The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1885-03-06

bled.
"Who is the witnessp"
"The Witness" said Grace, lis Will
liam Hope"
rs that your father?"
Its my fathers name," said Grace,
beginning to turn her eyes inward and
think very hard.
But is 1t your father, do you Think"
"NO, sir, it is not"
"Was he i'm that part of the world at
the time? Did he know BARLEY? the
clergyman who brought me this certifi-
cate"
"The clergyman!"
"Yes, my dear, it was a clergyman,
apparently rector, and he told me-"
Are you sure he was Clergyman
quite sure; he had white tie, a
broad-brimmed hat, a clergyman all
over; don't go off on that. Did your
father and my son know each other in
Hull?"
"That they did. You are right" said
Grace, this witness was my father; see
that, now. But if so-Don't speak to
me; don't touch me; let me think-there
is something hidden here;" and Mrs.
Walter Clifford showed her father-in-
law that which we have seen in her
more than once, but it was quite new
and surprising to Colonel Clifford.
There she stood, her arms folded, her
eyes turned inward, her very feature,
and even her body, seemed to think.
The result came out like lightning from
cloud. sits all falsehood," said she.
"A falsehoOd!" said Colonel Clifford.
Eyes, a falsehOOd upon the face of it.
My father witnessed this marriage, and
therefore if the bridegroom had been
our Walter he would never have allow
ed our Walter to court me, for he knew
of our cOurtship all along, and never
once disapproved of it,"
"Then do you think it is mistaken"
said the Colonel, eagerly.
mo, do not" said Grace. Il think
it is an imposture. This man was not
a clergyman when he brought me the
certificate; he was man of business, a
plain tradesman, a man of the world;
he had cOlOred necktie, and some rath-
er tawdry chains"
did he speak ina kind of sing-song%
Not at all; his voice was clear and
cutting, only he softened it down once
or twice out of what l took for good
feeling at the time. He's an impostor
and villain. Dear sir. don't agitate
poor Walter or my dear father with this
vile thing lshe handed him back the GER
tificate). 1t has been a knife to both
=
you and /. and let us get to the bottom
of it together"
"We shall soon do that" said the
Colonel, "for he is coming here to-mor-
row again"
"All the better"
with the lady,"
"What lady?"
"The lady that calls herself Mrs. Wal
ter Clifford"
Indeed" said Grace, quite taken
aback. "They must be very bold"
"Oh, for that matter" said the Colo
mel, 81 insisted upon it; the man seemed
to know nothing but from mere hear
say. He knew nothing about William
Hope, the witness, so told him he
must bring the woman; and, to be just
to the man, he seemed to think so too,
and that she ought to do her own bust
ness"
"She will not come" said Grace, rath-
er contemptuously. "He was obliged to
say she would, just to put face upon
it. Tomorrow he'll bring an excuse
instead of her. Then have your detec-
tives about, for he is villain; and, dear
sir, please receive him in the drawing
room; then will find some way to get
sight of him myself"
1T shall be DONE" said the Colonel.
81 begin to think with you. at all
events, if the lady does not comet shall
hope it is all an impOsture or q mis-
take"
With this understanding they parted,
and waited in anxiety for the morrow,
but now their anxiety was checkered
with hope.
Tomorrow babe fair to be a busy day.
Colonel Clifford, little dreaming the
condition to which his son and his guest
would be reduced, had invited Jem
in tents on his own lawn and drink his
home-brewed beer, and they were to
bring with them such of the rescued
miners as might be in a condition to
feast and drink cOpiOusly. When he
found that neither Hope nor his son
could join these festivities, he was very
sorry he had named so early day; but
he was so punctiliOuS and precise that
he could not make up his mind to
change one day for another. So a great
confectiOner at Derby who sent out
feasts was charged with the affair, and
the Colonel's own kitchen was at his
service too: That was notall, r, BARLEY
was coming to do business. This had
been preceded by letter which Colonel
Clifford, it may be remembered, had
offered to show Grace Clifford. The
letter was thus worded:
COLONEL CLFFoRD,-A penitent man
begs humbly to approach you, and offer
what compensation Is in his power. / de-
sire to pay Immediately to Walter Clifford
the sum of ego, 900 / have so long robbed
him Of, with five per cent. interest for the
use of 1t. 1t has brought me far more than
that In money, but money l now find Is not
happiness.
''fhe mine i'm which my friend has so
nearly been destroyed-and his daughter,
who now, too late, find Is the only crea-
ture in the world 1 love-that mine Is now
Odious to me. desire by deed to hand it
over to Hope and yourself, upon condition
that you follow theseams wherever they go,
and that you give me such a share of the
profits during my lifetime as you think L
deserve for my enterprise. This for my life
only, since shall leave all 1 have in the
world to that dear child, who will now be
your daughter, and perhaps never deign
again to look upon the erring man who
writes these lines.
II should like, II you please to retain the
farm, or at all events a hundred acres round
about the house to turn into orchards and
gardens, so that may have some employ
ment, far from trade and its temptations
for the remainder of my dayso