Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-18
CHAPTER XIII.

{ .
 led to complications. The first was
 an obviously exaggerated report ant
 read as follows:
 TEXAN FATALLY INJURED.
 Mir. Richard Williams, son of the ia ! nous millionaire and cattle king of Sar 1 Antonio, Tex, was severely injured or | Sunday last in an automobile accident | He was taken to St. Luke's hospital l where our reporter called last evening | MT. Williams was too prostrated by the shock to be interviewed but We learr i from one in authority that the young mar | is suffering from concussion of the brain
 besides sustaining fracture of the shoul' der and internal injuries. The accident was due to the carelessness of an inex-
 perienced chauffeur, who gave his name as Peter Wilson, but whose address had
 not been ascertained up to a late hour last night. The police are making in quiries.
 The above paragraph chanced to
 catch the eye of a certain Mir Loger
 who had taken the morning train for Chicago. He was an intimate friend Of
 old Bill Williams and would have
 gone to look after the son himself ex.
 cept that urgent business necessitated
 the continuance of his journey west
 Mir Logger therefore wired his friend
 from Pittsburg, stating that Richard
 had been hurt and lay at the point of
 death in a New York hospital.
 On receiving this startling informa.
 ton the father became greatly agi.
 tated. He had not heard from Richard
 for several days and had begun to
 worry even before the receipt of MT.
 Loger's telegram. He wired at once to
 the St. Regis, where he knew his son to be stopping, and received an answer
 to the effect that Richard Williams
 Monday morning, though his dress suit case and other belongings were still in room No. 926, which had not
 been given up.
 Bill Williams, who loved his son as he loved no other being on earth, com. mitted the deep water harbor and i'm. provement business to his most trust. ed subordinate, although affairs had reached a critical stage, and started for New York on a special train.
 The other newspaper item appeared in the social column under the head of Gossip" It read as follows:
 On Friday evening of the present week an entertainment will be given in the beautiful country home of MT Jacob Renwyck, at Irvngton-on-the-Hud Among other features a little one act play will be presented entitled "The Man and the Bird" in which Miss Imogene Chittendon, one of the seasons most charming debutantes, will take the part of the bird, while the charming and accomplished Miss Renwyck will assume the leading role, wearing a costume or dered specially for the occasion and the famous Renwyck diamonds. The enter tainment. we understand. is given to a few intimate friends in honor of a dis tinguished guest. Lord George Fitz-Clar- ence de Courcy Howard, earl of Croyland. The affair promises to be an unusually brilliant one.
 This breezy but otherwise unremark- able item caught the attention of one Jack Bibbs, a gentleman possessed of much ingenuity, some varied expert. ence, quite a collection of aliases and passion for acquisition. He had re- ceived no invitation to the above men, toned social function, though he hoped to profit thereby in ways best known to himself.
 MT. Michael Corrigan, returning from a business meeting In the city, took the 12 o'clock train for Irtington and went into the smoker, where he seated himself and lighted short black pipe. the pet aversion of his refined broth. er-in-law, Jacob Renwyck, who visited most of his disgust upon his unfortu- nate wife. His business transactions in the city evidently pleased Uncle Mi chaeI vastly, for that gentleman kept chuckling to himself and rubbing his plump white hands in the manner of one upon whom good fortune has de- scended suddenly.
 After a time his attention was ar- rested by two men on the seat Oppo- site him. They were engaged in whispered conversation while they ate their lunch from brown paper parcel. To a casual observer there was nOth- ing unusual in the appearance Of the two passengers. They were roughly clad. unshaven and apparently poor. having the air of workingmen out of a job. MT. Corrlgan would probably have not noticed them at all except ! that one of them-the better looking. who if he had been shaved and well ! clad might have been called good look ing-had a slight cast in his eye. a physical blemish which the old gentle , man had ever regarded as a sort of . name plate on the front door of scala. 1 wag. He saw the man only a moment l or two before getting out of the tram. 1 and in the stress of far more imy9r- 1 tant matters the incident passed Gut 1 of his mind. Ii was recalled later on | He was sitting on the front porch of I RestmOre. where he had just taken luncheon. when a tramp entered the place and came timidIy 10 the house. Z begging for food in the usual profes- { tiOual whine.
 Mr. Corrsrzn had small patience with | tTamps and was about 10 order him l of the place when something changed . bis mind The fellow had a cast in his . eye He recognized him instantly. It struck the old gentleman at once as being singular that this man should claim to he starving when not two hours before he had been eating heart Ily from a brown paper parcel in the train Tramps did not usually travel by traH-1Ot inside Of them. at any was an additional cause