Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-10-09

no matter how innocent l. were,
would decline the honor"
I had just dropped in for friendly
chat and smoke with my friend, Rich
ard Boynton, an old lawyer well
known for an extensive clientele
among staid and quiet old Knicker.
booker families. Turning to him, !
said. as lighted cigar: "What say
you, Dick?"
"In theory agree with our young
friend; in practice with you. I'll
give you case in point, if you like.
"It was about ten years ago,
when 1 was aroused, about 2 o'clock
in the morning by messenger from a
police court, the bearer of hastily
scribbled note from an old client of
mine. He was childless widower,
much interested in Egyptology, and
consequently spent much of his time
in Egypt. Being rich, he could afford
this expensive hobby.
"The note L received ran:
"Dear Boynton-They have brought
me down here on some absurd charge
or other. Come and arrange for my
release Immediately. r. RowLEY.
"I fastened to the releaf of my
client. Now 1 must tell you he was
very fastidious in his dress and par
ticularly natty and trim in his appear
ance. He wore brown beard, cut in
Vandyke fashion.
"Judge, Their, of my astonishment
when was shown man dressed in
a particularly Hashy style, of the kind
affected by the sporting fraternity-a
clean shaven face, save for an inch or
two of side whiskers.
"'Ah, Boynton, get me ont of this
quick.
"'There is some mistake ] said tn
the policeman.
'How?' asked he.
Why, this is not Mr.. Rowley.
This is not the gentleman I came to
see.'
"That so? Well, this. is the man
who gave me the note 1 sent up 'to
you
SAT this 1 looked up at the man
before me and said:
"'What made you use Mr.. Row
ley's name?'
"He clutched me by the sleeve and
gasped out:
" Why, man, what do you mean ?
Do those clothes SO alter me? Speak !!
81 looked at him very keenly, and
gradually there dawned on me that,
after all, this was my old friend Row
ley.
;" Heavens, is it you Rowiey:
What are you doing here? Come,
man, compose yourself and let's get
at the bottom of this
81 sat down on the bench by his
side; but notwithstanding my cross
questioning all I could get from him
was nothing more than that he had
arrived the previous evening in New
York, had engaged room at a hotel,
and had some Welsh rabbit and had
gone straight to bed. About midnight
he had been aroused by a violent
knocking at the door, and on opening
| it had been gruffiy told that he was
uuucI uiICSt, uutt tIiiit lie was w WI O''s
pretty quickly.
"Hurried by the officers, he hat
hastily dressed himself, protesting
uselessly that the clothes he was hus
tied into were not his, and was hur
ried off to the station.
"No amount of cross-questioninl
could get him to vary or enlarge hi.
story, nor could he give me the slight
est reason for his arrest As to hi
beard, that had easily been explaine,
in answer to question ofmine. Ow
ing to slight skin eruption contract
ed in Egypt, he had it shaved offsom
time ago.
1.-THE next step was to get him bale,
out. This, found, was not so easy
task.
my non-recognition at first of IN,
friend was against him. The polio
justice next morning protested tina
this prisoner was q confidence maj
wanted for various offences, and tha
he was O certain Wilcox. alias Palyer