Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-12-31

every gaze was rlVcte1 on mat iOEe-
ly, resoIute face, from whose death
like ~whiteneSs her great eyes flashed
and glittered like star gof azure fame.
"He was successful-this honorable
gentleman" amt now her full tones
echoed down the long room clarion
clear In their fierce. fne scorn-suc
cessful In hunting down, by blacklist
falsehood and most Infamous persecu-
ton. q helpless giri-sHccessfui In
driving her. homeless, friendless, pen
niless. adrift In London.
We'll. for awhile she fought against
fate; she stroye. resisted. struggled
for awhilel Then she surrendered,
and turned her back on the great city,
one thought ,one hope. one impulse
urging her on.
Weary. desolate. desperate. she
went forth to seek. not CHI rity, not re-
venge. not even justice-only peace
at her fathers grave! But ere she
could reach 1t that haven OF rest. the
blindness of illness darkened her sight.
and she fell at your gates"
M A1tLG was u ElhGGAV hAQ &lDANAO IN
Quence In the words which moved her
hearers strangely.
Ny lady half rose from her seat, q
faint glow creeping into her face. but
she sank back at the sound of Cuth-
bert Bracken's voice.
That was very prettily and piausi.
bly, told. But 1t was an extremely
idealistic view of a very common case.
This is essentially the same story,
shorn OF its veneer OF sentiment and
inaccuracy!"
There was q silence almost painful
among the small circle OF auditors,
who held their breath to listen
"On board the Dolphin, bound for
America, there were among others,
my stepfather's OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
renee L~isle-that oma and myself"
cit is falsel" Laurie cried out, We
hemently. sit"
o Pardon me! did not interrupt
you: / win not be Interrupted by yod!
WELL" resuming his recital, the ship
went down, and the last face ! saw
against that background OF fame was
the face OF Laurence Isle. In the
same boat with me. and rescued by the
same vessel, was the young girl OF
whom I have spoken. an intimate
friend and companion she OF Mis-
Lisle. The dead child had confdca TO
her every incident connected with her
past and concerning her future.
'Knowing tEis. and knowing, too.
how frequently OF late were frauds rel
ative to identity perpetrated. ! re-
solved. on my return to England, TO
warn Mr. .Atherton's solicitor. iInme-
diateiy on landing I carried out my in
tention. and soon after ! was shocked
10 learn OK the death Of my dear step
father. who loved me az his on.
Nov I said to myself, since that
famous Tichbourne trial, bogus claim
ants are numerous. My legal friends
would do well TO remember my warn
ing. I may be doing the girl an In
justice. but | instinctiyely mistrust
her.
"My suspicious proved correct. Well
stocked with family Information, she
did present herself Is Laurence Ligic.
met d~eservedly with no recognition.
This was the cruelty against which
yonder lady 40 dramatically protests!"
Silence.
Inyoluntarily, and with o swift re-
vulsion OF feeling against the accused.
they remembered her intense secrecy
and reserve while at Blackcastle-thc
name she had given when she could
have had no reason for ~concealing that
other which she now claimed.
More than aIl-and 1t REQUIRED to
their minds with a startling and per-
emptory sense OF conviction-the
strange terror and dismay she had
manifested at the sound of Cuthbert
Rracken's name, and the deadly faint
ness which had overwhelmed her.
But they could not move, or STIR, or
speak, II a life depended on sound or
action, so completely had they been
paralyzed by this queer and most pain
full scene
@This Is my story. realistically toldi"
sTt Is a Iie!" the girl flashed out,
desperately--"a most wicked and cow
srdIy liei wait-you shall hear me
outl" and now 4 strength superb. how
ever short-lived, seemed to animate
and revivify her. II was the only wom-
an on board the Dolphin. with the cx
ception Of my friend and companion.
Mrs. Gray. She died on the vessel
which bore us back to L~ondon--dled
from exhaustion and exposure. This
and more I will prove. The ship was
the Neptune. Its captain and crew can
testify to the fact that while with
them. on our backward voyage. tho
sailors OF the Dolphin spoke OF me-
goa addressed meas Miss Isle.
Their testimony shall yindicate mel"
He laughed out. jeerlngly.