Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-09-18

nobody Is ever quite so clever as ne
imagines himself to be. Do you ever
make bad mistakes. Lord Littimer?"
Sometimes" Litt.mer said, with a
touch of cynical humor. "For instance,
/ married, some ear ago. That was
bad. Then i had a son, which was
worse"
AT one time you were fond OF your
family?"
well upon my word, o are the
only creature / ever met who has had
the audacity TO ask me that question.
Yes; I was very fond Of my wife and
son, and, God help me, j am fond OF
them still. / don't know why 1 talk to
you like this"
Il do" Chris said. gently. 1T is be-
cause, unconsciously, you yearn for
sympathy. And you fancy you are in
no way to blame; you imagine that you
acted in the only way consistent with
your position and dignity. You fancied
that your son was a vulgar thief. And
/ am under the impression hat Lady
Littimer had money"
she had a large fortune" Littimer
said, family. Miss Lee, do you know
that 1 have a great mind to box your
ears?"
Chris laughed u~nsteadiIy. She was
horribly frightened, though she did not
| show IT. She had been waiting for days
10 catch Littimer in this mood. And
she did not feel disposed to go back
now. The task must be accomplished
some time.
Lady Littimer was very rich" she
went on, land she was devoted to
Frank, your son. Now, if he had want
ed a large sum of money very badly,
and had gone to his mother, she would
have given il TO hin without the slight
est hesitation?'
What fond mother Wouldn't"
Il am obliged to you for conceding
the point. Your son wanted money,
and he robbed you, when he could have
had anything for the asking from his
mother"
Sounds logical" Littimer said, flip
PANTY. who had the money!"
The same man who stole Prince Ru-
pert's ring-Reginald Henson"
Littimer dropped his cigarette and
sat upright in his chair. He was keen
and alert enough now. There were
traces Of agitation on his face.
That is a serious accusation" he
said.
mo more serious than your u
ton against o u son." Chris retorte /.
well, perhaps not" Littimer admit
ted. But why do you take up Franks
cause in this way? Is there n ro-
nance budding under my unconscious
eyes?'
Now you are talking nonsense"
Chris said, with just a QUO Of color in
her cheeks. Il say, and / am going to
prove it when the time comes, that Reg
inald Henson was the thief. / am sorry
to pain you. but it is absolutely neces-
sar to go into these matters. When
those foolish letters, written by q fool
ish girl. fell into your hands. your son
vowed that he would get them back, by
force, If necessary. He made that rash
speech in the hearing of Reginald Hen
son. Henson probably lurked about un-
til he saw the robbery committed. Then
it occurred to him that he might do a
little robbery on his own account, see
ing that o u son would get the credit
of it. The safe was open; so he walked
off with your ring and your money"
My dear young lady, this is all mere
surmise."
$50 you imagine. At that time Regi-
maid Henson had a kind of home, which
he was running at 21S Brunswick
Square, Brighton. Lady Littimer had
just r~elinquished a similar undertaking
there. Previously Reginald Henson
had a home at Huddersfield. Mind you.
he didn't run either in his own name,
and he kept studiously in the back
ground. But he was desperately hard
up at the time, in consequence of his
dissipation and extravaganza, and the
money he collected for his home went
into his own pocket. Then the police
got wind OF the affair, and Reginald
Henson disctsetly disappeared from
Brighton just in time to save himself
from arrest for frauds there and at
Huddersield. A member of the Hud-
dersfeld police Is in a high position at
Brighton. He has recognized Reginald
Henson as the man who was wanted
at Huddersfield. I don't know If there
will be a prosecution after all these
years: but there o are"
You are speaking from authority"
Certainly / am. Reginald Henson,
as such, is not known to Inspector
Marley, but I sent the latter a photo
graph VI I1SuSOH, anu ne returned II
this morning, with a letter to the effect
that it was the sman the Huddersfield
police were looking for"
What IN interesting girl you are"
Littimer murmured. Always so full
of surprises. Our dear Reginald is even
a greater rascal than ! took him for
We'll, he took your money, and that
saved him. He took your ring, a fac
smile of which he had made before for
scrne ingenius purpose. 1t came with a
vengeance. Then Claire Carfax COM
mitted suicide, thanks to your indiscre-
ton and folly"
G. on. Rub 1t in. Never mind about
my feelings"
II am not minding." Chris said, cool
ly. Henson saw his game, and played
1t boldly. / could not cave told you all
this yesterday, but a letter / had this
morning cleared the ground wonderful
~. Henson wanted to cause family
differences, and he succeeded. Previ-
ously he got DR.. Bell out of his way by
means of the second Rembrandt. You
can't deny that there is a second Rem
brandt M v, seeing that it is locked up
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