A CURIOUS REVELATION--CONCLUSION.
“Wait, please, Miss Bartford!”
And Longfellow Wadsworth caught the beautiful young lady by the arm
and drew her back.
“Why, what is it you wish?” she asked, much surprised, for the look
on the elocutionist’s face plainly indicated his excitement.
“I wish to ask you several questions--questions of great importance.”
“Well?”
“That ivory ornament--where did it come from?”
A look of surprise swept over Grace Bartford’s features.
“Why do you ask that question, Mr. Wadsworth?”
“I am deeply interested--that is all I can say just at present.”
“Do you know of any one who has an ornament similar to this?” she
demanded.
“Yes.”
The beautiful girl gave a start.
“Who is it?”
“Won’t you answer my question first?”
“This ornament was left me by my father when he died. He dealt in
ivory and other African products.”
“Did he ever tell you anything about the ornament?”
“Indeed he did. But--but----”
“Please tell me what you know.”
“Miss Bartford thinks there is a similar ornament to be found
somewhere,” broke in Maxwell Kent. “Miss Bartford once had a younger
brother who was stolen by circus people, and who soon after died----”
“Perhaps he didn’t die,” put in the beautiful girl. “We are not real
sure, you know.”
“Well, we are almost sure,” said the guardian.
“When little Robert was stolen he had around his neck one of these
ornaments, both of which were given to my father by an African king
named Ballabolala. I wear the ornament around my neck in hopes that
some day I may find somebody who has the other. Have you it, Mr.
Wadsworth?”
“No, but Neka has it, and it belonged to him from childhood, and he
was brought up among circus and theatrical people,” blurted out the
elocutionist, who could contain himself no longer.
“Neka!” the girl started back and stared at the elocutionist. “The
young man who risked his life in my behalf?”
“Yes.”
“And he--he has no parents living--no blood relatives?”
“He did not have--he was absolutely a waif, brought up by a Mrs.
Gilderoy, of Cleveland, and later----”
“Gilderoy! Is it possible?” cried Grace Bartford.
“You knew the woman?”
“My mother’s folks once had a nurse woman named Barton who married a
man named Gilderoy. She was discharged for stealing.”
“And she took revenge by stealing your brother, Neka--or, I believe
you call him Robert!” fairly shouted Longfellow Wadsworth. “The sun
is breaking through at last.”
“And you say Mr. Neka is that young man?” asked Maxwell Kent,
doubtfully.
“He is, and for years he has been trying to find out something
concerning himself. In his childhood days he had one friend, a clown,
named Jerry Brown. When Brown died he told him to be sure and keep
the ornament, and that the Gilderoys had no claim on him. To my mind
the ornament solves the question.”
“Oh, I hope so!” exclaimed Grace Bartford. “I got a letter from
somebody when I was up among my relatives in Cambron, saying they
would put me on the track for two thousand dollars. But the letter
was so badly written and put together that I did not give it much
attention.”
“I would like to see it,” replied Longfellow Wadsworth. “I believe it
was written by Daniel Bambo, who formerly had Neka in charge, and who
is now in jail.”
“My brother would be not quite seventeen years old now,” said Grace
Bartford.
“That is just about Neka’s age. Had he any birth marks?”
“I never thought of that. I must ask Dr. Breston of Cambron. He was
our family physician.”
“Dr. Breston! Neka knows him. He once saved the doctor’s daughter’s
life.”
“Oh, I heard of that! And he is the same!” The tears started to Grace
Bartford’s eyes. “Pray Heaven he is my brother!” she murmured.
More talk followed, and then they went in to see Neka; but found he
had again gone to sleep.
“Do not disturb him,” whispered the beautiful girl. “He must have his
full rest. I will telegraph to Dr. Breston.”
So they left the hospital and a telegram was sent to Cambron. In two
hours a message came in reply, which read:
Robert Bartford had a triangular red mark at the lower part of
the back of the neck, exactly like that possessed by his father.
“That settles it,” cried Longfellow Wadsworth. “Neka has the mark,
although it is very faint. I’ve seen it several times at the theatre.”
No words can describe Grace Bartford’s feelings. She wanted to go
to her newly found brother and clasp him in her arms. But at the
hospital the doctors forbade this.
“He must not be shocked. Wait until he is stronger,” they said.
So for fear she could not control herself the beautiful girl kept
away entirely for ten days longer.
