Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-09-05

Al dEh.
very long ago I stood by the grave
OF a man I thought you loved"-
"Mou didn't!" she whispered. "He
ISN'T dead!"
at her.
~1have felt this in my bones," said l
slowly. II have dreamed it at night
We buried Shenstone!"
Swear to me-" she cried, chat you
will not tell!'
Give me the story" said I. "You
have NY word"
"Mr- !Sbenstone was taken ill.," said
she, ~just at the beginning of a great
fight don't fully understand
Il know alt about that. He was man.
aging a mighty big poal."
cit was thought that if the news OF
his serious illness got about" she con.
tinued, 1.-THE enterprise would fail"
"The speculative public would have
swamped it in II day"
eyes; THAT'S it. Now, Sidney had been
'tossee Mr.. Shenstone for you to ask him
|ifor q photograph of himself, which Mr..
IShenstone refused. So they knew how
much he looked like Mr.. Shenstone.
Really the resemblance was very close,
and as both men had been i'll the decep-
tom was made easier. They offered Sid
ney $40 a week merely to go to Mr..
Shenstone's office every day and sit in
the private room, but, of course, they
didn't let anybody in who knew Mr..
Shenstone we'll. And Sidney has been
living in Mr.. Shenstone's house. They
were both there together until Mr..
Shenstone became so i'll that it was
seen he must die. Then he was secretly
smuggled into the hospital as Sidney
Colbert. They begged me to go to the
funeral, but 1 could not. I should have
died at the sight Of him."
"You wouldn't have seen him." said
l.. 1.-THE coffin was sealed"
"They don't want Sidney any more"
she resumed after a shuddering pause.
"It will be announced that Mr.. Shen-
stone is going abroad. And his wife is
going secretly to Dakota, where she
will get u divorce for abandonment.
And he is dead! Won't it be dread
ful?"
"And Sidney?"
"He and 1 shall be married very
quietly, and we shall go to Italy. They
are to give him a thousand dollars"
"Whatl''
"a thousand dollars"
my dear young friend" said 1, "if
this story out it will drive those
men up the tallest tree in the United
States. They'll have to run for their
lives. A thousand dollars, indeed! Just
let me drop a hint in certain quarters,
merely a hint, and you'll see what will
happen. You don't understand the
fraud and trickery of which Sidney has
been the mainstay. To you his act even
savored of virtue. 1t seemed unjust
that Mr.. Shenstone's enemies should
triumph over him merely because he
was i'll, and Sidney seemed to be doing
no harm in taking his place. But
there's been more in this game than
Beelzebub himself could keep track of.
Let me talk to those fellows"
At first she wouldn't listen, but l
finally showed her that those sharks
we're merely laughing at Sidney at play
ing him for a fool, and, with her wom-
anly resentment aroused, she agreed at
least to tell them what she thought Of
them. She nearly frightened them to
death. They executed contortions Of
apology and performed miracles of ex-
PLANTATION, and the result was that Sid
.ney got a life pension Of $1,000 a year,
upon which we'll earned income he and
she are living in the most delicious con
tent by the blue Mediterranean, and
Sidney Is writing a book, which will
make his name famous. No; not his
name. for that Is on a tombstone, as /
know, because I paid the bill for the
carving. Perhaps the book will be by
Edgar Shenstone.