Putnam patriot., 1908-10-30

place in bitter language. but the pro
 prietor of the abandoned hunting prss
 serve was In excellent spirits and
 whistied hlishe,y as he drew out bis
 keys.
 The place was built by feols,~ de
 ciared Oscar rsoomtis.
 Undoubtedly. There Is a saving
 that fools build houses and wise usen
 live tn them. You see where that
 leaves Us. Oscar. Let us he cheerfuls' He tried the shower and ehanged his
 rsinnent. while Oscar prepared coffee
 and laid cloth on the long table hss
 fore the fire. When Armitase appeared
 coffee steamed in the tn pot in which
 IL had he~n made, Bacon. eg-s and
 toast were further efeeed
 You have done exceilently well. os
 car Go get your own breakfast AT
 nitare dropped a lump of sugar into
 his coffee cup and surveyed the room.
 large map of Virginia and series
 of hunting prints hung on the unlimited
 walls. and there were racks for guns.
 and a work bench at one end of the room where guns might he taken apart
 and cleaned few novels. several
 three year-old magazines and variety
 of pipes remained on the shelf above
 the fireplace. The house offered possi.
 bilities of meager comfort, and that was about all Armitage remembered what the agent through whom he had
 made the purchase had said-that the t.a a hunting preserve and that it's only value was in the timber. He was satis- led with his bargain and would not set up a lumber miil yet awhile. He lighted . cigar and settled himself In Tn easy chair before the fire. glad of Inc luxury of peace and quiet after his rircuitous journey and the tumult of aoubt and question that had shaken him.
 He slit the wrapper of the Washing ton newspaper that Oscar had brought from the mountain postoffice and sean ned the headlines. He read with care a dispatch from London that purported to reflect the sentiment of the conti- mental capitals toward Charles Louis. the new emperor-king of Austria Hun gary. and the paper dropped upon his Knees, and he stared into the ire. Then he picked up a paper of earlier date md read all the foreign dispatches and the news of Washington. He was about to toss the paper aside when his eyes fell upon a boldly headlined arti- ele that cause his heart to throb fierce Iy. It recited the sudden reanpear. ance of the fraudulent Baron yon Kis- sel in Washington aud described in de tail the bareu's eseanades at Bar Har- Dor and his later career in California and elsewhere. Then followed n story. yelled in careful phrases. but haSed. so the article reeited. upon information furnished by gentleman of extensive acquaintance on both sides of the Al lantic, that Baron yon klssel under new pseudonym and with even more daring effrontery. had within q fort. night sought to intrench himself in the most exclusive circles Of Washington. Armitage's cigar slipped from his fin. gers and fell upon the brick hearth as he read:
 ac thtiluGSB oi Ahfs titftt aofNo turer Is said to have reached climax in this city within . few days. He had. under the name Of Armitage palmed himself on upon members Of one of the most distinguished families of the capital. whom he had met abroad during the winter. A young gentleman of this family. who, it will suffice to say. bears T commission and title from the American government. entertained small company Of friends at Washington club only few nights ago. and this plausible adven. turer was among the guests. He was recognized at once hy one of the for eigners present. who. out of considera. ton for the host and fellow guests, held his tongue. but 1t is understood that this gentleman sought Armitage privately and warned him to leave Washington, which accounts for the fact that the sumptuous apartments at the New American in which Mir. John Armitage. alias Baron von KIssel, had established himself were vacated i'm mediately. None of those present at the supper will talk of the matter. but it has been the subject of lively gossip for several days. and the German em bassy is said to have laid before the Washington police all the information in it's archives relating to the American adventures of this impudent scoun. dreI"
 Armitage rose, dropped the paper into the fire, and. with his elbow rest ing on the mantel shelf. watched it burn. He laughed suddenly and faced about his back to the flames. Oscar