CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE CLEVERDALE MYSTERY.
After Mannis fled so precipitately from the parlor of the Hamblinmansion, George Alden was the first to break the silence.
"Friends!" he exclaimed, "I am George Alden, whom you have supposeddead. A great wrong or mistake has made me its victim, and the bodylying in yonder cemetery is that of a stranger." Then, covering the faceof his wife with kisses, he moved forward, and deposited the insensibleform of Belle on the sofa, when Fannie Alden sprang quickly toward him,and hysterically embraced him, exclaiming:
"Yes, it is indeed my brother! Oh, what happiness!"
The fright occasioned by the sudden appearance of the supposed dead manhaving been dispelled by Alden's words, all except members of the familywithdrew. In a few moments the efforts at restoration were successful;Belle opened her eyes, and said:
"Was it a dream?"
Beholding the form kneeling beside her, feeling the warm breath on herface, and seeing the loving eyes looking into her own, she cried:
"No--no--it is true. Oh, George, my husband, is it indeed you?"
"Yes, Belle, and I have returned never to leave you again."
Her joy was accompanied by hysterics, and she sobbed and laughedalternately, her arms encircling the neck of her husband.
"You must not leave me--oh, it still seems like a dream--but where ishe? Had I married him? Oh, it is horrible!" and she closed her eyes, asif to hide the memory of the scene.
"But yourself, George?" she continued; "tell us where you have been allthese long, long, weary months."
"Calm yourself, Belle. Be satisfied that we are reunited. My story is along one, and after you recover from this excitement you shall know all."
Senator Hamblin, although greatly bewildered, was thoroughly convincedthat George Alden really stood before him. When the apparition burst sosuddenly upon him, he reeled, and for a time nearly lost his senses, butwhen he saw his daughter clasped in the arms of the intruder, and heardthe words that fell from her lips, fright was superseded by surprise.His heart was filled with both fear and joy; the former overwhelming himas he thought of his responsibility for all the trouble of the past twoyears; yet joy taking possession of him when he beheld alive the man ofwhose death he had believed himself the immediate cause. When he hadfully regained his composure, he grasped George Alden's hand, and said:
"Forgive me; I have deeply wronged you!" He stooped as if about to fallupon his knees, but Alden said:
"No, no--not that, sir! Say nothing about those matters at present.Surely this joy should wipe out all scores between you and me."
News of the return of George Alden, who had been mourned as dead,quickly spread through the community, and Cleverdale could scarcelycredit the news. The hotels, stores, and street corners were scenes ofexcitement; men of all classes discussed the event, and the return ofGeorge Alden caused even greater wonder than his disappearance. Whenthe news reached Sargent, he exclaimed, "Alden returned? Thunder andMars! I must skip out of this at once. Wonder what has become of Mannis?Well, it is every one for himself in this deal. Good-by, old Cleverdale!good-by! Perhaps I'll see you later." An hour afterward, Sargent was ona western-bound train, and the community was rid of its worst villain.
The following morning all arose early at the Hamblin mansion; Bellewould not allow her husband to leave her side even for an instant, andfor the first time in many months joy and happiness were visible in hereyes. Fannie Alden had remained at the mansion, and, all anxious to hearthe wanderer's story, an hour later the family assembled in the parlorto listen to the remarkable revelation.
"Before George commences his story," said Senator Hamblin, "I mustremove a crushing load from my own heart."
He then related every detail of the part he had acted in the conspiracy,taking upon himself all the odium belonging to him. He gave such apitiful description of his terrible sufferings of mind and remorseof conscience, that all present were deeply affected. The proud manwas truly humbled; his penitence, for once, was not assumed. Fullyexonerating his son-in-law from the charge against his integrity, hetook from his pocket two envelopes, and placed the intercepted lettersin the hand of George Alden.
"I am a guilty wretch," he said, "and deserve all the execration you canheap upon my head. To save myself, I even urged my daughter to marryWalter Mannis, after all the suffering I had caused her. I have been anunnatural father. Despise me--all of you--for I deserve it."
He was utterly prostrated, and Belle, leaving the side of her husband,threw her arms about his neck, and said:
"Papa, it is all over now; let us bury the past. Cheer up; George hasreturned, and will forgive and assist you."
