BY
WBert Foster
iik
T least It wii an honeat occupation and on
y I which a gentleman could assume. Tet 1 tu
t I grateful to Fate, having been set down in a
j L I trange city where no soul knew me. If one
is obliged to be penniless It la better ao.
Mr. Moo Ay waa enthusiastic regarding
hla' w hpino. and It did, I must confess, show
an Inventive turn of mind. ,. Mr. Levy racked
Ma brain daily for new and atartllng advertising displays,
and tha mackintosh masque certainly kept a throng In
front of hla huge display window: It waa arranged In
thia way: At the rear of the window waa a square
booth, six feet high, and Inclosed In brown curtains. Thia
waa divided In tha middle with a curtain, and In tha rear
part waa a chair In which I could alt to rest myself
between my appearance In the front compartment of tha
booth aa the " animated dummy."
Tha real dummy waa a figure of Juat my height, with
a waxen face which waa made lifelike and aufflcianlly
like my own to be a startling resemblance. Each morning
at half paat K when I went to work, I " made up " with
grease paint and rouge until I waa tha exact counterpart
of the wax dummy. On the dummy waa a Ana brown
mackintosh; I wore a black one. There waa a clock ar
rangement In the back of the dummy' head which, when
wound up, made the figure wink and roll Ita aye In a moat
natural manner. And not regularly, either, but with euf
flclcnt lapses between to make the thing seem wonderfully
human.
I would display the dummy for a while, keeping out of
sight myself behind the dividing curtain; then the front
curtains of the booth would be drawn, I rolled the dummy
hark Into the rear compartment, and carefully assumed
ita attitude In the front, the curtains of which were then
drawn aeide again. The change took about the length of
time It would have demanded to nave exchanged the mack
intoshes. A big aign offered a pair of rubber overahoea
to every customer who, during the month, guessed which
waa the man and which waa the dummy. And I flatter
myself that I filled the dummy's part moat excellently.
The guesses piled up in Moe Levy's aafe, and the old man
rubbed hla hands delightedly to aee that far more gueaaed
that I Waa the dummy than vice versa.
I never atood In the dummy's place more than half
an hour at . time, and for that stretch I could keep a
perfectly Impassive expression and sometime even winked
or rolled my ryea with the precision of clockwork. Once
a man atood out In front with hia watch, timing theae eye
movement, for tha purpose of discovering, I suppose. If
the movement were really mechanical. I could hear my
own watch ticking In my vest pocket, and I rolled my eyea
every sixty aeconda exactly during the half hour. Then I
made the change, and aa cogs on the wheel of the dummy'
mechanism were broken off at uneven intervale the dum
my's eye rolling actually seemed more like life than
my own. The man with the watch walked In and wrote
down hla guess that I waa the mechanical figure.
I grew Intereated In my dally audience; one could not
help that. Many of the aama people paased Moe Levy'
corner dally, and It waa seldom that the unhurried peraon
did not halt to watch either the dummy or me. Small
hoys tried to make me laugh by cutting up antic In
front of the window. One youth made believe to throw a
cobble atone through the window at my head, but I had
long since learned to control my features. , Occasionally
a fly buzzing about my head gava me aome trouble and
once a desire to sneeze possessed me ao strongly that had
I not had under my foot a spring by which the curtains
of the booth were dropped Instantly I would have given
the street an exhibition of a dummy shouting "achoo!"
with most human vehemence.
It waa when the month was almost completed, and I
waa wondering where my next job waa to rise from, that
I began to notice a young man standing before the Window
of the rubber goods atore, aometimea for half an hour at a
stretch, and, several time a day. He evidently waa a
uncertain a the public at large which figure waa the living
one; nor did ne come Into the atore to make a purchase
and gues. Yet I could Me that he wa deeply Intereated
In the amall problem which th dummy and I presented.
Excepting on Saturday ntghts, when the mackintosh
masque was kept up until 10 o'clock, I waa free at .
The store was open until an hour later, and I always man
aged to mingle with the crowd and go out as though I
wa a chance customer. With my hat brim down and my
face half muffled In my coat collar, nobody was likely
to recognize me aa the animated dummy that appeared "
In Moe Levy' window.
It waa the night previous to the closing of my contract
with Mr. Levy that, aa I left the atore, I wa accosted by
the young man whose attention aeemed ao centered upon
the dummy and me for the lest few daya. He wa a dark
man, with a bristling mustache, and heavy brow, which
railed to give him a disagreeable cast of countenance only
because he smiled. ,
" Pardon me," he aald, staring hard under my hat
brim. " You are the er man?"
