"Doc Savage Adventure 1933-03 Man of_Bronze" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doc Savage Collection)

It was Monk, matter-of-fact person that he was, who shattered the quiet.

"What flubdubs me is who broke into that safe, and why?" he grumbled. "Doc, could it have any connection with your father's death?"

"It could, of course," Doc explained. "The contents of the safe had been rifled. I do not know whether my father had anything of importance in it. But I suspect there was."

Doc drew a folded paper from inside his coat. The lower half of the paper had been burned away, it was evident from the charred edges. Doc continued speaking.

"Finding this in a corner of the safe leads me to that belief. The explosion which opened the safe obviously destroyed the lower part of the paper. And the robber probably overlooked the rest. Here, read it!"

He passed it to the five men. The paper was covered with the fine, almost engraving-perfect writing of Doc's father. They all recognized the penmanship instantly. They read:


CLARK: I have many things to tell you. In your whole
lifetime, there never was an occasion when I desired
you here so much as I do now. I need you, son, because
many things have happened which indicate to me that
my last journey is at hand. You will find that I have
nothing much to leave you in the way of tangible wealth.

I have, however. the satisfaction of knowing that
in you I shall live.

I have developed you from boyhood into the sort
of man you have become, and I have spared no
time or expense to make you just what I think
you should be.

Everything I have done for you has been with the
purpose that you should find yourself capable of
carrying on the work which hopefully started, and
which, in these last few years. has been almost
impossible to carry on.

If I do not see you again before this letter
is in your hands, I want to assure you that I appreciate
the fact that you have lacked nothing in the way of
filial devotion. That you have been absent so much
of the time has been a secret source of gratification to
me, for your absence has, I know, made you self-reliant
and able. It was all that I hoped for you.

Now, as to the heritage which I am about to leave you:

What I am passing along to you may be a doubtful
heritage. It may be a heritage of woe. It may even be
a heritage of destruction to you if you attempt to
capitalize on it. On the other hand, it may enable you to do many things for those who are not so fortunate as you
yourself, and will, in that way, be a boon for you in
carrying on your work of doing good to all.