"I agree with Belle," said George. "You have had your share ofsuffering; let us try to forget the past, and keep our secret fromthe outside world. Your financial matters need not distress youfurther, for my fortune is ample to help us all. But the body in yondercemetery--what can you tell us about that?"
"Nothing, for I was the victim of that deception. Ah, there has been adeeper game played than I expected."
Senator Hamblin's revelation surprised all present, but no more so thana telegram that was suddenly brought in.
It read as follows:
"HAVELOCK, ----
"SENATOR HAMBLIN: Benjamin Harris shot and killed Walter Mannis this morning. The body of Harris's daughter was found in the mill-pond, and a letter left by the unfortunate girl charged Mannis with being her betrayer."
"What a narrow escape was mine!" exclaimed Belle. The Senator's eyessought the floor; Alden's arm encircled Belle. Then the young husbandrelated his story, beginning at the time of the terrible accusation andtelling every occurrence up to the time of his departure from Chicagofor Cleverdale.
"Never did a train move so slowly as the one that bore me on myhomeward journey," said he. "I dared not send a telegram--beingignorant of matters here; but as the cars neared Cleverdale two men,seating themselves directly behind me, began to talk, and from theirconversation I learned a wedding was to take place that evening. Whenthe names of the contracting parties were mentioned, my brain whirled,and for a moment reason seemed about to leave me. Then, as they spokeof the mystery and sadness enveloping the whole affair, and the deepsorrow occasioned by my supposed death, I learned of the suffering thatmy precious wife had experienced. In a few moments, the train stoppingat Cleverdale, I alighted, and looking at my watch saw that the hourappointed for the ceremony was only five minutes later. Jumping into acarriage, I gave the driver a gold piece to drive his best. The rest youknow."
"How you have suffered!" said Belle.
"Yes, we have all suffered. But now let the curtain drop upon the past.Whatever the outside world may think, the secrets of this drama mustremain locked in the hearts of those present."
The narrations concluded, Senator Hamblin was apprised of Sargent'sflight, but the information did not disturb him; he merely said:
"Another character gone whose presence here is not desired."
George Alden was warmly greeted by his old friends, his first appearanceat the bank being the occasion for a spontaneous levee. Many crowded inand warmly grasped his hand; for it is not every day that one can shakehands with a man who is hero, dead-alive, and millionaire all in one.
The mystery surrounding the whole affair gave Cleverdale abundantopportunity for gossip. The secret marriage; the flight of George Alden;the mysterious body found in Reynolds Grove; the contemplated marriageof Belle with Walter Mannis; the prostration of the expectant bride;the wedding-party; the abrupt return of the supposed dead, and the goodfortune of the latter; the sudden disappearance of Sargent, and thewithdrawal of Senator Hamblin from politics, were events that stirredthe gossiping clubs of Cleverdale as they never had been before. Thebody which had played a leading part in this story was disinterred andburied in another place.
After recovering from the excitement, George Alden held an interv
iewwith his father-in-law, and arranged to pay all his indebtedness.Senator Hamblin was to withdraw permanently from politics and retain hisposition as president of the bank. The astonishment of the ex-Senatorwas great when the financial affairs of the late Hon. Walter Manniswere shown up and that individual proved a bankrupt. The forged namesof several well-known men were found on notes which Mannis had used incity banks, and among this forged paper the name of Senator Hamblin wasdiscovered.
Belle's health being already much improved, it was thought a journeywould be beneficial; and as she was desirous of seeing Mrs. Nash, avisit to Chicago was arranged, where the young couple spent severalhappy days. While guests of the kind woman, the wayward son returned,and there was gladness in the mother's heart when she learned that herboy had become a better man.
Belle's health returned; the roses again bloomed on her cheeks, and hereyes flashed with their old-time brilliancy. Then an invitation broughtGeorge Alden's late partners to Cleverdale, and a happy reunion tookplace between the "Three Boys," as they were called in Colorado.
Plans were at once made for a residence on the grounds adjoining theHamblin homestead, and a few months later a substantial and commodiousresidence was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. George Alden; a suite of roomsbeing prepared expressly for Fannie Alden.