" I'm certainly not the dummy," I aald, shortly, aa he
seemed still In doubt
Hia amlle waa retained, hut 1 could see that It was a
mechanical effort " Beg pardon!" be said again. " I'd
like to talk with you."
" Upon what ubject?"
Ha glanced once or twice about a If seeking a quiet
spot. The passersby jostled us, and his face grew black
aa he drew out of the crowd. i ,
" Going to dinner?" he queried. " Well, there a ree
taurant over there. Will you come with met I Invite you
to dine. We can talk meanwhile."
" But why?"
" Maybe you'd like another job like er that," and he
jerked hla thumb toward Moe Levy' establishment
" If nothing better offera," I admitted, and went with
htm.
At the restaurant table he appeared glum, and It was
only when we were half through our meal that he nttered
a word regarding the work In question. Then It waa to
say roughly:
" Look here! Can you do something and keep your
mouth shut about It?"
I felt the tone as well aa th word to be maultlng.
Put when a man lower himself In publlo estimation by
accepting the kind of a position I had filled In tha rubber
goods atore, he bring upon himself such jolts to his arid
aa thia. I (wallowed my animosity and politely asked him
what he meant
" I want a man who can do something something that
you can do ask no questions what it is don for, and
after U la done forget It!"
"Ia It er honest?" I demanded bluntly.
" It la aa honeat a anything can be that I don
secretly." he returned, promptly. " If you mean, will the
law be broken by what you do. I answer no! Yon will
run no danger of arrest. I will protect you."
" I don't like the sound of that" I observed flatly.
" See here!" be aald. earnestly. " I'll put It to you
thia way: Try what I want you to do and ask no ques
tion. When you get to that'poiat where yo. think that
you can go no farther without hurting your tender con
science, or without running Into dariger. atop!
I'll give you 1 10 each evening, and for perhapa an
hour'a work. You'll not make that acting th dummy
In a atore window," he snarled.
The aura he offered waa enough to show me that el the
risk or shame was connected with the job he offered. But
I could go aa far aa 1 liked and tkea stop! I nodded.
" You'll do It?" he asked.
" I'll try It.
"Good I Whea do you get through at Levy'aT"
M Tomorrow night," I replied.
' " Then come to thia address in the evening," he said,
thrust a written card Into my hand, paid the waiter, and'
departed without further remark.
I waa much disturbed In my mind by this fallow and
hia manner. I did not trust htm. yet his offer was not on
to be totwed aside lightly. Ten dollars for an hour'a work!
A hope that I might aland upon a ur foundation again,
and be enabled to pursue the task which had brought me
to America quickened within ma.
At leaat I waa told that If the work did not suit me I
might drop It at any point I thought much about It that
night and the next day. When t left Moe levy's at last
with the balance of the small sum whlrh was coming to
me. and allowed myself to contemplate how short
our brief greeting.
" That you are not to ask. That la
I shall refuse to
tell you any of the detail. It I
matter. '
hem! a family
I have heard that expression before. It usually masks
a deal of scandal or deviltry. I told him so bluntly enough,
for I found myaelf unable to respect the man. Ilia waa not
an attractive personality.
" What matter It, a long aa your neck I not In tha
noose? " be growled. " I'll tell you this much. I hinted at
It before. Tou are to act the spy."
Not nice," I said.
" But the money la nice." II drew a crisp I to note from
his pocket and shoved It toward me across the table. " A
retainer." he aald. "All you need to do tonight la to let
me fit you for your part"
" Fit meT"
" Tou see, I wa attracted to you becaune of your abil
ity t6 control the muscles of your face so well and for
another reason. Yours la a .wonderful power. Do you
think you could remain impassive as to your face. I mean
for an hour or ao? "
" I believe so."
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" That will be all your work, then."
" But i.ow?"
" That you shall not know until tomorrow flight," he.
returned, shaking hia head and scowling. " Remember, I
tell you that you can drop the' matter at any point you
like. But 1 won't explain any further now."
"O, go ahead." I grunted, pocketing the bill.
