make the same mistake. You aro comfortable, Oscar, but you may as well be rich."

Oscar did not expect to rival Belmonfc, but lie would liko to double his money, at least; it would put him moro on a par with his bride-to-bo. So ho bogan to speculate, cautiously, and under advice. In a few weeks he had made several thousand dollars— enough to pay tho wedding expense?, including ro-furniehing hia houso. He enjoyed it. Once or twice ho lost; but generally ho was successful. Vanco kept with him liko his shadow. Ho had no funds with which to speculate but ho wes interested in tho doings of others. Oscar onccuraged him, thinking be might acquire soms business habits, and feeling that it wan at least keeping him from his horeo and his club a portion of the time. In tho days preceding tho fatal Black Friday Oscar became deeply excitod. Vot it was not ho, so much as Vanco, who excited, and who kept urging him on to great and greater risks, Oscar's temperament was calm, his impulses woll governed ; ho would havo kept cool during almost any tumult; but Vance was uncontrollably excited, talking wildly and peevishly, "Bo bold, O.Tcar. You have oily to be bold onough for tho crisis, and the fortunes of tho Averills aro made for over. I wish I had money ! Oscar, now is tho timo to uso little Bonuio's money for his bonolit. Your father expected you to quadruple it boforo tho boy comes of age—you can do it at a jump!" '•I shall not speculate with Bonnie's money, Vance. It is among the pac-ibili-ticß that I might, loso it. I am willing to \hk a good deal of my own, but not his. Don't apeak of it." But Vance continued to harp mi it.'' "You nro doing your littio brothor an injustice in letting such an opportunity oaoapo," V;\s the way he put it. Oscar had been a regular mombor of tlio Exchange for some limo. Knowing that thoro wus to bo a corner in gold, ho bought and bought.nil (ho days preceding lilac); Friday. He bought, paying only thomnrgin of ten per. cent, '.'ii many of his purchafOS : anil onery day gold went up, while instead of buying and .-cliing ouch day. making tho handsome profit of a fow hours' risc,ho hold all that ho got, by Vance's advice, llise.v citoment roeo to fever heat. After being at tho Exehango during regular btieino?s hours, ho woidd go homo and dine, write a lovo-lcttor to Grace, and then hurry down to tlio Fifth Avonue Jlotol, and carry on there, along with a crowd of our city's most 10 poctablo gamblors, tho gnmo of tho day woll into tho night. Vance kopt with him. Ho hud n purpose in urging on Oscar, whose cool temperament could hardly have becomo so fovcrod but for (ho constant fuel which Vanco supplied, But half-wlid a>i ho at lorgth bocamo with tho intensity of tho play, Vanco could not porsuado Oscar to triflo with littio lien's money. " A hundred thousand dollars lying idle, and you too cowardly lo make u?o of it ," encored Vanco. Oscar had also an equal sum of his own, in United Etatss bonds, which ho kopt in v safo, in a vault- underneath his ollico. Ho did not purposo using theao bonds, cither, in his gold transaction.-!. But a« in many CMOS, as wo havo said, ho paid only a margin, ho was enabled to buy a very largo quantity of gold, two or threo millions. When tho government, standing behind ono or two largo banking houses, bogan to irjtorforo with tho speculations, Oscar did not begin to sell, as ho should havo dono, and as ho wished to do. Vnnco said no ! vory decidedly. " Becomo a millionaire whileyou'ro about it, ' was his advico. Thus urged and over excited, Oscar began to loso that clearness of judgment which had been one of his charactcriHtics : at neon of Friday ho was Rtill buying gold. 110 paid 61.."i0 for a good deal. No ono warned him and he ran on. 110 did not, tiko littio Mr S , scream "!?l'6O" When gold had already ennk to 61.40 ho did not go quite insane, but ha began to rotrcat too lato, and when ho got out from under, and was called on io pay for his purchases at a high ligure, and fell out at a low one, ho found that ho had lost about eighty thousand dollars. This was r> chill after a fovor. Osc;ir felt very down hearted over it, the moro whon ho thought of Grace, and how ho should havo to confess his folly to her. 110 was deeply mortilied, boHi as a lover and a man of business. I ii order to pay up his lo^.-cs it became necessary for him to intrench on hio bonds. 110 went to his eafo for them, and behold! they wero ;/'-""'■ Vanished utterly. lie could not boliovo hii senses, at first, until ho was forced to. Tho safo was locked everything jusl, fi? ho had left it, except, that his ono hundred thousand dollars' worth o! bonds had been stolen. How V By whom ? Tho lock had not been forced ; thoit! was not Iho least trace of a burgliuioua visit. And tho bonds wero not registered. Whon ho cum? up from tho vault his face was as white as if ho had grown down there in the dark. Vance was in tho etiico waiting for him. When Oscar tola him of the incredible lose, tho other said to him in surpriso : " Why, you drew them out ycttrday, and used the;u. I remember it distinctly.' "I drew them out and n«cd them'•" gapped Oscar. " Vo9 Your losses must have impaired your memory." Oscar stared in a bowildcrod, dazed manner at his half-brother. "I never