The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-21
CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.
 THE MAN FROM BRoDNEY'S.
 IF was quite forty eight hours be-
 fore the Deppinghams surren- dered to the Brownes., They 0 were obliged to humbly admit in the seclusion of their own councils that it was to the obnoxious but en- ergetic Britt that they owed their pres ent and ever growing comfort.
 Late in the afternoon of the day fol lowing the advent of the Brownes, Lord and Lady Deppingham were !a- boriousfy flaming themselves in the midst of their stifing Marie Antoinette elegance.
 By love, Aggy, it's too beastly hot here for words,'' growled he for the huhdredth time 'T think we'd better move into your grandfather's rooms." talk you into every thing they suggest she complained, determined to be stub born to the end. ''They know entirely too much"
 That's all very good, my dear, but you know quite as well as I that we made frightful mistake in choosing these rooms. 1t is cooler on-that side of the house. I'm not too proud to be comfortable, don't you know"
 The next day they moved into the west wing, and that evening they had the Brownes to dine with them in the banquet hall, Deppingham awoke in the middle of the night with violent cramps in his stomach.
 Don't say word to Lady Depping- ham," he grunted, sitting up in bed and gazing wildly at his valet, ''but I've been poisoned. The = serv- ants-ouchLdon't you know! Might have known. Silly ass! See what I mean? Get something for me-quick"
 For two hours Antoine applied hot water bags and soothing sirups, and his master, far from dying as he con- dnually prophesied, dropped off into a peaceful sleep.
 The next morning Deppingham, fully convinced that the native servants had rfed to poison him, internationally dis charged the entire force.
 Of course there was a great upheav- IL Lady Agnes came tearing down to the servants hall, followed directly by the Brownes and MT. Britt.
 'Stopr' she cried. "Deppy. what are you doing? Discharging them . after we've had such time getting them? Are you crazy"
 They're a pack of snakesI mean sneaks. They're assassins. They tried to poison every one of us last''-
 Britt smoothed the troubled waters with astonishing ease. The servants returned to their duties, but not with out grumbling and no end of savage glances, all of which were leveled at the luckless Deppingham.
 ssWhy poison?" demanded Britt They've got knives and guns, haven't theyf'
 "My dear man, that would put them to no end of trouble cleaning up after us," said Deppingham loftily.
 Meanwhile it may be we'll to depict the situation from the enemy's point of view-the enemy being the islanders as a unit. They were prepared to abide by the terms of the will so long as 1t remained clear to them that fair treatment came from the opposing in- s terests Rasula, the Arafat lawyer, in mass meeting had discussed the docu- ment They understood it's fequire- ments and its restrictions; they knew by this time that there Was small chance of the original beneficiaries coming into the property under the provisions. Later came the news that marriage between the heirs was out of the question. Then the islanders laughed as they toiled. But they were not to be caught mapping. Jacob won BIitz, the superintendent, stolid Ger. man chat he was, saw far into the flu ture. It was he who set the native lawyer unceremoniously aside and urg ed competent representation in Lon. don. The great law firm headed by Sir John Brodney was chosen. A wide awake representative of the distfn guished solicitors was now on his way to the island with the swarthy com mittee which had created so much in terest in the metropolis during its brief stay: --'-'
 Jacob von Blitz came to the island when ne was twenty years old. That was twenty years before the death o1 TasweIl Skaggs. He had worked in the South African diamond fields and had no difficulty in securing employ ment with Skaggs and Wyckholme.
 von Blitz was shrewd enough to sec that the grandchildren weUe not com ing to the island for the mere pleasure of sojourning there; their motive was plain It was he who advised-ever commanded-the horde of servants to desert the chateau
 He lived. with his three wives, il the hills just above and south of the town itself. The Englishmen who worked in the bank and the three Boel foren1en also had houses up there where it was cooler, but Won Blitz was the only one who practiced polygamy His wives were Persian women and handsome after the Persian fashion.
 One hot. dry afternoon about weeI