Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-13
THE CLOWNS CONFESSION.

chokara
He quite believed he was going to die
was general help to the company, and
turned my hand to anything, from nursing
BABY - going on as the young prince. |
nur@s i In.
B Ter, he said-that was my circus
name, and mad almost forgotten that |
had any other Bier says he, Il dom
know what confession is and what confes
sion amt; but | know this, that can't
lay here, and go off into kingdom come
and not say a word ABOUT 1t. You listen
to me.
II was q mason and about three months
out of my time, and was engaged to as
pretty a lass as there was ten miles round
Che Ster, when, one night about 10, for
eign looking chap knocked at the door and
said to my landlady: Ain t there mason
living here? only he did not speak such
good English as that.
The upshot of it was that went down
stlirs and out into the rain with him.
Says he, MY good fellow, would you like
to earn twenty poundsP
81 laughed.
q Thirty! he said, and in such grave
voice that it took all the laugh out of me.
ESQ would have provided furniture and
put to rights the cottage | wanted to take
my Bessie to.
= To brick up doorway
'Where?'
Nomatter where.
" 'When?'
- Now.
d" But why not in the daytime?' [
asked.
g Because you are not TO see the place
you are to go to, and because you will be
taken there blindfold.
" What do you mean?' asked.
No harm, he said; adding, disdain-
fully, Why, how could we be interested In
doing you harm?
He spoke aristocratic enough, then, |
assure you
Il hesitated, whereupon he said in a
very sweet anu candid voice, why not
earn your forty pounds; [ said forty, did
not |? No one will be any the wiser. and
you will be forty pounds the richer than
you otherwise would be.
Where was | taken? | don't know
The cab rolled on and on for an hour, with
several stoppages, at each of which my
companion got out, and made calls; but it
is possible he went round and round. At
last he told me to come out of the cab.
Blu: the shade was not taken off my eyes
until mad been led through several pass
ages and rooms, and had come to what
knew was a conservatory, by the close
smell of hot-house roses.
Then my mask was taken off. Yes;
Was in a conservatory leading from d
drawing-room. A beautiful woman was
sitting in a chair, and three men, all for
sign looking, we're standing near a door
that had two panes of glass In the upper
part. and which appeared to me to be a
Toulouse for implements used in the con-
servatOry.
. You must brick W this door and put
cement over it, said he, who was appar-
emily the leader OF the party.
There, near the door, was brick, cement,
mortar, tools, etc.-anything that would
be wanted.
. TO your work, he said.
Il set to work with my job. The tkresh-
old and sides of the door were solid &C.
mented brick work; and saw that W hen
| had finished my job only builder
alton of the building that there was a Gov
cred up space at that point.
The lady never said a word - the
j four men behind me uttered not sound,
but watched me closely. | was a quick
worker and in about half an hour | had
reached the lower edge of the two little
panes of glass in the door.
II suppose was agit ated. At all events,
| happened to strike the glass, and the
pane shivered.
There was strange combined Hal
! from the four men as this incident hap
penpd.
The next moment, as | was running
the soft mortar along the last laid course
of bricks, heard child S sob.
Il flung down my troweI with fright
ened cry and turned upon the five men.
Each had a long poniard in his hand,
The one who had brought me said,
You came voluntarily with me; YOU have
learnt my secret, and either you are with
us, or you must die. 1t is right you should
know what has happened. | am this wo,
mans husband, and the child past that
door is not mine. Of that | have satisfied
myself by the evidence of four medical men
| am the heir to a great estate in Spain
and these gentlemen are my brothers. Tc
save the honor of this woman-who, be,
Iieve, was more s1nned against than sin
ning-to save her honor, to save that Of
these gentlemen, we destroy this child
1t suffers no pain, and if you listen again
you will hear that it is singing.
1t was true; for | could hear that the
child was singing, or rather grooming.
My good man. he continued, we al
know that We are doing wrong but what
can we do? This child, if acknowledged
would be heir TO vast estates, to the In url
of my brothers children or my own, if
become father. What can we do? It /:
manifest that this child is none of mine
yet the law will give me no relief. What
then, can we do but defy the law?
But, said |, where you came from
they will know that your wife had chile
and the law officers " i'll make inquiries
High heaven has helped US, he re
piled. The wife of this gentleman, whC
is my brother, his wife has recently CAV,
birth TO twins, and the birth of only on,
child was declared. This infant will TAX
the place of the intruder and at the SAM
time my brothers wife will be seen with
child. As though to favor our designs
my little nephew is very dark
"'You should understand said one O
the brothers, that we are Spanish En-