What he then did explained nothing whatsoever to me,
although It kept me awake half the night trying to solve
the mystery. He brought forth a large sheet of heavy
drafting paper, took measurements of the sute of my
face and head with the aid of a pair of compasses, and
from these measurements drew on the paper an outline of
my face. Thia he neatly out out and then fitted the aper
ture more nioely to the contour of my visage. My face
was thrust through the hole In the paper to the roots of
my hair and the point of my chin.
" You aeem good at making up," he observed. " There Is
a makeup bo yonder. Heighten your color, especially
under the eyea. Give your face a hard, mask-like appear
ance." ,
I obeyed. Again he had me thrust my face through
the hole In the paper, backed me up against the wall, and
went to the end of the room to observe the effect
" I am satisfied," he remarked at last " That win be
all tonight Uome here tomorrow afternoon at 5."
Did ever a man earn $10 so easily? But, aa I say, I laid
awake long trying to solve the problem he had set me. The
uncertalnlyi if nothing else, would have brought me
promptly to time the following day. Ellis was no more
communicative than before. He ordered me to make up
my face again, and when I had done so to his satisfaction
I was 'Obliged to muffle up so as to hide the face paint
and go out with him. We walked several blocks, and to
ward the open country. At last coming In eight of a big,
dark houae, which set back some distance from the road,
he gave me final Instructions.
" am due In yonder to dinner," he aald. briefly.
" Hang about here within hearing. I shall whistle sharp
ly when I want you. Enter by a aide gate you will find
around on the other atreet."
" And what then? "
"That I shall not tell you. Remember our bargain,"
and be walked oft before 1 could argue the point.
I saw him enter by the front door, after ringing. As I
made a circuit of the house I saw that there was a light
In the kitchen, and likewise in what I supposed waa the
dining room on the first floor. All the remainder of the
house waa darkened. It waa an almoat deserted neighbor
hood. The only soul I aaw waa a policeman who paaaed
the corner. Fortunately I waa walking iteadily at the
lime and he favored me with but a single glance. It waa
two houra. or more, however, before I heard Kill' whis
tle. 1 had not heard him Uave th house, nor did I see
blra; but I obeyed his mandate and opened the aide gate.
Th path before me waa weedgrown and led to a porch
upon which I alepued doubtfully. It waa not until I had
stood tbar In uncertainty a minute or two that I made
out a door ajar just la front of me.
" Enter! " growled a voice which I recognised a my
employer's.
Curiosity, as well as a desire to earn another ten dol
lar note. Impelled me forward. When I had stepped within
ba closed th door aoftly and. taking my hand, led me
with a warning "8h!." up a flight of atalra.
On what aeemed. In the, dark, to he a landing. . we
halted The wall by my right waa paneled and. after aome
fumbling. Ellia removed a board and set it carefully to
thit mm .nIJ k,n m. i. .kiio. ...i t i f ' !:.- i I' f i.wi .., " -'r'SI.-V' t er i " ". in mo : - w n ue ne remains aione mere, r
read the address on the card wNth renewed interest, 'it I Vr' f V''' wini" """V- ,,r "u ,'ro'1 matt, r h"rp?'
took me to a part of the town I had not been in before 1V W- . ,''" -S . ' .OV'liVA''' - " I obey.
a .habby neighborhood, but not at all threatening. One I iHl 7 V'-i V r 'W? , . 7T I ,Z I , T .. TV T P Tu
of thoae street, merely, that display the tarnish of de. t tfh'yv - T -fi'.J VW ' 1 Crf,u"y ?,T"h ,,he h"'r p"lnt,d CnVR"' 1 hei,rd
parted grandeur. It wa. ome a fashionable .venue. H ' "X M't''. fe' j " ''"T '"T" '"'T A . ,
Kill waa the name on the card. I found that he was i..; I ' 'j : AX 1 T - U hlsrred BemMn you are.
merely a boarder here, and his room was as shabby as &i?H :r , V3Y Kememlr everything you see. When the old man retires
the houaa Itaelf. It did not look like the abode of a man tf&f,'' vT; ." ' lf T th.e "K" yU m"y 0"m- ,n n"ln,r" "nd .op,n, lh'
Who could afford to pay I0 an hour for any kind of labor, f C'i' Wtj) ?T " '",rcn nJ
" What do you wish me to do?" I asked him. after I tA.V' .W.1 ' "J5M 'tf turn nd put back the painting myself.
