Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-06-08

.lade q speech, referring to Ridgrave's
wonderful powers Of invention (better
than he thought, by the Way, and
then saw Miss W%instone lean over
md whisper in his ear.
Ladies' and gentlemen" continued
Sir Arthur, Miss WinstCne has just
suggested to me- and l agree with her,
that we should raise a subscription to
aid Mr.. Ridgrave in protecting and per-
fecting his patents and incidentally
form the nucleus Of a company-Shall
l call it Mars Wireless LimitedT' She
has generously handed me a check for
Mr.. Ridgrave for 100000 and l ask
any gentleman here who would like to
get In now OF the g%roundest of ground
floors to come In right now. l take
pleasure (stopping to fill out a check)
after the request Of SO charming a
young lady as Miss Wlnstone in hand
Ing Mr.. Ridgrave my check as we'll for
100000 %(cheers), and now l ask III
mutual friends, Mr.. Whlmple and Mr..
Stlffenheimer, II they won't come in"
You just bet l WILL" said Mr. Whim-
DTSl 1 luhS All uillllShly lhlSlSSS III
science. Here's my check for 100000.
provided you'll make me the first pres
ident Of the company. | see big money
in 1t. We might work up a fine bust
ness with that ere flying orb If We can
once bust the ether with an airship.'
After this, Stiffenheimer and several
others "chipped In" and MARS Wire
less" on paper was an accomplished
fact, with arrangements for the first
regular meeting for the appointment
Of officers to be held in London on the
following week.
The excitement was at Its height
when we reached the Mersey and soon
after locked.
The Ya1ed partings took place, espc.
cially tender as between Miss W%ipstone
and Sir Arthur Bentham and Mr.. Whim-
pie.
Professor Loflin stroked his beard
m%editatively and then proceeded:
Well! There's not much more to re.
late. Wonderful double-leaded headers,
'Wlreless to Mars" and so forth, ap.
peared in the dailies next day in Liver
pool, London and elsewhere, from par
ticulars most likely furnished by some
Of the officers Of the Smeltic, or her
passengers, but. as you know, from the
night they landed until l got the letter
you called to see neither Miss Win.
stone, the charming California heiress,
nor Mr.. Tom Ridgrave, the wireless
operator, have ever been seen again.
The Professor opened a small locked
cabinet and produced a letter enclosed
In an envelope with a Japanese stamp.
This Is what It says 1t Is written
from Nagasaki.
"Nry Dear Professor-For the sake
of old friendship, as l lie dying, having
been mortally wounded by a splinter
from a Russian shell, l must write you
a few lines. That Mars business was
all a put-up Job. l was hard up and
I ana Galena wanted to marry-we
had waited long enough. It was her
idea. She posed as an heiress, got the
young millionaires on board interested
while 1 worked the fake messages. I
had some answers all ready, but broke
connections as soon as the nswer
were not likely to suit. Galena and l
met in London, cashed the checks Cher
own was bogus, Of ~eourse) and raked in
over $75O,OOO. We crossed over to
Paris disguised, and for two years all
went we'll, when my wife died, leaving
me miserable. I gave most Of the re-
naming money to charities and came
out here as a war correspondent, being
known as Tom Ridley. The doctor tells
me my days are numbered, and so l
write to say goodbye
"Good-bye old friend, and forgive.
tom RIDGRAVE."
On the envelope, signed by a Japan
csc doctor, are these words:
mr.. Ridley died yesterday."-Mon-
treal Family Herald.