The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-13
our wife. What do you ynink .

think of thiss'' And he took from
his pocketbook folded sheet OF note
paper and handed it to the judge.
He read slowly:
My DARLING MAY-I got to the Point all safe
II the night and leave for the coast early IN li,o
morning. will send for you and tho iittie
ore in q few weeks The sheriff managed 10
ewing me, but it Is nothing serious; 1o"
affectionate husband, W. u is
The Judge looked keenly at his
visitor. "Wellf"
"This is your writing, I believeS"
The Judge nodded.
"And the initials of your name
form the signature. Now, what do
you suppose would happen if l
showed that note to Senator Holts"
For reply the lawyer quickly tore
it into small bits and tossed them
into the fire.
"Oh, that's all right!" said the
ether cheerfully. "You surely don't
suppose that 1 was big enough fool
to give you the original, do youS
That was a copy-tracing paper, you
know. Now, judge'-and he drop
ned his bantering tone-"come down
to business. You don't want Sena-
tor Holt to see that note. Give me
$40, 600, and in "a hours the note
shall be in your possession, and !
will be out of the way.
.'Pshaw, man. said the lawyer
contemptuously, don't be fooll
Don't you suppose that note like
chat can be explained away9 If your
woman = what's her name, May
Robbins?--ha any documents, bring
chem out, and / may talk to you,
out in the meantime ! intend to see
that you work out your term in the
penitentiary."
"But you acknowledge your writ
ingg" asked the stranger, ignoring
the threat.
eyes, Iwrote that note, but if you
know anything about it at all you
know that i wrote it for that gentle
manly thief and all around scoun-
drel, Harry Roberts, after the sher-
iff had shot him through the hand
and he could not write for himself. .
His visitor lighted fresh cigar
and pazed calmly up to the ceiling.
Judge" he said, II hardly ex-
pected you to give in just because OF
that note, but I thought might ais
well try it at frst-just as a 'feeler,
you might say. Now listen to me.
We are alone here. No one is around
to listen. / never like to bluff
when hold good hand. So I am
going to make honest confession,
and if my soul don't profit by it
maybe my pocket will. I know as
well as you do that that woman is
not your wife, but l must have mon
ey, and 1 wouldn't hesitate to swear
that she is. Harry Roberts, who
afterward married her, saved your
life when you first came out to that
country, a 'tenderfoot. So when he
got in trouble and had to skip out he
came up to your cabin ON the Point
with his hand all smashed to film
ders, and you felt called on to write
that note to his wife for him and to
help him out of the country He was
caught, however, and hung after
ward, SO he is out of the way.
"Now the case stands this way; l
am -tolerably we'll educated man
myself, and it was no great trouble
for me to take Mays marriage Ger
tificate and make William Henry
Roberts read William Herndon Rich
ards. If you remember May, you
know she is unscrupulous. l had a
friend in the clerks Office, and l
managed TO get in there and change
the license the same way. So you
see we have documents a-plenty.
You'll give me the 5000 before
noon tomorrow or will show your
note to Senator Holt and commence
legal proceedings to compel you to
provide support for your wife, nee
Robbins. -
The Judge was mad clear through
now, and he rose up and started for
his visitor with blood in his eye.
The stranger sprang behind the ta-
BILE.
easy, now," he cried, "or I'll
let you have it through the pocket. :"
And the lawyer saw that he was
grasping pistol in the side pocket
of his coat. He was by no means a
coward, but he did not care to run
against pistol bullet He took his
seat again.
"That's BETTER commented the
stranger. "There is no need of vio-
lence in this matter. l hope. l don't
want to hurt you. just cool down a
little and consider my proposition
for few minutes: then tell rae what
YOU think of it..
81 don't have to consider to tell
you that you are the most unmiti-
gated liar and .scoundrel unhungl"
said the judge, keeping his temper
with difficulty. "But l don'tsuppose