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one aide. Then he produced a pocket electric lantern,
the light from which he cast Into the hole In the wall. I
aaw that the plastering and lath beyond the panel had
been removed. Beyond thia I aaw a sheet of paint stained
canvas, and knew It at once for the back of a picture. In
the center of the picture I saw that a sharp knife had been
used to cut out an uneven oval the eise, indeed, of my own
face! The pattern he had made the night before waa ex
plained. An aperture similar to that he had cut In tha
aheet of paper had been made In thia portrait; but several
wafer held the part of the picture cut out In place.
These wafere he quickly loosened and drew out the oval
piece of canvas. I knew that the picture must hang high
upon the wall of a room op the, first floor; but there was
ho light In the room. '
" Listen! " Ellis hlaxed Into my ear. " You are to
thrust your faoe Into that aperture. It will then fit ex
actly Into the portrait which I had a chance to prepare
thia morning. Your face will take the place of the pulnted
face. Do you understand?"
" That much yea"
" That ia enough for you to understand," he said. " All
you are to do la to keep your face and eyea perfectly
till, and watch. Watch everything that goea on in that
room below whin the UKht ia brought In."
" What what shall I aee?" 1 queried, shrinking from
him.
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I -j -x. 5..vSit r-v-js. ,.,s.' .i lie spea away ana icii me aneenng in ine unra. my
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''jf3&0jii facing the fireplace at the farther end of the room. I found
"."- j -j?.r - that I had to roll my eye sideways t see what he was
T",.:i,VT about. Had my face not been thrust through the picture
j 1 - jpffi'fV 'kt??i$':''t&Z$&vi!'-S ' I could not have seen him at all. And what ha did waa no
X&if'ZZ&r ii.-V-i-y' remarkable thing. He drew from a drawer a pack of
' Kooi: Wnat do 1 know? tld 1 know, would I pay you
to dlscovrrT
" Ton will first aee an old man whom I shall accompany
into the room before I bid him good-nlKht. lie will remain.
1 want you to see and remember everything he does
body on the stair landing, my eye seeking to explore the
fathomless darkness of tht room In which the painting
hung.
Almost Immediately a door opened and light streamed
Into the place. Then I aaw why It had been so dark.
Every window waa shuttered, and draped aa well by heavy
portieres. The room was a library, although the glass
floors of the old bookcasns were thick with dtist and aeemed
not to have been opened In months.
At one end of the rosyi waa a yawning black fireplace,
with a mantel rbove and tiling around It. At the opposite
end of the room waa a halse covered table, on which Fills,
as he came In. set down the lamp he carried. Behind him
walked a bent old figure a man In ahauby clothing, whose
yellow, clawlike hands and wrinkled face made him no
more prepossessing th i.i my employer.
"Well, uncle, I'll bid you good-night," Kills aald. cheer
fully, turning toward the door again. " Hope you'll sleep
well."
" O, yes! O, yest" croaked the old man. standing at one
side, wringing hla hands nervously, and watching the other
slyly.
" Nothing more I can do for yoj. uncle?"
" Nothin' more I'll let you do." snarled the old fellow.
I aaw Ellis glance once In my direction. His gloomy face
seemed to express satisfaction at my pose. He aald good
night again and left the room. When the outer door of the
gloomy house had closed loudly, the old man double locked
the library door. Then he trotted up and down the room,
examined all the casement to see that no ray of light could
get out, nor an eye peer In. Then he sat down at the table.
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greasy, well worn cards. So often had they been used they
were almost oval In shape. These he shuffled and began
laying out In one of the commoner games of solitaire.
There was not a sound In the room but the slight rustle
Of th greasy card and the sucking of the old man's tooth
less gum. Minute after minute passed, and neVer had I
suffered so tedious a waiting. My month's experience In
the mackintosh masque had prepared me for thl ordeal,
and I flatter myself that, had the old man glanced up and
seen my face, he would not have discovered any more lif i
In It than he might in the painted portrait. He did glance
at meaflnally. It waa when he aeemed to have tired of his
lonely game and replaced the cards In the drawer. Then
he slowly rose, hobbled down the room, and stood for a
moment peering up at me. I was suddenly smitten with the
thought that, despite the half darkness In the room unless
my face was much like that of the portrait, he would dis
cover the deception. But his bleared old eyes seemed to
see no change, and, after a moment, and with shaking
head, he moved on to the fireplace. There he stood as
If hesitating, and finally ran hla hand over the rowa of
amall aquare tllea which filled the space between the open
ing of the chimney and the mantel. Suddenly one of
theae rllea awung outward. He thrust In hla hand and
pried out what aeemid to be a piece of brick, and then
from lhind that brought forth a tin box, perhaps six
Inches long1 and four ac-uare. It seemea to fit cloaely Into
the aperture behind the tile, as though having been made
for thia very place. With a hoarse chuckle, and bearing the
box In both hands, he hobbled back to the table. Not until
he was seated again and I heard the rattle of the box
cover did I dars to turn my eyea in his direction. I waa
In aeason to aee him ralae the box nd turn It slowly, let
ting fall upon the table a perfe-t shower of gems and
Jewelry, which biased like particolored glua in the lamp
light! But they wer not glaee O, no! If ever my eyea had
looked upon gema of the flrat water It waa here and now!
