The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-07-04

est form, let me say that laid before
them evidence to support these allega-
tions:
On the morning when the check swindle
was perpetrated at the bank Lord Colewyn
and Bitters had started from the Stanch-
field hotel on foot for the Brandon resi-
dence. They had proceeded to a certain
place beside the wall surrounding the
grounds and had climbed over. There they
had found another man waiting in some
shrubbery, where the ground had fortu-
nately been in an excellent condition to
receive and preserve footprints. The man
whom they had met had been dressed and
made up In Imitation Of Bitters who after
a brief conference lad again climbed the
wall. Lord Colewyn and the other man
had then skirted the wall on the inside
until they had come to path, by which
they had approached the house.
Inc double Of Bitters had stopped at
small summer house on the edge of the
lawn in plain view from the veranda and
had remained there an hour or more, while
Lord Colewyn, with Miss Brandon-and
her mother for part Of the time-had
sat on the veranda. During this period
Lord Colewyn had frequently directed at
tention to "Bitters" seated in the sum-
mer house. Finally (and doubtless upon
signaD he had sent a servant to summon
Bitters, and the real Bitters had respond
ed, coming up to the veranda, where Of
course he had been unmistakably recog-
niZed by Mrs. Brandon and her daughter,
the latter Of whom was able to declare
from the depths Of honest conviction that
he had not been out of her sight.
Yet the fact was that Bitters had been
to town and had cashed the check, creep
ing secretly into the arbor afterward in a
way which l was able to point out and
In ~ IN fra hNy orlrI
thus taking the place of his double, who
who then crept out as Bitters had come
in, returned to town, packed up his be-
longings in the hotel and fed.
The resemblance OF the double to Bitters
had been strong enough to permit of this
deception at the distance of the arbor
from the veranda, but would not have suf-
feed for the fraud at the bank.
When Mr. Brandon had heard my story
and had hastily verified a part of it his
natural impulse was to give Colewyn a
chance to defend himself, but as we were
about to summon him Mrs. Brandon broke
in upon US, having overheard so much
that the remainder could not be con-
cealed.
Mrs. Brandon at first supposed that /
was attacking the validity of Lord Cole
wyn's title-that 1 was trying to prove
him a bogus lord. Such had been her
own first fear in regard to him; he had
seemed too good to be true" She had
read the newspapers, and she knew that
bogus lords are permitted to exist by an
inscrutabIe providence and to disappoint
the fondest hopes of ambitious mothers.
SO she had taken shrewd measures to as
sure herself of Lord Colewyn's genuine
ness and in this crisis she overwhelmed
me with proofs of 1t.
In vain protested that his title and my
accuse ton had nothing to do with each
other. Mrs. Brandon seemed incapable of
perceiVing the possibility that a real lord
could do wrong. The scene was fast be-
coming hysterical, and Mr.. Brandon wise
ly broke 1t off and went In search OF
Colewyn. Tom and 1 led Mrs. Brandon to
the darkest and quietest spot on the ver-
anda, and in a few minutes Ethel came
flying around an angle of the house.
"Mother!" she cried. Something dread
full has happened Father has taken Lord
Colewyn up to the sewing room"
THE sewing room?" echoed Mrs. Bran
don.
"The house Is overrun," said the girl.
1T was the only place where they could
be alone. Tell me-
But her mother had sunk into a chair
and seemed incapable OF speech. Ethel
turned to Tom, but 1 couldn't stand by
and see that happen. Telling that story
would not help Tom In his lovemaking
afterward, for girls have an Indians men,
ory of those that hurt them. 1t seemed
much better that she should have a dis
agreeable recollection of me, and 80 l
deftly got in Toms way and began my
painful task.
was interrupted by a dull, heavy sound
that seemed to be directly over my head.
paused, looking upward
They're up there" said the girl, point
ing.
rTom," 1 cried. do you know the
way?"
Before he could reply there was a sound
of shuffling feet, and then a figure swung
into view from the edge of the veranda
roof and dropped to the ground.
"Colewyn!" 1 exclaimed He didn't take
that plunge for nothing"
Both Tom and I sprang to the veranda
rail, but all was in deep shadow on that
SIDE, and we could not tell which way
Colewyn had gone. In an instant we both
were over the rail. The fugitive had TAX
en- no harm from his fall OF fully twenty
feet and had made off.
For perhaps n seconds space we stood
baffled, and then a great fare OF Light.
struck sharply across the darkness. The
whole space between US and the arbor,
with its background of trees and bushes
was brilliantly illumined, and in the
midst OF this eXpanse was Colewyn run
ming as If for his life.
mighty chorus OF yells from beyond
the house told us the cause OF the welcome
Light. The fireworks display had begun
with an enormous ''set piece showing the
American eagle sketched In white fire, and
IN the light of this glorious bird Of free
dom / ran down the fleeing Britisher
without difficulty. 1t IS no great feat for
. u AS