New Britain herald., 1922-04-10
The Way "Anton" Came to Mir Briggs

You may ride on. Antnn'
 There was q erspness in the usuallN kindly voice of my neighhor. MT Briggs, which made me wonder f he had noticed the scrutiny to which I yAs sure the man Anton" was Cub Jecting me, But l did not look toward the man, as he oheyed Mir Briggs l kept my eyes fixed upon the face of my neghhor,
 These internal fellows are SO i'm pudent" Ms, Hriggs said anGrly as the man oheyod and the sound Of his horses hoofheats reeedcl own tho road They stare al every new tacc as If they never had seen a human being before. But what can we poor country folks do? Talk about unem- ployment l suppose there is plenty of 1t in the city. but on the farms well, you can see for yourself what kind of man l have 10 hire"
 He certainly isn't very prepossess- ing" I answered, hoping that 1 eould keep my kindly neighhor in conyersa- ton until I had gleaned what little he knew of the man calling himself An ton. "Is he a native or this section ?"
 MT. Btlgss IApIdlns
 l tried to make the question appear the perfunctory inquiry Of q neigh bor.
 I'd be tempted to move out of the section if he were" Mir. Briggs retort- ed with grim little simle. No, he comes from New York l believe. that is, New York was his last stopping place. l understand he hasn't been over from other side very long. Funny thing how l came to get him. too. Ii l didn't knew the man who sent him I'd think he had some axe to grind in sending this chap out to me"
 From far down the road came the faint purr of motor. I clenched my fingers into my palms involuntarlly. Suppose it were Dicky, and he should merch me before MT. Briggs had fin ished his casual recital which meant so much to Lillian's plans.
 Hes a big New York manufactur- er-my acquaintance. I believe he's | some sort of philanthropst. Anyway | there are always a lot of queer-look- | ing people hanging around his offices And when l happened to mention how hard it was to find a man he told me of this chap, who. 1t seems, was hurt | in some fashon--you saw the bandage | and has been i'll on account of if ] My acquaintance said the fellow need ed outdoor aid and he thought would | be splendid worker Of course, m not running a sanuarlum, but, on the other hand, my work isn't hard, so l said I'd give this man a trial. But I'm very doubtful about him. He seems willing enough, but there something about him.
 Ma1Ge's Excuse.
 The sound of the motor car was so near now that it attracted MT. Briggs attention. and he stopped talking and looked up just as Diclly drfw up my car by the side of the wood path. But I felt that l had no reason for complaint because of any information I had missed.
 MT. Briggs evidently had told me all he knew of the man who called himself Anton. And I did not doubt that when the occasion should arise 1t would be an easy matter to obtain from him the name of Anton's former employer. the philanthrorist"
 l had a fairly well-deflned idea of what sort of philanthrophy Mir. Briggs ''acquaintaince" death in The fact that the shrewd farmer had been care full to use the word acquaintance" instead of friend" made me sure that he would have no objection to giving any needed information concerning the man who had sent him Anton
 But, of course all this was detail for { Lillian's ear-Lillian's planning, had done all that I dared in getting the information I had secured and l was delighted at having obtained il without any suspicion on the part Of MT. Briggs that ] wanted it
 Although I was wildly impatient to l. get back to Lillian with what I had learned. I was firmly resolved not to stir from the spot without Dlcky. Ii had too lively recollection of the fact that Anton. or smith" had most potent reasons for desiring ven geance upon my husband. Dlcty had knocked him down for his behavior toward me. had afterward captured and tied him up for the state troop CTS How he had escaped those bonds was still a mystery, but that he would be murderoualy venEeful against Dic>y } that nethi.lg would tempt me to go home without my husband
 MT Briggs and Dicl<y were eyChanr- | ing the usual courteous common