At the end of that period Neka was sitting up and all danger of a
relapse was past. It was Longfellow Wadsworth who broke the news to
him ere Grace Bartford arrived.
“Neka, I have something wonderful to relate to you concerning your
past,” he began.
“My past! Have you discovered anything?”
“Yes.”
“My sister----” and the boy’s breast began to heave.
“Calm yourself, Neka. Your sister is found.”
“Found! Oh, Wadsworth, where is she? Who is she?”
“Her name is Grace Bartford, and she is the one whose life you tried
to save when the accident occurred which brought you here.”
“That beautiful young lady! I must be dreaming!” murmured the boy.
“As I lay here I have often seen a vision of her. And she is really
my sister?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she? Why don’t she come to me?”
“The doctors said you must wait. But she is coming, and--she is here!”
The door burst open and Grace Bartford rushed in, and a second later
happy brother and sister were in each other’s arms.
My pen is not equal to tell of the scene which followed. Both Neka
and Grace sobbed for joy, and there was not a dry eye in the room.
Neka was a waif no longer, a waif without even a regular name.
Henceforth he would be known as Robert Bartford. How strange that
sounded to him at first!
By the urgent request of Grace, Neka, as we must continue to call
him, was removed to the Kent mansion, and here he speedily regained
health and strength. Never was a sister more devoted to a brother
than was Grace, and the reader may rest assured that never did a
brother appreciate more what was done for him.
From Grace and Maxwell Kent, Neka learned that there was fifty
thousand dollars held in trust for him.
A like sum was also held in trust for his sister. So, in the future,
the young Fire King would be a fairly rich fellow.
Maxwell Kent wished to have Neka give up the stage, but the boy
demurred at this. Then he sought his sister.
“I will do what you say, Grace,” he said.
“Do as you think best, Robert,” she replied. “Only if you do stay on
the stage try to make your company select and the best in the world!”
“I will,” replied Neka.
Two years have passed since then, and many changes have occurred.
Daniel Bambo is serving out a ten years’ sentence in prison, and
bitterly rues the day he would not confess to Neka when given the
chance. Hank Maul was allowed his liberty, and has drifted away, no
one knows where.
The Neka, Wadsworth & Bindley Gigantic Specialty Company is now known
both in this country and in Europe as the best of its kind on earth.
It carries nothing but star performers, and appears only at leading
theatres, and then at advanced prices.
Neka is at the head of the great combination, and is known far and
wide as the greatest magician and Fire King of the age. With him
are his old friends Longfellow Wadsworth, Bindley, and all of the
others, and a score of new people. Joe Windom is advance agent of
the concern, which is coining money.
Neka is one of the happiest young men to be found, not only because
he has found his sister and a fortune, but--let me whisper it--pretty
Jennie Windom has made him a promise--and perhaps some of our older
readers can guess what it is. So now, while he is happy and on the
road to success, let us bid Neka good-by.
THE END.
Transcriber’s Notes
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
silently corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences
within the text and consultation of external sources. Some hyphens
in words have been silently removed and some silently added when
a predominant preference was found in the original text. Except
for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text and
inconsistent or archaic usage have been retained.
Page 5: “NEKA, THE BOY CONJURER” replaced by “NEKA, THE BOY
CONJUROR”.
Page 18: “left Wadsoworth’s side” replaced by “left Wadsworth’s
side”.
Page 43: “May be not” replaced by “Maybe not”.
Page 54: “Greatest of” replaced by “Greatest Aggregation of”.
Page 65: “on the rounds” replaced by “on the grounds”.
Page 102: “with flushing eyes” replaced by “with flashing eyes”.
Page 128: “He put this” replaced by “He put his”.
Page 154: “can scarcely breath” replaced by “can scarcely
breathe”.
Page 160: “sped way” replaced by “sped away”.
Page 169: “looked as if Nino” replaced by “looked as if Nina”.
Page 169: “ejaculated Longfelllow” replaced by “ejaculated
Longfellow”.
Page 171: “bush standing near by” replaced by “bush standing
nearby”.
Page 197: “a hugh joke” replaced by “a huge joke”.
Page 200: “replied Nekla” replaced by “replied Neka”.
Page 206: “hemanded the conductor” replaced by “demanded the
conductor”.
Page 212: “An’t you ashamed” replaced by “Ain’t you ashamed”.
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.