did such a thing !" "I know you did.'1 " Never !" "Then what has become of them ':" That was moro than Oscar could tuy, Ho sat down and hid his face in his hands. " It is not possible, brothers that you havo lost so much,'' said tho soft voice of the othor in accents of sympathy, "I havo ! I havo! And now I mupt borrow a portion of littio Bonnie's monoy. to meet my obligation?, or go to tho doga I" " Bennies money !' ejaculated Vance. " You drew that yesterday !" " You lie I" thundered Oscar, leaping to his foet " Well, if I had known that you were out of your head, liko poor S , I wou'd have restrained you," mv\ Vance, pityingly. "You accurecd scoundrel, what do you mean ?' " I suppose yon must bo crazy, sinco you don't appear to havo known uhat you wore about. I thought ia was all right. You were only following my advico, which I wish you hadn't, since it has turned out so unfortunately—in useing tho money. " But 1 didn't utc it, I tell you !" Vanco walked to tho door, which opened into thn outer room from tho private ollice where tho two gentlemen word talking, and Hung it wide. " Stop hero a moment, Mr I'ollard." Mr Pollard slipped his pa*i into his hair and obeyed the order. Ho was Mr Averill's clerk —a young follow of about twenty-ono or two, with palo bluo eyes, light hair and goatee, a slondor figure and light complexion—anoat, quiet, orderly respectable clerk - who looked as if ho attonded business and made no mistakes. '■ Ask him," said Stuyvesant to his brotho-, "you sent the or Jer to the bank by him. ' Averill glarod at his clerk with burning, fevorish eyes. "Did I soud you to the V Bank yesterday ?'' T ne p JBank was whero Bonnio's money was deposited, but none of Oscar's, " You did, Mr Averill.'' " What for, in Heavon'a name?' The clork looked in some astonishment at hia employer. " You sent mo a draft for your broHior Benjamin's money, Bir. You cautionod me to he exceedingly careful in receiving it, that I was not followed and knocked down, the amount was ao large. One of tho clerks of tho bank walked with mo quito a piece, on my way back, and told mo to keep a sharp lookout. It was early in tho day, Mr Averill, juEt after the opening of business hours." " I do not bolieve cither of you. You are ia a conspiracy against me.' " Take caro !"" cried ' Vance, flashing up. "Come with ms to the bauk, both of you." "Willingly, sir," responded Mr Pollard, with alacrity. They locked up tho ollico and went togolher to the bank. The payiog-toller said, "Yes, ho haa paid out tho money to his clerk on Mr Averill's order," After a moment's search he obtained and showed Mr Averill his draft duly signed and endorsed with a guardian's indorsement. Thesigna tiro was, or appeared to bo, indubitable. When Oscar paw it—his own handwiitinst, app^re ltly-his head vrli 1-d, Disasters hedged him in. The earth was sinking under his foot. 'It seotns to bo my signature, but I never wrote it," ho murmurod, and, staggering, caught by the railing, but 6ank tj the floor unconscious, " He was out of his head, yestorday, like some others," remarked young Stuyvesant, iignificantly, as the bank president came

out of hh door to see what was up, and others gathered around. It was tho interest of tho bank to favour such a suggoation, einco it had paid out tho money ; and if it proved to be on a forged order it would bo tho loser. Bo tho ollicors, and all concerned, echoed tho cry that Mr Avcrili'a business troubles had un settled his brain. And, to do them iusticc, they really thought so. Tho draft was u'liod in on ono of AveriU'd blanks—tho writing was his--and tho papor had been brought by bis own clork—a most respectable young man, who assorted, with simple earnoßtncss, that his employer had himsolf placed rho important document; in his hand, charging him to bo careful in bringing homo 80 largo a sum. Mr Avorill was sent homo in a carriage, when the family physician being sent for, bled him and ordored him to bed. " Quitt—absolute quiet," was the doctor's dictum. Oscar oboyed him, far as lying in a darkened room the remainder of that day and night was concerned : but co far as resting his brain wan concerned, that was impossible. It Foethed, and roso up and sank down, asid cast off Hakon of lire. Altogether, it is a miracle that lie did not havo brain fever. But tho next morning ho came staggering down tho stairs, dressed and doterminod to go out. His pulso was high and tenso, his eyes blood-shot, hishandstrembling; neither poor frightened Lillie, nor even Mrs Herbert, who had spent tho night with her sister, could prevent him. Daring thes^ hjurs of dart niBS, whon he had lain and thought, Oscar had vainly persuaded bimsolf that ho had been in a manner irresponsible, and had used two hundred thousand dollars mure than ho hud any recollection of using, llj vould not thus deoelvo himpclf, ho never hurl taken the bonds from tho safo—ho never had wiitton tho order for Bonnie's money. Thoro was a collision between Yatico and his clerk, Pollard, to defraud him. Ho wna sine of it. Mo bad a truer knowledge of his half-brother's character lb..n any other person. Not one other of Vance's relatives dreamed that he had long sinco m:i(ic away with tho handsomo fortune left hhn by his mother. {To be Continued.)