Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-01-26
".
a Millionaire's Friends.

Directly l vas inside the house saw
Dry handed me a letter from Lawford:
Dear Captain Wood-When l left you
In Piccadilly, / ran up against some
friends who are much set upon max
ing you acquaintance. They are the
duke and duchess of TERRA Sagrada.
He Is a Spanish don, h an American
beauty; Susette Bywater they called
her in New York, where she and her
family were well acquainted with your
uncle, Mr.. McFaught.
Won't you come to the opera tonight
to be introduced to the duchess2 They
beg me to say n their box Is No.
PA, upon the pit tier, where they will
be entirely delighted to receive you.
Send back a line at your earliest con-
v%enience and oblige, our very faith
fully, Rufus w. Lawford.
/ had no engagements that night but
q couple OF balls, for neither OF which,
after my disappointment In the park,
l vas now very keen. Besides, | had
no wish to be very late that night. /
saw on my table al official box
straight from the office and knew
that it contained the great scheme for
the attack on New York, which was
referred to me for examination and re-
port. | meant to give ii my best at
tention in the early morning hours
llchlh dy anu 81 plDIlllStu lily oClI W SCI
to bed betimes. A little good music
would soothe me, l thought, so ] wrote
q few lines accepting the invitation
and proceeded to dress.
1t was then, as | stood before the
window that gave n view or the
street, / caught a glimpse of the
same forlorn creature looking up at
my house. Wa it mere accident?
After what | had heard that day the
smallest matter all still unexplained
assumed n certain Importance.
When ! left the club after dinner, my
shadow" was still there. He sank
slowly and, as | thought, reluctantly
out Of sight as | entered the hanson
and told the cabby to drive to Covent
Garden. Remembering Mr.. SnuyZer's
communication but a few hours before,
this espionage caused me some uneasi-
ness. Yet ii was done so clumsily that
L half believed the fellow wished rather
To attract than escape my notice. OF
this l had oon a clear proof.
When | alighted from the cab just
short of the colonnade approach of the
opera house, l saw him, heard him,
just at my elbow, having transferred
himself there by the same mysterious
process hat brings n trout all the way
from a railway station TO your front
uOOf 10 unload the luSSaSe
Don't take any more cabs, gov'nor,'
he whispered hoarsely in my ear, and
next moment he was gone. Who had
sent him in such a roundabout way to
tell me this? Who, indeed, had set
him on to watch me? 1t must have
been a friend, of course, and l CAV the
credit to Mr.. SnuyZer. They were evil
IDENTIFY smart people, Messrs. Saraband
IL Sons, when there was Il chance of
business coming their way.
The night was not over yet-a night
OF dark doings and unexplained mys-
teries, all of which seemed to center in
me. ! could not quite ~believe-why
should I?-that the scraps Of converse
ton / was now to overhear referred 10
me. And yet, had l been gifted with
second sight-had /. indeed been more
alive TO the warning / had received
l might have been spared much misery.
But l am anticipating.
When | reached the opera the act
drop was down, and / thought to cast
a look at the house before l made my
way to the box where | was hidden.
My hosts We're strangers, and l rather
wished to see Lawford first. that he
might present me TO them in due form.
SO ! entered by one of the side ways
into the stalls and stood there watching
the audience for q time.
In the midst of this | became sud
denly aware that q pair of bright eyes
were fixed upon me from another di-
rection, and i saw hat i was an object
Of interest--more of a passing interest,
perhaps-to a we'll dressed, charming
woman in a box on the pit tier.
Then suddenly Lawrord touched me
on the back, saying:
"Oh, oh! So you are here. Come right
along. Let me present you to the
duchess. She's nightly set upon see
ing you" and he led the way along the
corridor to the box No. PA.
AS we got close to it / saw the door
was ajar and | was attracted by the
sound Of voices talking Spanish. which
I knew. Lawford held me back, pos
sibly fearing to be indiscreet and to
intrude upon some family quarrel.
What was said did not impress him,
perhaps, for i think he did not under
stand Spanish. The voices were raised
high enough to be plainly audible to
any n outsids--a mans coarse. harsh