“I used your money in my speculative schemes without your knowledge. I believe I had a right to do this, for under the terms of your mother’s will I had an absolutely free hand to make use of the money as I saw fit.
“For a time I made money on Wall Street. But my fate was the common fate of all stock gamblers. My own earnings went, and then I used your funds and they went, too.
“I could not bear to have it known that I had lost your inheritance on the stock market, and so connived at this other operation. I was to help Ramsay. Ostensibly the Royal Ophir was to cost a million, of which I was to put up five hundred thousand dollars and the two Boston men the remaining five hundred thousand dollars. Really, only the money of the Boston men was to go into the deal.
“It was my business to interest them and to help on the ‘salting’ operation to the extent of preparing the loaded cigarettes. For this I expected to receive one hundred thousand dollars—which sum I intended turning over to you.
“But I have failed in that, and now the utmost I can do is to die so that you may have the one hundred and fifty thousand dollars insurance which I have taken out on my life. That and this home is to be yours. It is all that is left of your inheritance.”
CHAPTER XV.
THE TENDER-HEARTED WATCHMAN.
Nick’s return to town had not been quite as peaceful as he had hoped. But he was more than satisfied with the result of the work of the last few days.
He had captured one of the men who had escaped him in the round-up of the big Western swindle.
Only one other member of that gang was now at large, and the capture of Ramsay served to make Nick all the more eager to repeat the operation with the missing swindler.