The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-06

house himself my uncle was always
pleased if some good friend was enjoy
ing a good days sport in his territory.
AS to myself, the good old soul was in
a perpetual state of offense because
visited him so seldom, though whenever
my scant holidays fell in a convenient
time OF the year | was never insensible
to the attractions of the Ratherby
stubble. More than once had sat by
the old gentleman when. his foot was
exceptionally troublesome, amusing
him with accounts of some of the do
ings of Martin Hewitt, and more than
once had my uncle expressed his desire
to meet Hewitt himself, and commits
stoned me with an invitation to be pre-
sented to Hewitt at the first likely OPP
portunity for joint excursion to Rath-
erby. At length I persuaded Hewitt
to take fortnight rest coincident with
q little vacation of my own, and We got
down to Ratherby within a few days
past Sept !, and before gun had been
fired on the colonels bit of shooting.
The colonel himself we found confined
to the house with his foot on the IA
miliar rest, and though ourselves were
ty we'll together. 1t was during this
short holiday that the case have men,
toned arose.
When first began to record some of
the more interesting of Hewitt's opera
tions, / think l explained that such
cases as / myself had not witnessed I
should set down in impersonal mar
rative form, without intruding myself.
The present case, so far as Hewitt's
work was concerned, I saw, but there
were circumstances which led up to it
that we only fully learned afterwards.
These circumstances, however, / shall
put in their proper place-at the be-
ginning.
The Fosters were a fairly old Rath-
erby family, of whom Mr.. John Foster
had died by an accident at the age of
about forty, leaving a wife twelve
years younger than himself and three
children, two boys and one girl, who
was the youngest. The boys grew up
strong, healthy out-of-doors young
ruffians, with all the tastes of sports
men and all the qualities, good and
bad, natural to lads of fairly well-dis-
posed characters allowed a great deal
too much of their own way from the
beginning. Their only real bad quality
was an unfortunate knack of bearing
malice, and a certain savage vindictive-
ness toward such persons as they chose
to consider their enemies. With the
louts of the village they were at ur-
ceasing war, and indeed once got into
serious trouble for peppering the
butchers son (who certainly was a
great blackguarO with sparrow shot.
At the usual time they went to Oxford
together and were fraternally sent,
down together in their second year..
after enjoying a spell of rustication in
their first. The offense was never
specifically mentioned about Ratherby,
but was mourned of as something par
ticularly outrageous.
It. was at this time. sixteen years or
thereabout, after the death of their
father, that Henry and Robert Foster
first saw and disliked Mr.. Jonas
Sneathy. a director of penny banks and
small insurance offices. He visited
Ranworth the Fosters house, great
deal more than the brothers thought
necessary, and, indeed, 1t was not for
lack Of rudeness on their part that Mr..
Sneathy, failed to understand, as far as.
they were concerned, his room was
preferred to his company. But their
mother welcomed him, and in the end
1t was announced that Mrs. Foster was
to marry again and that after that her
name would be Mrs. Sneathy
Hereupon there were violent scenes
at Ranworth. Henry and Robert de-
nounced their prospective stepfather as