A Romance in Radium.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8022, 8 January 1906, Page 4

A Romance in Radium.

"Then, Mr. Williams, please tell me the whole truth! You say lam not eo well off as was expected—is that all 1 You know I care very little for the things that moil people spend money on." The speaker was Olive Warner, and old Williams, the senior partner of the law firm of Williams A Hawkcsbury, knew her well enough to be quite sure she meant what she laid. For a few seconds he took his eye* ofl the rows of Law Keports that he had been studiously contemplating since the beginning of an interview which was one of extreme pain and delicacy to a man who had known his fair client from childhood.. He let his eyes rest for a moment—not without some euiotion which he found it hard to repress—ou the marble chiselled features and clear grey eyes of the girl before him and marked the firm lilies of her small mouth. " Well," he at last, " Olive, that's not quite all. You remember the peouliar views your father had on women holding property?" Olive nodded by way of assent, and braced herself for the mention of an incident which she could hardly yet, though it was two years ago, bear to hear mentioned in her presence, " At the time of your unfortunate engagement to Mr. Le Fanu your father, who trusted the young man implicitly, made a will in his favor, merely adding a clause to the effeot that it was his wish that Le Fanu on his marriage should make a will in your favor. I need hardly touch on the painful circumstances which made your.marriage with Mr. Le Fanu impossible; it broke your father's heart. His grief was so deep that I hardly dare raintion any subject remotely connected with family affairs to him, and, unfortunately, 1 have every reason to fear that his death occurred before he had time to put his affairs in a condition to correspond with the altered circumstances In short, my dear Olive, I have to tell you—and God knows what a painiul duty it is. to me—that every penny ol your father's thousands goes to Le Fanu." There was a scarcely perceptible pause before Olive, who had instinctively grasped the situation from the start, said:" Never mind, Mr. Williams; I don't mind if you don't. I'll jnst get out .and work as other girls do. What would you advise me to do?" Williams knew that it was a long step from boing the daughter of a wealthy man to a girl struggling for a weekly wage, and he thcight that Olive knew it, too. He and his wife were old and childless, and perhaps in his old heart there was a yearning to have some young thing about the house. "Olive," he said, "come and stay with me for a time, and we'll think it over." But Olive had read his thoughts almost before he had admitted it to himself. She had all the pride of her ancestors in hei veins, as she said rather sharply: "No, I thank you, Mr. Williams. I intend to commence work at onee. I can typewrite quite well, you know. The only favor I ask is an introduction to smne firm who can give me employment. I think I have great reason to be thankful that I found out Mr. Le Fanu'i sh.'.raeter before and not alter having married liirn." W'iliiam La Fai.u was not naturally a bad mill; lie had become so through force of circumstances. Left an orphan at an early age, he had inherited a large fortune with nothing to spend it on save the gratification of his own desires and canvkes. By the time ha was 2-1 he had squandered all his own money, and he then through his father's friends succeeded in gaining a footing in Warner's firm, where his good manners and undoubted ability soon brought him into notice. He was sharp enough to sec that old Mr. Warnei had taken a fancy to him, and was not slow • in assuming every business virtue: so much so that in n short time comparatively he became Mr. Warner's most trusted agent and private secretary. The nature of his duties brought him much in contact with Mise Warner, with the inevitable result that they fell violently in love with each other, and had little difficulty in gaining the by no means reluctant consent of Mr. Warner to their engagement. Warner trusted Le Fanu as his own son, and when the engagement was settled treated him as such. Su ail went well until one day a lady called on Mr. Warner. She stayed an hour, and from that interview Warner came out a broken man. " Leave my house," he said ' to Le Fanu, "and ncW let me see you ' again." Soon after that he sickened and died. Only two friends had visited him in his last illness, and of these one had been killed in a street accident tho day before the old man's death, and the other had suddenly gone abro.vd to consult an oculist about hit failing sight. Hence no one knew what his plans and intentions for the future might have been. Even his daughter had not seen him till a stroke of paralysis had rendered Him speechless. It was supposed that he would have aliered his will, hut no -new will could be found, and so the old one, leaving every cent to Le Fanu was duly read and proved. It- wae r>bnut two months after her father'l death when Miss Warner was surprised in her humble apartments by a call fioruLe Fanu. He came in.with the utmost bon homie, as if nothing in the world bad happened, and carefully placed his hat and -,doves ou a chair. Olive bounded from her •hair as if she had been shot. "To what on I indebted for the honor of this visit? " ;lio almost hissed out between her teeth. ' »," Iteally, Olive, it's all right now," he begat:, " the girl is dead, and I'm a free man. Why should we not square things up, as your father wished ? You know I love you ' and "

He had not time to finish his sentenot b»(ore the girl took him np. •'You vile wretch," she cried, "do joi dare to use my father's name to me ? Do you think that your wife's death makes a, particle of difference? I despise you, and I loathe you! You can have every farthing of my money, but never come near me again." Lc Fanu, white to the lips, ground his teeth with rage. "You'll repent this,"h« cried as he flung himself out of the house.

