The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-01-04

tnhC IL is partly correct. L nave llllIe
| fear that the police would NEEDLE with
| me at this late date, but l do not care
| to have the affair stirred up. l am will
| Ing to make fair financial arrange
ment with Saunders widow"
That was Il matter to be talked over
| at another meeting. l was bit sur
prised that Smallwood should give in
so quickly, but concluded that the Liv-
erpool affair was rather serious and
that like q man of sense he preferred
to part with couple of thousand soon
er than have 1t resurrected. He had
rooms over his office, and l was 70 sup
with him on the next evening but one
at 8 o'clock. and the matter Of restitu-
ton would be arranged. ] went to the
place appointed by Duff to meet him,
but he was not there. l had given him
my address, but he did not call on me.
AS matter of fact, l never saw him
again. After he had played his part
he vanished.
When made my third call on Small
wood, 1 was cordially received, and
while waiting for supper to he served
We CStlilS " til liz
to give me $4,000 for Saunders wild
ow, and 1 was to give him a receipt in
full. He grew sociable and jolly as
the affair was concluded, aud my glass
was no sooner empty than he pressed
me to drink again. OF a sudden things
began to whirl, and then came blank.
When recovered consciousness, 1t was
morning, and was lying on cot bed
in n strange room. My head b'lzZed
and racked, my throat was as dry as
paper, and as l rolled out of bed and
attempted to stand my knees gave way
and let me down. A strange man camn
to me and talked, and I was given
something to drink, but 1t was late in
the afternoon before my brain was
clear enough to understand things. AS
l sat uD on the edge Of the bed and
wondered what had happened and
where I was n quiet spoken man who
had the look of a doctor entered and
sat down beside me and felt my pulse
and said:
"Ynu will do now II you keep quiet.
Let me say for your encouragement
llipt SuSCo just 90 p'ii as yotiio navy
been cured in three months. The great
point is to avoid excitement"
Elm the first place, where am IT !
asked.
"In DIR. Colwelrs private lunatic
asylum" he replied.
"Who brought me here"
"Your friends. The loss Of your mon
ey in that Peruvian speculation unbal-
qnced your mind. You will be well
cared for here. and If you aid me as
you should your detention will not last
over three mouths"
81 see how 1t Is" I said as / looked
him straight in the eye. 81 am fndebt-
ed to Smallwood for this. He drugged
me and had me brought here that he
might have time to fix up his affairs
end skip. l demand my liberty this in
stantp'
"Come, come" he replied in a coax
ing way as he patted me on the Shout
der. II know no one named Small
wood. Your friends. In Beacon street
brought You here, and DR.. Henry made
out the papers. All was perfectly reg
ular. Let us have no excitement. Din
ner will be ready in half an hour.
Meanwhile think it over"
In that half hour | figured 1t out.
Smallwood had drugged and abducted
me. 1t might or might not be a private
insane asylum, but the man had surely
been bribed to hold me fast for n time.
If raised a row, it would be the worse
for me. If remained passive. l would
be set at liberty as soon as the money
lender left the country. | decided to
make the best Of things, and when the
doctor returned l was very quiet. The
two of us ate supper together in
small room and We're waited upon by
an old woman. He called me Mr.. Per
rine, and, according to his talk. | was
q member of q mercantile firm in Lon
don. Next morning was taken TO walk
in narrow garden surrounded by high
walls. | got sight of no other person,
nor could | make out what sort Of
place l was in. During the day I had
the use of a sitting room off my bed
room. 1t looked out on the rear yard,
and the windows were barred. | was
given plenty of reading matter, and the
doctor played chess with me. and TAX
en- altogether the time did not pass IN
pleasantly. In the three weeks | was
In the house saw only the doctor and
the old woman. At 8 o'clock one even
ing l was told that my cure was COM
plete aud ten minutes later was being
driven away from the building in
closed carriage. After an hours ride
was set down in a street In White
chapel, and had been backed by all
the police of London | could not have
found the house where had been held
captive. Smallwood had been gone
week-gone no one knew where. While
/ do not believe there was anything In
the Liverpool story told me by Duff,
the money lender was more afraid of
me than he need have been and had
played me q pretty little trick to give
himself time to settle up his affairs
and move on. l did not go to the police
officially, but did tell the story to a
detective on the quiet. How they
would have regarded 1t at Scotia nd
Yard may be judged from what the
officer said to me. At the end of the
story he winked and grinned and OBJ
served:
"What a race of natural born liars
you Yankees are"