Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-04-08

way which l was able to point out and
even in part to trace by actual markings.
thus taking the place of his double who
then crept out as Bitters had come in. re-
turned TO town. packed up his belongings
in the hotel and fed.
The resemblance of the double TO Btters
had been strong enough to permit of this
deception at the distance Of the arbor
from the veranda. but would not have
sufflced for the fraud at the bank.
When Mr.. Brandon had heard my story
and had hastily verified a part of ii his
natural impulse was to give Colewyn
chance TO defend himself but as we were
about to summon him Mrs. Brandon
broke in upon us. having overheard so
much that the remainder could not be
concealed.
Mrs. Brandon at first supposed that !
was attacking the validity of Lord Cole
wyns title--that l was trying to prove
him bogus lord. Such had been her
own first fear in regard to him: he had
seemed too good to be true"
So she had taken shrewd measures to
assure herself of Lord Colewyns genuine
ness and In this crisis she overwhelmed
me with proofs of 1t.
In vain l protested that his title and
my accusation had nothing to do with
each other. Mrs. Brandon seemed inca
pabe of perceiving the possibility that a
real lord could do wrong. The scene was
fast becoming hysterical and Mr.. Bran
don wisely broke it off and went In search
of Colewyn. Tom and l led Mrs Bran
don to the darkest and quietest spot on
the veranda, and in a few minutes Ethel
came flying around an angle of the house.
Mother" she cried. Something dread
full has happened! Father has taken Lord
Colewyn up to the sewing room
'"Tha sewing room ephnad Mrs Rra N =
don
THE house Is overrun," said the girl.
ut was the only place where they could
be alone. Tell me-
But her mother had sunk into a chair
and seemed incapable of speech. Ethel
turned to Tom, but l couldn't stand by
and see that happen. Telling that story
would not help Tom in his lovemaking
afterward, for girls have an Indian s
memory of those that hurt them 1t SEEM
ed much better that she should have a
dsagreeable recollection of me, and so l
deftly got in Toms way and began my
painful task.
/ was interrupted by dull. heavy
sound that seemed to be directly over my
head. l paused looking upward.
They're up there" said the girl, point
ing.
Tom" 1 cried, do you know the
way?'
Before he could reply there was a sound
of shuffling feet, and then figure swung
into view from the edge of the veranda
roof and dropped to the ground.
"Colewyn!" l exclaimed. He didn't
take that plunge for nothing"
Both Tom and l sprang to the veranda
rail, but all was In deep shadow on that
side. and we could not tell which way
Colewyn had gone. In an instant we both
were over the rail. The fugitive had TAX
en- no harm from his fall of fully twenty
feet and had made off.
For perhaps a seconds space We stood
baified, and then a great flare OF light
struck sharply across the darkness. The
whole space between us and the. arbor,
with its background of trees and bushes,
was brilliantly illumined, and in the midst
of this expanse was Colewyn running as
If for his life.
mighty chorus of yels from beyond
the house told us the cause of the well
come light. The fireworks display had
begun with an enormous ''set piece show
Ing the American eagle sketched In white
fire, and in the light Of this glorious bird
of freedom | ran down the fleeing British
er without difficulty. 1t is no great feat
for trained runner to overtake man
Who has never given special study to that
exercise. A nice, easy tackle brought
Colewyn's nose and the soil Of my native
| land into close touch with each other, and
then Tom came up and helped me lead the
taptive back to the house.
There we learned that the Interview be-
tween the noble lord and his prospective
father-in-law had ended with a threat of
criminal prosecution, whereupon Colewyn
had struck down the white haired old man
with a somewhat remarkable weapon-one
of those long. round needle cushions stuff
ed with emery powder. an ideal sand club.
The blow stunned him. but inflicted no
lasting injury-that is 1t inflicted no
lasting injury upon Mr.. Brandon, but 1t
smashed Miss Ethels ideal of an English
lord into ten thousand pieces Mrs. Bran
| IONS fear of scandal saved Colewyn from
Jail, and he departed from that house
| forever that evening. --