Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-13

fortnight's rest, coincident with a little
vacation of MY own, and We got down to
Ratherby within a few days past Septem-
Der 1. and before gun mad been fired on
the colonels bit of shooting. The colonel
himself we found confined to the house,
with his foot on the familiar rest, and
though ourselves were the only guests We
managed to do pretty well together 1t was
during this short holiday that the case
have mentioned arose.
When first began to record some of the
more Interesting Of Hewitt's operations, 1
think explained that such cases as l my
self had not witnessed I should set down
In impersonal narrative form, without in
trudiLg myself. The present case, so far
as Hewitt's work was concerned 1 saw
but there were circumstances which led up
to 1t that We only fully learned afterwards
These circumstances, however, 1 shall put
In their proper place-at the beginning.
The Fosters were a fairly cid Rafferty,
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
rufiians with all the tastes Of sportsmen
to lads of fairly well-dsposed characters
allowed a great deal too much Of their own
way from the beginning. Their only real
had quality was an unfortunate knack OF
bearing malice, and certain savage vim
dictiveness toward such persons as they
chose to consider their enemies. With the
louis of the village they were at unceas-
ing war, and indeed once got into serious
trouble for peppering the butchers son
(who certainly was great blackguar6
with sparrow shot. At the usual time they
went to Oxford together and were frater-
nally sent down together in their second
year, after enjoying a spell CT rustication
in their first The offense was never spe-
officially mentioned about Ratherby, but
was mourned Of as something particularly
outrageous
1t was at this time sixteen wears or
thereabout, after the death of their father
that Henry and Robert Foster first saw
and dsliked Mr.. Jonas Sneathy, a director
of penny banks and small insurance offices.
He visited Ranworth the Fosters house,
q 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 denounced
their prospective stepfather as a fortune
hunter, snuffier. a hypocrite. They did not
stop at broad hints as to the honesty of
his penny banks and insurance offices, and
the house straightway became a house of
bitter strife. The marriage took place, and
It was not long before Mr.. Sneathy's real
Character became generally obvious. For
months he was a model. if somewhat sane
timonious, husband, and his influence over
his wife was complete. Then he discov-
cred that her property had been strictly
secured by her first husbands will, and
that, willing as she might be, she was I'M
able to raise money for her new husband S