The Washington herald., 1914-01-25

i S'NJ AosoIO8o N INC uiASs WIZ ucs
weary you with the verbzlism, since
you viii be able to check il; the sub
stance OF my PROCLAMATION is this: l
announce first that ! have captured the
| English millionaire, the colossus of
hnance, Mr.. Samuel Harrogate. next
announce that have found on his per-
son notes and bonds for two thouland
pounds. which he has given up to me:
NOW, since it would be really immoral
to announce such thing to a credulous
public If Il had not occurred, ! suggest
that II should occur without further
deisy. suggest that Mr.. Harrogate,
senior, should now give me the two
thousand pouncs in his pocket
The banker looked at him under low
ering brows, red faced and sulky, but
seemingly cowed. That leap from the
falling Carriage seemed to have used
up his last virility. He had hung back
in . hansdog style when his son and
Muscari had made a bold movement to
now his red and trembling hand went
! reluctantly to his breast pocket and
passed bundle of papers and envelopes
to the brigand.
Excellent cried that outlaw gayly.
$50 far we are all coy. resume the
points of my proclamation. so soon to
be published to all Italy. The third
item is that of ransom. l am asking
from the friends of the Harrogate fam
lily ransom of three thousand pounds /;
which l am sure is almost insulting to
that family in its moderate estimate of
their importance. Who would not pay
triple this sum for another days asso-
cation with such1 domestic circle?
will not conceal from you that the
document ends with certain legal
phrases about the unpleasant things that
may happen If the money is not paid ;
but meanwhile, ladies and gentlemen,
let me assure you that / am comfort
ably well off here for accommodation,
wine and cigars, and bid you for the
present a sportsmanlike welcome to the
luxuries of the Paradise of Thieves"
All the time that he had been speak
ing the dubious-looking men with car
Dines and dirty SLOUGH hats had been
gathering silently in such preponder-
ating numbers that even Muscari was
! compelled to recognize his sally with
the sword as hopeless. The priest sat
down within yard or two.
| Well said the poet tartly, "do peo-
pie still think me too romantic: Are
there, l wonder, any brigands left in
| the mountains!"
There may be-" said Father Brown
agnostically. Il am puzzled about Ezza
or Montana or whatever his name is.
He seems to me much more inexplicable
as a brigand even than he was as a
courier"
But in what ways" persisted his
companion. Santa Maria! | should
have thought the brigand was plain
enough"
Il find three curious difficulties" said
the priest in a quiet voice. Il should
like to have your opinion on them.
! First of all, / must tell you l was
lunching in that restaurant at the sea-
side. As four of you left the room,
you and Miss Harrogafe went ahead,
talking and laughing; the banker and
, the courier came behind, speaking
sparely and rather low. But | could
not help hearing Ezza say these words !:
well, let her have a little fun; you
know, the blow may smash her any
minute" Mr.. Harrogate answered
nothing; so the words must have had
some meaning. On the impulse of the
moment | warned her brother that she
might be in peril; said nothing of its
nature, for / did not know. But if it
meant this capture in the hills, the
thing is nonsense. Why should the
brigand-courier warn his patron. even
=, by e hint, when it was his whole pur-
pose to lure him into the mountain
mousetrap? 1t could not have meant
that. But. if not, what is this other
| disaster, known both to courier and
banker, which hangs over Miss Harro-
gates head?'
Disaster to Miss Harrogate ejacu-
lated the poet
"All my riddles, however, revolve
round our bandit chief" resumed the
priest rehectively. And here is the
second of theml Why did he put so
prominently, in his demand for ransom,
the fact that he had taken two thous-
and pounds from his victim on the
spot? 1t had no faintest tendency to
evoke the ransom. Quite the other
way, in fact. Harrogate's friends would
be far likelier to fear for his fate il
they thought the thieves were poor and
desperate. Yet the spoliation on the
spot was emphasized and even put first
in the demand. Why should Ezza-
Montana want so specially to tell all
Europe that he had picked the pockets
before he levied the blackmail?"
II cannot imagine said Muscari.
"The third objection" said Father
Brown, still in meditation, 'is the bank
we are sitting on. Why does our brig
and-courier call this his chief fortress
! and the Paradise of Thievess 1t is
certainly a soft spot to fall on and a
sweet spot to look at. 1t is also quite
true, as he says, that it is invisible
from valley and peak, and is therefore
hiding place. But it is not fortress.
1t never could be fortress. l think
it would be The worst fortress in the
world. Whatever is the meaning of
this odd little nook of grass and flow
ers, it is not an entrenched position 1t
is something else; it has some other
strange sort of importance, some value
that I do not understand. 1t is more
like an accidental theater or a natural
green room; it is like the scene for
some romantic comedy; it is like.
As the little priests words length
ened and lost themselves in a dull and
dreamy sincerity, Muscari, whose ami
NAL senses were alert and impatient,
heard a new noise in the mountains.
Even for him the sound was as yet
very small and faint; but he could have
sworn the evening breeze bore with it
something like the pulsation of horses
hoofs and n distant hallOOinQ