Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01

foist himself upon the rancho, they were
loud in their protests, even limiting at con-
sDiracy between Josephine and the stranger
to supplRnt her brother in the property, as
he had already in the spare bedroom.
Didn't all that yer happen the very night
she pretended to go for Stephen-eh?. Tell
me thatl And didn't she have it all ar
ranged with the buggy to bring him here,
as that sneaking doctor himself let out-eh?
Looks mighty curious, don't it?" she NUT
tered darkly to the old man. But although
that gentleman, even from his own selfish
view. would scarcely have submitted to a
surgical operation and later Idiocy as the
price of insuring comfortable dependency,
he had no doubt others were base enough to
T. do it; and lent willing ear to mis- wife's
suspicious.
Josephine's personal knowledge of the
stranger went little further. DR.. Duchesne
had confessed to her his professional disap-
pointment at the incomplete results of the
operation. he had saved the mans life,
but as yet not his reason. There was still
hope, however, for the diagnosis revealed
nothing that might prejudice a favorable
progress. 1t was a most interesting case.
He would watch it carefully, and as soon as
the patient could be removed would take
him to the county hospital, where, under
the benefit of the latest science and the high
est specialists. Physically be was doing re.
markably well; indeed, he must have been
fne young chap, free from blood taint or
vicious complication, whose flesh had
healed like an infants. 1t should be re-
corded that it was at this juncture that Mrs.
Forsyth first learned that a silver plate let
into the artful strangers skull
was an adjunct of the healing pro-
cessl Convinced that this infamous
extravagance was part and parcel of the
conspiracy, that it was only the beginning
Of other assimilations of the ,Forsyths' me-
tallie substance, that it was probably pol
ished and FURNISHED with fulsome inscrip-
tion TO the doctors skill, and would pass
into the possession and adornment of a per-
feet stranger, her rage knew no bounds He
or his friends ought to be made to pay for it
Or work it outl In vain it was declared that
3 few dollars were all that was found In the
mans pocket, and that no memoranda gave
any indication of his name, friends or history
beyond the suggestion that be came from q
distance. This was clearly part of the con-
Epiracyi Even Josephine's practical good
sense was Obliged to take note of this singu-
lar absence Of all record regarding him, and
the apparent obliteration Of everything
that might be responsible for his ultimate
fate.
Homeless, friendless, helpless and even
nameless, the unfortunate man Of 25 was
thus left to the tender mercies of the mistress
Of Burnt Ridge Ranch as if he had been a
newborn ioundling laid at her door. But
this mere claim of weakness was not all; il
was supplemented by singular personal ap-
peal to Josephine's nature. From the time
that he turned bis head toward her voice on
that iateful night his eyes had always fol-
lowed her around the room with a wander
ing, yezrning, canine halfintelligence.
Without being able to convince herself that
BE- understood her better than his regular at