Olive Warner had finished her frugal dinner one evening some two years after the above occurred when a visitor was shown up to hor apartment. She introduced herself as Mr-. Lovenstein, and explained that she had been housekeeper to Sir. Le Fanu, but had recently cause to complain of bad treatment .mil had left liiin. Sue had been with him it the time of Mr. Warner's death, and professed herself deeply grieved at the sadneSi if that event.

In an ordinary way Olive would have given jhort shrift to anyone who was garrulous on such a subject, but something in the woman's manner struck her. She judged that the object of the visit was not trivial, so, restrainin!! her impatience, she said carelessly, " Well, Mrs. li2ven3lein, how's Le Fanu?" A torrent of abuse was all the reply, but the old lady suddenly produced a piece of yellow parchment from her pocket, and threw it on the table. "Read that," sh« said ; -'it's yours." Olive read with wondering eyes. It was a strange document. A brief, very brief, will in her father's name, revoking all former wills and leaving all his property to her. It was dated two days before his death and duly witnessed. She could hardly believe her s nses. ' She glanced first at the will, then at the woman, then at the will again. "Well!" she gasped at length. " Well, if I were you, ma'm, I'd just tak« that to your lawyer; never mind me' re-

tenge ii all I want "—and then she adde< quiokly—"l owe you something; my daughter stood between you and the fulfilment ol your father's hopes." With these words she turned and left the room. q Olive was at first stunned. She had resolutely faced her ill fortune when it came without flinching. Now, when there was a chance of gaining all back, her nerve almost forsook her. Still the woman's advice was good. It would be too late to find Mr. Williams at his office. She would go to hit house. So, folding the yellow paper carefully and putting it in her pocket, she went out and found her way to the lawyer'! house. She found him alone, and briskly detailing the circumstances handed him the document. "Well," he said after scanning it carefully, " there is little doubt that it is genuine, but the difficulty is to prove it. You sec, here are two witnesses, Mr. Willis and Mr. Bromley. Mr. Willis was killed, you remember, in a trolley accident before your father's death, and Mr. Bromley is now almost totally blind and could not swear to his signature." The girl's face fell, and for some minutes neither of them spoke. Williams broke the silence at last by saying; "At any rate come to my office at 11 o'clock to-morrow, and I'll have Bromley there, and we will see if anything can be done. lam afraid it is hopeless, but we can ask him,"

Richard Bromley was seated in Mr. Wil Hams' office next morning when' Olive arrived. He was now almost totally blind. Yes, he said he remembered witnessing Mr. Warner's signature, but he did not read the document and had no knowledge of its content*. Here was the end, Williams had hoped that Bromley might have been aware of the oontents and so vouched for bis signature. With a look full of pity for the girl's deep disappointment he said : "I am afraid we can do nothing, Olive." They were still discussing the matter when Dr. Berensen, an Intimate friend of Mr, Williams and one of the most celebrated oculists living, walked in. Seeing the lawengaged, he was for retiring, when the former motioned him to come in. "I don't want to interrupt you, Williams," he began. , "No interruption, at all, I assure you; we are much puzzled, and with the leave of my client I'll tell you the story," replied the other, and he at ones proceeded to tell the doctor the whole of the facts of the case. Berenson listened attentively, and then quickly requested Mr. Bromloy's. permission to examine his eyes. This was readily granted. The doctor produced a case from hit pocket, and, taking a small grey globule, made passes with it before the blind man'i eyes. "Do you see anything?" said he. " Yes," said Bromley. " Oh, yes, I see light —streaks of light—a circle—a square." "Good," said tho doctor. "I think we can identify that signature. The optic nerves in tins case, though not sensitive to ordinary light, are sensitive to this new metal that I have with me-»radium. It will be simple by means of this metal to produce an exact positive of the signature, which Mr. Bromley would be able to identify. I shall be only too pleased to help in righting this great wrong that has been done." The doctor was as good as his word. Before an astonished court Richard Bromley swore to his own signature in radium, and Olive Warner was put in possession of net lather's fortune. _ _