The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-10-27

The first direct communication be-
tween Robert and any member of the |
household took the form of note |
which Celia received one afternoon in /
August. 1t ran as follows:
Dear Cella-I am in terrible mess OF
trouble-under arrest and all that. You
will get a better story from the evening
papers than l can write, for. upon my
word, l don't yet understand it myself |
Worthington Winslow accuses me Of
something. but whatever it is I didn't do
it I want you TO trust me and believe in
me, yet that is not what 1 am going to
ask of you.
Don't let my grandfather hear of this.
1 have been trouble enough to him heav-
en- knows why or how. but l have. /
don't want to add this TO it. | hear that
he is i'll and confined to his room. At his
age there is danger that even a slight ill
ness may take fatal turn. and / wish
that he might go to his rest-if he must
go now-Untroubled by any further cares
on my account. Please do your best.
DR.. Kirby will help you. ROBERT.
Celia ran out to get the afternoon pa
pers, but they contained nothing about
young Mr.. Walbridge When she had
satisfied herself of this she hurried TO
DR.. Kirby's office and laid the matter
before him.
Even at that early date Kirby's self
interest would have prompted him to
permit the disclosure of this news to
Mr.. Durland and secure the disinher-
itance of Robert and his final Danish
ment from the house Kirby was al
ready in love with Celia, though lie had
as yet no more than hint of the burn
~ FnI Ii.
heart. OF course he promised to assist
her, for he could not set himself up as
one of the enemy. 1t was better to be
on her side and fail with her. Failure
seemed certain to him at that time. for
there was no news which Mrs. Rcbecca
Durland would more gladly carry to
her father-in-law than the story of Rob-
ert Walbridges disgrace.
However, the most terrible thing
about Mrs. Rebecca was her own New
England conscience, and Kirby had
faint suspicion of this truth. 1t was at
least possible that he could frighten
her into silence, and this should be
great service to Celia, who was doubly
anxious to obey the instructions of the
lC1tcl, ulSl. btNduSt she hlOl uOl WISH
to see Robert cut off from his inner
itance, and, second. because she truly
believed that the shock of such news
might kill MI Durland.
The result of this situation was
conspiracy between Celia and Kirby,
by means Of which Mr.. Durland WAS
kept for more than a month in ignO-
rance of the fact that his grandson was
under arrest Kirby succeeded in
frightening Mrs. Rebecca Durland. and
she controlled such other members of
the household as might have had an
interest in bearing the story into the
room to which the patient was con
fined during this period.
Circumstances greatly assisted the
plot The news of Walbridge's arrest
was withheld from the newspapers
through the exercise of mysterious in
tluences. 1t was a political affair in
one sense and was buried SO cleverly
that Kirby had great difficulty in get
ting at the facts.
1t appeared that a political cOntribu-
ton in the form of a check for $4,000
had been drawn as usual to the order
of the bearer" This had come into
the care of WOrthington Winslow, an
important parsonage at the headquar-
tiers of his party. 1t was through
Winslow's pull" that Walbridge OBJ
tanned his position, and he acted as u
minor assistant to that exalted individ-
ual. BY means of the opportunity
thus afforded he obtained possession
of the $4,000 check cashed it at the
bank and gave the money to n confed-
crate waiting outside. Then he re-
turned to the political headquarters.
where he was subsequently arrested.
This was the accusation in the rough
If Walbridge had made any defense
Kirby could not learn what it was
His lawyers advised absolute silence
and told Kirby that if he was Wal
bridges friend he couldn't do better
than to let the whole matter alone.
1.-The man who drew that check
said they, won't let this case come to
trial. Even If the money doesn't show
up Walbridge will be released in a lit
tie while. It's in the interests of both
sides that this case should be on the
quiet"
Kirby conveyed this view to Celia.
and, though she ragged against it and
protested her confidence in Roberts
innocence, she did not know what else
to do. The case remained strictly ION
the quiet as the young mans law
yers had expressed it, and Robert was
buried in the city prison as if it had
been the old bastile. His name, how
ever, remained in his grandfather
will, set opposite a sum decided upon
in the days of the closest affection be-
tween them.
Mr. Durland was no better in health,
and for all that Kirby knew he might
be worse. Kirby had had very scanty
experience with patients of advanced
age. He was assiduous and sincere in
his efforts. He pretended 20 under
stand everything, to have foreseen ev-
erythlng, to be prepared for every
thing, but in reality he was sorely puz-
zled. He should have called in a more
experienced physician, but he dared