Diamonds, niblea, emeralds, pearls unset aa well aa set In
heavy gold theae gema aparkled n a glorloua heap upon
the green balse covered table. Lucky it wa that th old
man did not glance up at the plctu'e then. He would have
seen a distorted visage aa my .yea strained to obaerve
the beauties of the wonderful dlvpluj- But he was too
muuh taken up with them hlmlf. He let them run
through his fingers with chuckles of Infinite satisfaction
string of pearls, and rublea, and other flashing atonea.
He burled hla face in the heap as It lay before blm and
kisai) them and whinnered to them u though they lived
and ould understand hia careanlng words.
I recovered my own composure, and the old miser'
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action filled me with disgust and horror. Yet th jewels
were a prlnc' ransom!
At length he pul them back Into the box nd the box
in Its aecretplace behind the tile. With another glance up
at the portrait he unlocked th door picked up the lamp,
and hobbled away. The room was pitch dark again. It
was aome moments before I remembered my Instructions
and left the aperture to creep downstairs to my waiting
employer. When I opened the do.ir he seised my arm and
suppressed eagerness shook hla vol'e
" What Is It? What did you aee?' he gasped.
Hut I had recovered more than m;.- composure now.
." I saw an old man playing solitaire for an hour before
he went to bed." 1 replied. In a ton of disgust.
He cursed bitterly. "The old devil I Where doe he
hide them?" I heard him mutter. Then aloud: "Walt
at the corner. I'll be with you In a minute."
He went upstairs to replace the painted face In the
picture. When he overtook me he had recovered hi calm
r.ess. " Tell me everything that passed," he commanded, and
1 told him what I pleased. But never a word of th gem
rr the hidden box.
" Report tomorrow night at 7," he commanded, and left
me abruptly.
And did I lie awake the night before facing the un
solved problem, much more canse had I tonight for wake
fulness! There waa no doubt a to my employer' Inten
tion. I anderstood him fully. Did I refuse to continue to
p'ay the spy, however, he might find some other person to
do ao, or even attempt It himself, and c learn th truth
about the gema. Then, did I refuse to act for him, I would
loae the ten dollars he gave me for each aesslon. By con
tinuing the work, and lying a little, I might thwart a crime
ond benefit my own pocket. I reported at 7 aa Instructed
the next evening. Thia time, after painting my face aa
carefully as before, Ellis led me to the old house, to the
side door of which he had a key. He did not go up to the
landing with me. I waa to take all the risk of discovery
myaelf. i
Again I knelt on the landing, removed the painted face,
and prepared to thrust my own through the aperture In
the portrait. Kills ha.1 lent me his lantern, and first I
examined the bit of canvaa carefully It was Indeed atart
lingly like my own I could see that. Ellis' second reason
for employing me waa plain! So interested was I In It
that I waa scarcely In position when the old man came
Into the library with the lamp. I was greatly moved, and
had he looked up Instantly at the picture Instead of sitting
down for his nightly game of solitaire ho must surely have
discovered the Imposition. I waa composed again ere he
rose to bring out hia treasure. Again I saw him gloating
over the gems the worship of a pagan before hla god!
And now I viewed the jewels and their settings with great
er care. There was a small cross of peoullnr design which
1 had not observed the night before, and a bracelet of
ancient workmanship which fixed my attention Until the
sweat fairly started from my pores and my eyes burned
from the strain.
Suddenly he thrust back paper and nil Into the box,
recovered It, and stu-nblcd down the room towards the
secret hiding place. He aeemed to glance up at me In fear,
and he muttered and mumbled to himself as, with slinking
hands, he thrust the box back behind the tile and closed
the aperture. He turned again and locked up at the por
trait, and I aaw that hia face worked strangely while his
muttering became audible.
