Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-04-17
cs,yrss,, i,.s. By ROBrsT Bozsrs's soss
CHAPTER XVI.

about his calm bearing, MS mute NJ
ceptance OF his fate. that to me was
sacred. HIS waite hand scarcely
trembled ns he carried match to his
cigar. even after he must have been
convinced that his race was run.
His face was ashen. and the hand
some mouth was set firm and white.
After the preliminary announce
ment of cur discoveries. which he ac-
ccpted with a sad bow OF his aristo-
cratic head. said:
II have here. Graylscourt. the
sworn statements Of the man who was
supposed to have killed Alice Gravis-
court. thc man who was hired TO XIII
Mia Bar.otti. and the man who saved
the child from the numbering physi-
elan. Shall read them. or do you
place yourself In the hands OF the law
without further agony"
Proceed he said quietly.
With n voice shaking with emotion.
! read to him the statement OF Antonio
SIgmotta. During the reading he sat
finished. he raised glass OF wine to
perfectly motionicss. and when ! had
his lips. firmly replaced the glass ON
the table. and sat waiting.
Proceed" he said. as paused
the next"
Then I read the statement Of Luigi
Dambo. and sun the doomed man sat
perfectly calm. the ashon pa.loE OF his
face and hands being the only indIca.
tlons OF the awful tumult that must
have been in hia brain.
When I had finished this he dralned
the glass again. ard again sat wait.
ing.
Proceed" he FaId. and this time
there was n distinct snccr In his voice.
There Ia anothcr-that II my friend.
Charles siEmo;ta"
BEGAN To read. Charles SIsmo,ta's
statement vas as follows:
Il. Charles sIgmotta. otherwise
known aS Tortoni. tae druggist. bcin.
duly sworn. do say and declare that
the following statement IL absolutely
true:
\ have listened TO the statements
of my brother. Antonio. and i.uiri
Dambo. and I confess that all that Ia
In them concerning myself Ia abso.
lutoly true.
i was tho familiar friend OF Ralph
Graviscour,. who. as Is well known.
vas n poor man with expensive tastes
and heavily In debt. when. by tho
heath OF his brother. he became the
guardian of the child Alice. and the
executor Of his brothers viii. By this
win. In case Of the death Of Alice be.
fore marrying. Ralph GrayIScourt be-.
came sole heir TO the fortune OF mil
lion.
''irc at once plotted to &c, rid of
the child. and my own financial ncccn.
stiles made me willing accompiIcc.
for the terms he offered were liberal.
'rac plan was this: I had n child
who had died of smaiipoS-a child OF
po.E Italian parents. who gladly con.
scntcd when l offered To take her
away and bury her without expense to
them. I took this child to Gravis.
courts house. and took the real Alice
GFaviscoust away. nrst giving her
powerful drug. which expected would
XIII her. Our reasons for making this
substitution were that GrayiEcourt
feared that some of the friends OF hIs
brother and his wife would demand to
see Ia. body. and II II were known
that she died Of smallpox. this curl.
oHity would no doubt be Htincd: and
then again. Il provided against n pub.
lie funeral and viewing Of the corpse.
And the child substituted was 40
strongly marked by the foul disease
that one look would convince the mos,
curious and satisfy all misgIvings.
But there was no trouble. Tao
Italian child was buried as Alice Ora.
yIscourt. and what followed with the
real hcircss II truthfully told In my
brothers statement. though up to the
advent Of Malignl's circus both GravIs.
court was Mt the bottom OF the East
river.
"GraviHcourt came to me In great
alarm one day aud said that n Girl who
closely rcsemblcl his brothers wife
was an actress in MaiiEnfs circus. and
demanded to know more about the dis.
position had made OF Alice. rcas!'
surcd him and said that the likeness
sas merely coincidence. and 30
.rmly believed. knew that my
brother had claimed to have daugh.
EfF ANltts uNt utNfi III" NNAs anu INV
understand why he so carefully kept
her out OF my way.
when Gravlscourt had gone. got
to thinking over the matter. and my
curiosity was aroused. and I went to
the circus to see Nita. my brothers
child. I was stirred by the striking re.
semblarcc she bore to the wife of
Charles Graviscourt. and sought Ma.
iigni to learn more OF her. Maligni
told me how Antonio had given her to
him. and seemed to attach no impor.
tancc to my visit But Il seems that
he had neglected TO read the contents
of the rcd box. having no interest in
il. until aroused his curiosity.
The next day Graviscourt came
again. and said that Maligni had Wis.
tied him and claimed to have proofs
that Nita Earlotti was his niece. oven
going so far as to tell OF the box aad
its contepts.
"Maligni had demanded one hun.
drcd thousand dollars for his silence.
and Grayiscourt promised II TO him II
he would kill the girl. This Maligni
refused to do. saying he intended to
marry her Grnviscourt insisted that
make good my former efforts. and