Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-04-08

walk down the drive to the lodge gate
and wait till the fly with this lot comes
They will see me stop. "Mr. Kennedy,
they will say, we want a word will
You ;" and off we shall go to London
The mistake won't be found out till W,
are twenty-five miles off, and then thert
will be no more trains tonight Ny
belief, sir, is that the letter which yor
will receive from master in an hour.
time will make you able to settle thi.
matter good many times over the frs
thing tomorrow morning
'It was a sufficiently startling pro
posal. did not know what to say tC
it, but there was no time to hesitate
In five minutes had accepted Sprigg's
offer, and Spriggs had left disguised as
Bob Kennedy. For some little while ]
sat meditating matters. took out my
watch it was twenty minutes past five.
By this time Spriggs must have come
up with my pursuers. reflected
again again I took out my watch. II
was now close on six, and by this time
Spriggs must have been on the point oi
entering the railway carriage of the last
train to town, unless, indeed, by some
accident the stratagem had been dis
covered, and the officers of the Middle
sex Sheriff were again on their road to
Fairfield. In the midst of these medi-
tations 1 was interrupted by a knock at
my door. My worthy uncle entered,
with letter in his hand.
Robert, he said, I did not know
you were here, and had intended to
leave this on your dressing-table. ]
told Spriggs to take it, but can't find
him. 1 suppose he has gone out. There,
my boy, open it presently And so
saying, my uncle departed.
''The envelope contained check for
f5OO.
"As for the confusion which Sprigg's
unexpected absence created in my
uncle's household, 1 will say nothing
of it. We had a convivial evening
enough, but 1 own rather expected
the door to open every moment, and
some myrmidon of the law to lay his
hand upon my shoulder, informing me
that Spriggs had been arrested by
mistake. Let me pass over this. By
eight o'clock next morning l was at
Stagford Junction-four miles nearer
London than Stagford terminus. Before
nine l was in London. At ten minutes
past nine my uncle's check was cashed !;
and after that, swiftly as hanson could
take me from the Strand to Chancery
Lane, l was with Spriggs in his tenn
porary confinement in Cursitor street.
Strangely enough, so admirably had
Spriggs filled his role, the mistake had
not been discovered. / paid the sum,
with expenses, and at eleven l was at
Fairfield once more. Spriggs contrived
to explain his absence to my uncle's
Later in the day l went
into business matters with my uncle's
solicitor, and an arrangement was soon
after arrived at. Since then 1 have
been able to thank Spriggs in the
manner he deserved. l set
him up in this hotel-a slight recon-
pense enough for the Twelfth might
character which he assumed in my
SIS this true story, Bob?" asked
Mr.. Crackshot, knocking the ashes out
Of his pipe.
"True, every word of it," was the
reply. ASK Spriggs, if you doubt"
And the landlord of the Kennedy
Arms, who that moment entered to see
the two gentlemen required
anything further, confirmed, in a few
emphatic sentences, the narrative