Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-08-02

Dlsconb and faliel Ill love with ller.
Whether she returned his love or not
was the thing he WIS worrying over.
Harry stevens was Il New York sculp-
tor, and he had desired TO bring out 4
marble bust OF Miss hascomb and also
had fallen in love with her. AS 10
whether She would consent To be
''sculped" and marry him was mat
ter that gave him headaches. Both the
artist and the sculptor had sisters that
.ere friendly with Ruth Bascomb, and
tins was the general situation for the
playwright to build on.
The present situation was that Ruth
Bascomb's mother who was fairly
wealthy widow, had become possessed
of q house boat and had determined 10
float around Princess bay aud UP the
Shrewsbury river for month on 50.
Her guests were to be the artist ana
his sister and the sculptor and his sis
ter and two Or three other persons.
A day was appointed, tug engaged
to tow the house boat down New York
bay ana leave her Mt her first anchor
age, and al was going merriF when
tie villain hidden in the thicket show
ed his hand.
| IT always has been suspected that he
was a villain belonging 10 the same
| club as the artist and seslptor He
became aware of the house boat party.
ana out of pure devitry and from no
desire to see the sculptor get ahead OF
| the game he worked his little trick.
| The day before the boat was 10 sail
he fixed up Il telegram calling Harold
| Strong to Philadelphia to see about
| painting the portrait of millionaire.
| The artists return was indefinite.
| He knew that be was leaving rival
| behind him. and he knew that the Co
| lonial Dame, as the craft was called,
| would scarcely have come to anchor III
| the bay and the moon risen above the
waters when that cheeky sculptor
| would be talking soft nonsense to Ruth
| Bascomb, but the artistic spirit was
| strong within him.
| lie arranged with his sister to inter-
rupt If the sculptor tried to take advan-
| tage of the occasion Feeling himself
as secure as any man ever can feel
| where a woman Is concerned, he de-
| parted on his mission, and the stately
| Colonial Dame also departed on hers.
! Sometimes millionaire can be found
| sitting on his front steps and smoking
a fairly good cigar and waiting ID be
| interviewed Again he Is as elusive as
| the midnight mosquito. The one the
| artist sought was elusive. 1t took a
whole day to run him down, and when
he was finally brought TO bay his reply
| was:
confidence games on me If you want
to keep out of Jail. l didn't telegraph
you. ] want no painting of any sort. I
don't like the look of you. If you are
| honest, then some one has made fool
| of YOU: If you are a confidence man,
then try the first corner grocery"
| Harold Strong had been bunkoed. It'll
was only natural that he should believe
the game had been played by his rival
| He didn't wait to devour even a sand
wich before catching Il train for New
! York. For three hours IL sat in a,
| chair ear and murdered the sculptor
| He killed him in seven different ways
and was planning the eighth when he
| arrived Mt good sized town in Penn
| sylvania and was asked by the porter
| II he wished TO ston mere. He had got
| into Il car that had been switched off
at junction on to another road while
| he was doing the III irdering act :
1t was noon when the artist reached
| New York. 1t was o'clock before
he began his hunt for some craft to
take him down to Princess bay and lay
him alongside the house boat. The
sculptor had had one moonlight night
| in Which TO weave his net of romance
| around the victim. but he should not
| have another. The artist tried to char.
ter all sorts Of crafts, from an Albany
! day boat TO sand barge. but the after
noon wore away and night was coming
| on before he landed ut the foot of
! Thirty-ninth street, Brooklyn, and In
| ferviewed Captain links of the Merry
| Sal.
| can you charter me to find house
boat in Princess bay tonght?" repeat
ed Captain links rs he bent his head
| 10 scratch the back of his eek. Yes,
| sir J reckon you can If yoa've got
/ twenty dollar bill about you You've
| got schooner right here which is not
much to look at compared with some
schooners, but II there Is anything on
land or water that she can't pick M
I'd like TO see it, That's her great holt.
young manipulating mp things. There's
goin to be fog tonight as sure's you
live, but if ! don't hit that house boat
plumb center before midnight then III
never sing gospel hymns off Cape Hat
! teras a"'in' =
Harold strong closed with the offer.
The crew Of tue Merry Sal consisted
OF the captain and a lunkhead of a
young man aud hoy of ten who had
run away from home and was trying
life on the pillows. The captain look
ed upon the artist rs husband pursu-
Inc an clipping wife; the lunihead look
ed upon him ms an idiot for giving M
$50 when the captain would have TAX
en- $40. and the runaway hoy figured
II out that he was some sort OF gl'a fter
escaping from the police
The opinion Of The crew did not affect