The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1905-10-26
MQuhkgCk, h|e LMFlQna.
By SEWARD w. HOPKINS,
Author Of "Jack Robbins Of America 'Is thu
China Sea-" Two Gentlemen Of
Hawaii '.On q False
Charge" Etc.
Copyright, 1895, BY Ronzar Boxx,,'. sozA
CHAPTER XVI.

the man, put all our conversation into
this chapter. There was something
about his calm bearing, his mute ac.
ceptance of his fate, that to me was
sacred. His white hand scarcely
trembled as he carried a 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 our discoveries, which he &C.
cepted with a sad bow of his aristo.
cratic head, I said:
Il have here, Graviscourt, the
worn statements of the mar who was
supposed to have killed Alice Grayis.
court. the man who was hired to kill
Mia Barlotti, and the man who saved
the child from the numbering physi
clan. Shall l read them, or do you
place yourself in the hands of the law
without further agony?"
Proceed" he said quietly.
With a voice shaking with emotion.
read to him the statement of Antonio
sigmotta. During the reading he sat
finished, he raised a glass of wine to
perfectly m%otionless, and when l had
his lips, firmly replaced the glass on
the table, and sat waiting.
Proceed" he said, as I paused
"the next"
Then I read the statement of Luigi
Dambo, and still the doomed man sat
perfectly calm, the ashen pallor of his
face and hands being the only indica.
tons of the awful tumult that mus
have been in his brain.
When l had finished this he drained
the glass again, and again sat wait.
ing.
Proceed" he said, and this time
there was a distinct sheer in his voice.
There is another-that of my friend
Charles Sigmotta.'
began 10 read. Charles Sigmotta's
statement was as follows:
Il, Charles Sigmotta, otherwise
known as T%ortoni, the druggist, being
duly sworn, do say and declare that
the following statement is absolutely
true:
Il have listened to the statements
/ of my brother, Antonio. and Luigi
I Dambo, and I confess that all that is
i'll them concerning myself is abso
/ lutely true.
Il was the familiar friend of Ralph
G"ayiscourt, who, as is well known
was a poor man with expensive tastes
and heavily in debt, when, by the
death OF his brother, he became the
guardian of the child Alice. and the
executor of his brothers will. BY this
Will. in case of the death of Alice be.
fore marrying, Ralph Graviscourt be.
came sole heir to the fortune OF a mil
lion.
He at once plotted to get rid of
the child. and my own financial neces-
sites made me a willing accomplice,
for the terms he offered were liberal.
THE plan was this: l had a child
who had died Of smallpox child of
poor Italian parents, who gladly con,
scented when l offered to take her
away and bury her without expense to
them. l took this child to Gravis-
courts house, and took the real Alice
Graviscourt away, first giving her a
powerful drug, which l expected would
Kill her. Our reasons for making this
substitution were that Graviscourt
feared that some of the friends of his
brother and his wife would demand to
see the body, and if it were known
thai she died Of smallpox. this curl
OsitE would no doubt be stified: and
then again. it provided against a pub.
tic funeral and viewing of the corpse
And the child substituted was Sc
strongly marked by the foul disease
that II look would convince the most
curious and satisfy all misgivings.
But there was no trouble. The
italian child vas buried as Alice Ora
v%iscourt. and what followed with the
real heiress is truthfully told in IN!
brothers statement, though up to the
advent of Maligni's circus both Gravis
court and 1 believed that Alice Gravis
court was at the bottom of the Eas
river.
"Grayiscourt came to me in grea
alarm one day and said that a girl VIII
closely resembled his brothers wifi,
was an actress in Maligni's circus. an,
demanded to know more about the dis
position I had made Of Alice. | reas
sured him and said that the Likeness
a merely a coincidence. and so
firmly believed. | knew that IN,
brother had claimed to have a daugh
ter Nita, but l never saw her, and nov
understand why he so carefully KEEP
her out of my way.
When Graviscourt had gone. | go
to thinking yer the matter, and III
curiosity was aroused. and | went t
the circus to see Nita, my brother
child. l was stirred by the striking re
scmblance she bore t the wife O
Charles Graviscourt, and sought Ms
ligni to learn more of her. Malign
told me how Antonio had given her t
him. and seemed to attach no impol
lance to my visit. But it seems tina
he had neglected to read the content
OF the red box, having no interest il
it, until | aroused his curiosity.
"The next day Graviscourt cam
again, and said that Maligni had Wis
tied him and claimed to have proof
that Mia Barlotti was his niece, eve
going so far as to tell of the box an
it's contents.
"Maligni had demanded one hur