Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-06-17
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d WINE, understand that. 4Oull pe
judged by men, before God gets a
chance to forgive you. God isn't going !
10 hold this against you, so why should
You give your fellow man a chance to
do you harm? You're not guilty of muir
der, but-well. ! guess you're beginning
TO understand. I'm thinking for you
and TOR Mary. my boy, and I'm think
ing hard, You can trust me. l will do
what Is right and just, for l know what
these damned brutes of men do when
they get on a jury, or when they set
out to hound a fellow creature to his
grave. l am your judge, Eric. You are
the only witness l shall examine, and
/ will acquit you of all blame on your
W word. You may not sleep well to-
night, but tomorrow you will realize
that YOU did what could not be helped
and that the God you speak of took
away Chetwynd's life-God inc a com
munitt that does not keep its bridges
In repair. Now. tell me slowly, care
fully, just what brought on the fight"
Eric told the story from beginning
to end, from the instant he saw Chef
wynd on the bridge to his disappear
ance over the edge.
l couldn't stand it any longer when
he said that about my sister. l just
had to fight. 1t was a fair fight. too
as fair as l know how. Ii watched
for my chance TO get in hat blow you
taught me. l-well, that's all"
He deserved the licking" said Ad-
am. a grim smile on his lips. And L
won't say he didn't deserve the pun
ishment God gave him, too. He was
a rascal, Erica nasty rascal. l can
tell you who that letter was from. 1t
was from a woman in New York, a
woman OF whom he was spending thou
sands of dollars that didn't belong to
him"
Didn't belong to him?"
ssVac ~, ,y,,, 1o1;n,.1l ,l1 shot
private instruction rot, too. the same
as his father and mother did. Well, I've
got a few rare facts to lay before the
Blagdens."
There was such utter vindictiveness
In his manner of speech that Eric
looked at him in wonder
"Oh, ] don't profess love for your
fine Rlagdens.' said Adam gruffly.
Horace and | used to play together
when we We're little chaps. oswald
Bright was another of my playmates.
| was q poor sailorman's son: they
We're of the elect. ] knew our mother,
Eric, when she was a tiny little girl.
But our family left Corinth long before
she was in shoe top frocks. and | never
saw her afterwards. That's neither here
nor there. I've never forgotten the
scurvy trick Horace played on me in
school Somebody in our room was
stealing things from the desks of the
other scholars. Horace openly accused
me of it. l was driven out in disgrace.
Not one of my old playmates would
look at me, except Oswald Bright. Ry
George, he was a great Judge. even in
those days. He defended me on all oc-
casions, and he-he pulled me out of
the water once when l actually tried
to drown myself becauSe ! was so un-
happy. He put new courage into me.
My father moved to Gloucester a
few months aftcrward. but one day Os-
x--1l ,,,oI $40 - n 4 ~. ,,-;t1- ,I,1,- ,,.,l
caught the real thief in the act of pill
fcring and he confessed to the whole
range of theftS. He was sent to tho
house of correction and proved a bad lot
all the rest OF his life. But i never for
got Horace Blagden's charge against
me. Years passed before he grudgingly
apologized to me at Bright suggestion.
/ don't mind saying I've never liked
your Uncle Horace, and that's putting
it gently. Now my turn has come.
He'll squirm when | tell him the name
of the man who got away with tn
banks money a few months ago. 1t
will turn his hair greyer than it is
when he finds out for a certainty that
it wasn't John Payson who took it
"Payson? The teller who used tc
TN Chetwynd's place" completed
Adam grimly. "a lot of money was
taken out about the time Payson left
the bank. our uncle sent for me. He
was determined lack was the thief.
went to work. For weeks and weeks
! watched every move that fellow
made, not so much for the purpose Of
finding him guilty to please Horace
Blagden, but to establish his innocence
to please myself. Payson was no more
guilty of robbing that bank than yot
are. and l vas sure of it from the be-
ginning. Horace wouldn't have it so
He insisted that ! keep after him. He
said he'd get MIN if it took years
Well, I told him I'd find the thief,
didn't care how long it took. SO
stuck to the case, chiefly to clear Jacl
Payson. His dad was my best frieno
when we were boys, and his mother i:
one Of the finest women in the world
She's a widow now and Jack support!
her. Tomorrow I'm going up to Hor.
ace Blagden'S house to make n charge
against the real thief"
Eric was leaning forward, staring a
the hard set face of the speaker, hi:
eyes wide with understanding.
You don't mcan-Chetwynd?' h
cried.
II do mean C%hetwynd. He was Thu
thief. / nave positive proof. He tool
$1,000 out of sealed packages in tn
vault the second day after he went int
he bank to be instructed by Payson
They kept these packages there 70
emergency cases, being a safe old New
England Odnk, you hLoW. Ills Sl1i
was the quintessence of irony. "Th
money was not missed for weeks. bu
as some smaller bills had disappeare,
from the cage Just before Payson left
it was recalled, and suspicion fell OIL
him"
"Chetwynd stole all that money!"
He needed it," chuckled Adam re
aectively. IT'S an expensive luxury
keeping "a girl in fine clothes, carriage
and champagne. let me tell you thai
He met her when he was in college
and she knew he was too good to lie
slip. SO she hung on. She got mos
of the $1,000 down there in little oil
New York, and she laughed at hir
behind his back. I've had more tina
one friendly chat with her, and Tv
drunk some of his champagne, al
though he didn't know of it. l ma
add that she locke on me as a rio
ranch owner from the far west. Sh
didn't know me for the original Adam
| got a good deal out of Miss Bunni
De Vine. Yes. my boy. l ran you
cousin right down to the ground.
day or two ago l laid it all befor
Judge Bright. He begged me to Il
the matter drop. But ] refused.
had told Horace I'd find the thief, an
that 1t wouldn't be poor Jack Paysol