Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-10

climbed up. trembling. for ] could hear
my uncle calling my name and slam
ming doors. At the top l pushed back
the rusty bolt and slipped out. ex-
pected him to find me: and I had not
been hiding long when I heard two
shots. supposed he had fired them
To tcrrify me. After that all was
silent. | decided TO walt. If were not
discovered. till dawn. when would
SLID down. hoping my uncle might be
asleep. ! planned to go to Weymouth
because ii was Il big town. aud knew
II girl there who used to be at school
with me in rance. didn't realize
how weak my experience had made
me. meant to look for her. never
expected 10 feel 80 Ill that ! should
have to go to "A hotel or faint in tn.
street. oh. that awful railway journey
to Weymouth"
This is irrelevant broke in the
coroner. You walked to ~ more dis.
tant railway station than Marine. and
caught the first train 10 Weymouth.
tefor" Sir pigby's fate was known.
Eui do YOU mean the jury 10 under
stand that YOU remained On tho roo
all night wiihou; being aware that
your miclc was dcnd?'
II do" answered the girl II dared
not go down. Once, houeh b. hoped
10 he taken away
while | was on the roof She went
on family. in her uncasih"sS giving AN
mir of artificiality To her statement.
soon after dark il must have been, a
balloon came close to tho house. Two
young men were in it-Scntlemcn-
and ! begged them TO save me. Their
balloon was caught somehow in a
tree. and they were 50 near for a
minute that | hoped they could take
me with them. They must have seen
how frightened was, and think
they meant 10 hrtp,, but "A vim ann
and freed tho ,i!oon. whirling il out
% sight. SO ,ncy had no time"
y utter OF incredulous laughter
alnU'ic the u~niookerS interrupted her.
and was quickly checked. Eut /; had
not died before Western. ignoring the
iornIalitics Of Il coron-r'S inquest.
stepped forward. They are hero as
witnesses" lie exclaimed. " are the
two b~alioOnists, my friend and J.. and
We can coirobormtc every word Miss
riauta-cnet has said. We can prove
her innocence: for II she had muir
der"d her uncle she would have known
that MS dead BODY was lying half
out OF his window. that We had prob
ably seen ~ there, ana she would have
hidden herself irstcaI Of rushing 20.
wards us ard begging thai we would
:akc her away"
Twice tho coroner strove to stop
Western. but the tide OF hts Indignant,
clorucncc was not 10 he stcmmed. Mar
Gar'i Pllntagcnct. flushed and crate.
full. moved aside, and the American
wa sworn as a witness.
You and your friend never Saw Mis-.
~ ittGcuct until the night IN qucs-
,iut'' TIA" "Uroncr asked.
no"
"rhen'-Nery slowly aud distinctly
how comes il that you should have
dc IA al. GA our visiting ard which
'"u scnt ~ 10 me. That YOU We're Gu
gagged to marry that Young lady"
At this question there ~aS 4 STIR in
IA" r"om. and the jury Sszcd at West
"rn with marrow eyes or di.trus,. bu,
h" an! w'rcd uuaDashcd-
II didn', say I was engaged TO m:rry
No. YOU look again. youn sec th.,
! "' intended TO marry her
Wf"t" lhrt. 50 that might hay, :,
chhncc TO come in .nd ai,c ry cvi.
h'ne". But II tx true. do hope 10
MARI: Miss Planta >uet-hop. IL h.-
Eohd everything. shall propose "a
hcr On TIA" first opportunity. and tell
h"r mat ! f"il IL love at FIRST sigh,
WIN INC sweetest. rures,. roYt inIo-
ccti. Sil J ever met. That sir! :. muir
t"f"ss2 Nj friend and | would huy,
ncci' 1901" even TO think Of such {,
thinI WIN we'd seen her race md
h"1'd uer voice.
can prov" every word am going
u" Ha! about my balloon. which tool
as over To Normandy before We cou,d
descend Tho iirst thing We did was
to catch - train back and scour the
country ia ny fricsld's tomobi
iookiiS for the lost girl and ;hc los,
mouse. We couldn't locate them eN-
acily. We learned what we wanted
!" Know only by tho ape to-day. We
we're never nearer the house al Alb
boy Court than being caught ia "a tree;
we DIDN'T descend; the dead body in
the widow was n mystery TO Us. Hut
would wage my dearest possession
which is my b~alloou-that the pistol
You were talking abOu dropped out
OF the dead mans hand when he had
shot himself in his frenzy, and fol-
into the bushes under III" window
where hc lay. advis" YOU to scnh
and look for IT."
So frank. so enthusiastic. and so
handsome was Paul Western. the ia
NOUS bal!oonist, whose name nearly
everybody knew. that he "a .ricd all
before him. Perhaps IL was largely
due to his evidence. and tho fact that
his belief in the girls innocence was
unassailablc. that tho c%oroucr'a jury
brought, in their verdict at last: Sui
eide whilst temporarily insane
christopher admired Paul Western
more thar ever. freely admitted that
his was tho first right" fairly won,
and. after all. was glad To think that
he had helped hin win out.
And Western did win th" girl, -
hc strange if Ii" had noi. It
also have been strange il Chris
topher had not been asked TO be best
man al the wedding.
"a new adventure" next wcc!i)