Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-28
HIS CLEVER SCHEME.

sorts. and the usually placid hotel clerk
was stunned for the moment at the daz-
cling appearance of j. Wilton.
II shall want a small desk paced in
my room, pens, ink and plenty CT paper
remarked the new guest, carelessly.
Yes. SIR replied the clerk. Hope
you will like the room, sir! Lots of peo-
pie commencing to come in!'
The young man youschafed no reply,
but left the hotel and proceeded to the
village postotfice, where he rented "A
private box for the season, making ar
engagements with the postmistress to de-
liver all mail addressed to that box to
him..
J. Wilton was a very mysterious indi-
vidual, and the hotel clerk was a maj
Wilo-had read A. Conan Doyle extensively
and considered himself a sort of amateur
Sherlock Holmes.
AS the season advanced the clerk was
astounded at the immense amount OF
letter paper and envelopes used by j.
Wilton Brugglss. and on more than one
occasion commented to himself: THAT
young fellow must think the Seabreeze
Hotel owrs a paper MILL" Blu as j..
Wilton always paid his bills the clerk
said nothing aloud. Every evening
Bruggles visited the village postoffice
and came back loaded with mail. He then
worked long into the night at his desk.
ana tle iIotcl IldIi DoA "do HllSu VIII
letters next morning. all addressed to
females in various cities. each one writ
ten in q different style Of penmanship:
The hotel clerk decided to investigate,
and ordered Maggie Donahoo, one of the
chamber1naids. to bring him any loose
scrap OF paper that might be found in
Bruggles' room. The ext morning Mag
gle approached the clerks desk and with
a giggle laid a crumpled piece Of paper
before him..
"Oi found ut in tn washte bashkit!"
she remarked.
The clerk commended Maggie highly
and carefully smoothed out the sheet Of
letter paper. He then read the follow
! ing, written in a delicate female hand:
Cape May, June 16.-My Dearest Mar
guerite: ] have but a few moments to
write to you before / retire. l am pleas
! antly situated here and the weather is
delightfully."- cool. Met a French count
in the dater today, and do so wish you
were her, as l think your style of beauty
would make quite an impression on him.
l don't really care much about him my
self know SO many. Have acquired
some of the dearest freckles you ever
saw. Am so sorry you cannot come, but.
of course. it cannot be helped: your papa
is so poor. Your dearest friend,
JANET"
The d~umhfounded clerk gazed at the
letter. which bore the date of a day dur
ing the week previous, in silence for a
few moments. and then unused:
well this certainly staggers me!
What's that fellow up to, anyhow? I'll
have to inform the police!!"
Before he had time, however. to execute
his plan the porter entered the rotunda
bending under the weight Of a havy Sara
toga trunk. A young lady, a new arrival,
entered a moment after and was shown to
the parlor. The clerk proceeded to the
room and found the newcomer buried in
an armchair gazing at the frescoed CELL
ing. She was Il charming little blonde
and becoming aware of his presence, she
lisped:s @a. .'. .E - ia, 49,
Marguerite Bjones is the name. Please
write it on the register. And inform my
friend. Miss Janet Smythe, that l have
arrived"
n one stopping at this hotel by that
name said the clerk.
"What?' said the young lady. "This is
the Seabreeze Hotel, is it not? There
must be some mistake! She has been
stopping here for the past month! See,
here is a letter she wrote me last week."
And, in her excitement, the young lady
handed the clerk a neat little epistle, the
exact counterpart of the one he had just
read, telling OF the French count and the
freckles. The urbane clerk soon soothed
; the young lady as we'll as he could and
informed her he woui find Miss Smythe,
if possible. He then assigned her to a
room and sailed forth to the office of the
village marshal.
"Ha" said the marshal, when he had
heard the story. 1.-THE me is doubtless
some deep-deyed william. Come home
with me while l change my shirt! ! al
ways wear a white shirt while making an
arrest"
A half hour later the marshal, the clerk
and the fair Marguerite stood before the
door of j. Wilton Bruggles' apartments
Come in" yelled Bruggles. in response
to the m%arshaIs authoritative knock, and
they entered. Bruggles was seated at
his desk opening a pile of letters.
IT arrest you'll" said the marshal, dra-
matically.
What for?" asked J. Wilton, who
seemed not at all impressed.
For er-burglary, or er-bigamy, OF
emmy old thing!~, Ennyhow, you're under
arrest, young man." =
the jig is UP, and an explanation is in
order.
II, sir. nave lone nothing to make my
self amenable to the LAY I am simply
an agent at present working out a scheme
1 perfected last winter. AS you know
there are many females in the interior
of this country who wish to spend the
summer at the seashore, but who cannot
as they have not the money for the eX-
penses.
Hundreds Of them go to the country
spend q few weeks, acquire a coat of tar
and freckles, and then return home and
announce to their friends that they havt
been at the seashore.
by assiduous labor I have acquired 9
large clientele Of this class of young
ladies, who each pay me IS cents pei
week. The business was strictly conf
l dnnttnl naIna- On hnra- ,11t IL Ut fbie