Mrs. Hamblin saw with gladness the happiness of her children, andreoccupying the old place in her husband's affection, her joy wascomplete.
Later on, George Alden entered into a copartnership with others, theCleverdale Woollen Mill was rebuilt, and the old company's greatmanufactory again rattled and clattered through the busy days, to thesubstantial delight of many who owed their lives, in a double sense, toAlden's manliness.
Time passed on, and excitement over the events of this story graduallysubsided, but to this day many conjectures are indulged in, for thegossips never got at the heart of the story, and no one has yet beenable to solve THE CLEVERDALE MYSTERY.
CHAPTER XXXV.
EPILOGUE--THE MACHINE AND ITS WHEELS.
The political incidents of this story, taken from actual life, reflectthe evils of our national system. The great political machine has manycranks, and the scheming of office-seekers, the manipulations of thecaucus and convention, and the tactics resorted to on election day bywire-pullers and leaders are not exaggerations.
Every public man will recognize Senator Hamblin, Ex-Assemblyman Daley,Hon. Walter Mannis, Cyrus Hart Miller, Paddy Sullivan, Editor Rawlings,and "honest" farmer Johnson, as wheels belonging to the great machine.
Senator Hamblin, ambitious, rich, bold, possessing natural gifts oforatory, is a wheel with almost absolute power. The rising generation,looking upon such men with admiration, strive to emulate their example.
Cyrus Hart Miller, bold, unscrupulous, and aggressive, is anotherwheel--one that moves "the boys" at caucus and on election day.
Paddy Sullivan presides over the "gin palace," and men gathering atthe bar worship spirits in decanter and keg, while imbibing politicalopinions.
In American politics the power of such wheels is very great, and nomachine is complete without them.
While it requires many wheels to work the machine, some are large, somesmall, but all are dangerous. Men becoming infatuated with politics,the desire to hold office leads them from paths of rectitude. They losetheir hold on legitimate business, and grasping for the bubble fame, goheadlong to destruction. One man may succeed in reaching the summit ofhis ambition, but it is by climbing over the ruins of the nine hundredand ninety-nine fallen on the highway.
The fight for spoils develops bad passions, creates schisms in parties.Faction fights in both political organizations are so full of bitternessand so empty of principle that they disgust the honest voters; yetthe latter with their preponderant majority seem to be powerless tooverthrow the politicians. One large wheel seems to have power to turnscores of little wheels in the great machine.
The dangers of the system have lately been exemplified in a tragedy thatplunged the nation into sorrow; but while we mourn the death of a chiefmagistrate the politicians still continue to propel the machine. It isnot to be supposed that all men engaged in political work or inspiredby political ambition are bad men. On the contrary, there are thousandswho are honest and honorable; politics is not only the privilege but theduty of every American citizen, and every inducement should be held outto the youth of the generations of to-day to go into politics with allthe strength of their manhood. But the difficulty--as every intelligentman knows--is that caucuses and conventions and election work are leftalmost entirely to those who seek not patriotism but pelf; and the aimof this story is to show the natural tendency and actual results ofthe system as it exists to-day--to try and make it so plain that menmay realize its vileness, and so to add another ounce to the weight ofinfamy that "the Machine" has to carry, hoping that the accumulation mayat last beat it down. No partisan end is in view; it will puzzle themost expert politician to say which of the two great political partiesin our land is aimed at--or rather, which is _not_ aimed at. We alllive in glass houses and cannot afford to throw stones at each other.On the other hand--to change the figure--it is sometimes wholesome to"see oursels as ithers see us"--or would see us if they could get a fairinside view. It's not a pretty picture; more's the pity. Let us try tobetter the original.
While the author has endeavored to briefly sketch the workings of thesystem, he leaves to others the task of correcting the evils resultingfrom "_The Machine and its Wheels_."
Transcriber's Note: Although most printer's errors have been retained, some have been silently corrected. Spelling and punctuation, capitalization, accents hyphens and formatting markup have been normalized and include the following:
Line 4572: wassilent is now was silent Line 5171: dress-makers is now dressmakers Line 7145: "Were I to [inserted missing "] Line 7392: your rightful name?" [changed ' to "]
The Cleverdale Mystery; or, The Machine and Its Wheels: A Story of American Life Page 36