Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-05-24
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE IMPOSTOR.


was heard OF at intervals for the next
three years, and then came the report
that be had been killed by natives
while on an expedition in the wilds.
One day the son who was supposed
| to be dead arrived home in the best OF
health He told a story of having been
| captured instead OF killed. OF having
been held a prisoner for years, of living
Crusoe life on an uninhabited island
| of the coast, OF putting TO sea at last
on a raft and being finally picked up
| adrift and brought home ia mer-
! chairman. The son was welcomed as
| one returned from the dead. OF course
| he had changed greatly In his looks.
| but after day or two his mother and
| father were perfectly satisfied as To his
| identity IL they had not been he was
prepared with plenty of proofs.
Day by day and hour by hour Arthur.
| the restored son, mentioned incidents
and adventures of his boyhood. often
calling up things long forgotten by par
| ents and neighbOrs. 1t was the same
| house, aud he was familiar with its
| rooms and its history. He remembered
| secret hiding place known only TO
mem bers of the family.
The son had been home six months
when his father died. All property
was left 10 Arthur by will. and he was
TO have the care of his mother as long
as she lived. A month after the funeral
| girl twenty years old named Annie
| Shaw returned 10 the place to visit her
III, a Inv
mate OF Arthur, hut her people had
| moved away some years before he
| went 10 Australia. She bad heard OF
the mans return and was much inter
ested. He called on her aud greeted
her with II great show OF cordiality.
At first she was puzzled. Then she
| WAS uncertain and annoyed. Then she
| became distrustful and suspicious.
| From her fifth TO her ninth birthday
she had seen Arthur almost every day,
and Of course hundreds of little Incl
dents had occurred. Out of the hun
dreds he could recall only two or three.
| After they had met three of four tunes
| the girl became satisfied that the man
| before her was an impOStor. True, he
greatly resemhled Arthur, but the stO-
ry that had satisfied so many others
| failed TO satisfy her. She found his
| memory at fault in many things, and
| day by day her suspicious grew.
| On a certain occasion when she was
| about six years old she had become
mired in II swamp when walking in
| the woods with Arthur. IT had taken
him half an hour 10 eXtricate her. ON
another occasion while they were pad
| ding about lake the boat had filed
with water and sunk under them, and
! both had nearly been drowned. Again.
pony had run away with her and
thrown her into roadside ditch. and
Arthur had carried her home on his
| back because Of her spraned ankle.
| She led up to these things aud many
| others in conversation, but he seemed
| totally ignorant OF them.
Miss Shaw was fully satisfied that
the man before her was a villain. but
| how TO unmaSk him was another mat
| ter. The mother and all the people
| about were satisfied that he was the
| long lost son. and anything said to the
| contrary would have met with ridicule.
The girl was very determined. hOwev
er, and she soon decided on u plan to
pave the way. There was all old wom-
| an living in the neighborhood who told
| fortunes. and she agreed TO extend her
aid. For the next month all people
| coming to her were given hint that
| Arthur Messmore was not what be
| claimed TO be. This soon caused talk
| for miles around. and the talk soon re
suited in dIstrust and suspicion. Some
Of the local papers picked the matter
up and declared that the mystery sur
| rounding young MeSsmore's death in
PARKWAY Australia had never been
properly cleared up. and so 1t came
about after three months that the law
yers took "a hand in the case.
The young man had kept posted as to
what was going on and had laughed all
talk 10 scorn His mother declared it
shame that his identity should be ques-
| toned, and when public opinion finally
forced an investigation she WAS on
hand to pledge her life that no mistake
had been made. The first hours inVes-
tigHtion proved her I'm the wrong. A
great gale had blown down huge
beech tree one night while Arthur was
yet a home, and i'm its fall il had killed
two dogs in their kennel. The suppos-
ed son could tell nothing Of the Incl
dent A score Of other things were call
ed up to test him. and he failed i'm all OF
them
1t was then found that he was ar
ranging To dispose OF all his property
aud fee the country. and he was taken
into custody until new investigation
could he made i'm Australia Bail was
given, and Arthur went back home, ac-
companied by his mother. She had
been made to doubt him, but she still
hoped that he would he able TO clear
himself
In the. course OF a month, without
having Teaped any particular benefit
from the property, he disappeared and
was never heard of again. new in
yestigation revealed the fact that the
true Arthur MessmOre was dead. but Ii
fastened no crime on the other. The
two had probably been ..chums'' for