" No peace! no peace!" I henrd him say. " They should
be mine they are mine mine MINE!"
His voice rose to a half suppressed Bhrtek, and ho
wrung hla hands aa though in agony, still staring up at me.
" You know they are mine!" he cried. " You are dead
long ago. Who knowa John Burton now?"
God! the question must have shocked my face Into
sudden life. With a shriek the old ma., tell upon the floor
and groveled there.
" Don't look at me so! Don't burn me with your eye!'
My God! My God!"
I knew that the aweat waa pouring down my face; but
I wa held motionless, and could not even tear my face
from the mutilated slcture. Wltn another screech, that
set all my nerves a -tingle, the. miser
rolled over upon his face, his body
wa oonvulsed once, and then Vay still!
At that I recovered my muscular
power. I buret the remainder of the
portrait of John Burton from the
frame and cast it away. The hole In
the wail waa sufficient for the pas
sage of my body, and there was the
top of a bookcase just below where
tre picture had hung.
I scrambled tlhrough and dropped
from .the bookcase to the floor, I
seized the old man and turned him
over. He wa dead I 4
I stood there for a minute, ap
palled by the horror of the catastro
phe. This wa not a result which I
had looked for. Punishment had overtaken the miser
more quickly and certainly than any man could have
planned. He was beyond human judgment, or blame,
or praise. And with this thought came another. I went
swiftly to the fireplace and ran my hand over tha tiles.
" Third from the end. second row from the top." I
found the spring; the door flew open. In a moment the tin
jewela waa In my hands.
though thia were a signal, on door and window
aeveral crashing blowa. The door flew inward,
from Its hinges; with a crash of shattered glass
casements was demolished; and there leaped
room through both apertures a crowd of unl-
men the police!
Caught In the act! We've been watching for you
about here for two nights, my man," declared the
who seized me. " Robbery and yes! murder, by
Neither," I declared, but he would not listen then.
his men slipped handcuffs upon me.
The room became crowded. A doctor came and pro
nounced the old man's death due to heart failure.
1 " That clears yOu of one charge, my man," said the
police Inspector. " But what about theae?" He pointed to
the uncovered box of gema, and from them to the hoi In
the wall.
" Thoae jewela are mine," aald a harsh voice, and I saw
Ellia pushing through the crowd. " I am Mr. De Villier'a
nephew hla only relative."
" Pardon me," I aald. " The jewela are mine."
"What's that?" cried the Inspector. "Of all the cool
ones, you are the cup! You claim the jewels you stole as
your own?"
" A man cannot be accused of stealing what is right
fully his own," I aald.
" He is mad!" cried Ellis. " Mr. De Vllllers owned the
gema They are er family heirlooms."
"They are Indeed!" I replied. "But they never be
longed to De Vllllers. They are the Burton jewela, and
were left In De Vllllera' care by John Burton when he
fled the country twenty yeara ago.
" Burton A De Vllllera failed, under circumstances
that were suspicious. The jewels were all that remained
of John Burton's sister's fortune. Burton had squan
dered the rest of the estate. The Jewels could not be sold
by the terms of his father's will. He left them in De Vll
llers' care. In that box you will find a paper, being the
topy of a contract between Henry De Vllllers and John
Burton, to that effect.
" Burton died abroad, and before he could communicate
personally with his sister. De Vllllers being a miser at
heart, failed to make search for the rightful owners of the
gema, but has hid himself and the jewela away here all
these yeara
" Only of late have the rightful owners learned what
lohn Burton did with the Burton jewela. And I "
" It la a lie! an Infamoua fabrication!" ahouted Ellis.
. " Stop, jdr. Ellis!" commanded the Inspector. Then to
me: " Who are you, sir?"
" The son and only heir of that sister who Is the right
ful owner of the jewels. In my pocket here," I tapped
ray breast with my manacled hands, " you will find the
original of the f on ract In the box. Likewise my mother's
birth and marriage certificate, my own birth certificate,
and papers to prove my uncle's d.at.
" 1 came to this country to search for Henry De Vll
llers; but Icing almost penniless my search up to this time
waa quits unsuccessful Then chance or Providence
1 lire w me in that man's way," nodding at Ellis, who with
convulsed features stood aside.
" He dreamed of learning where the old man kept these
jewels, and robbing him of them. Ha sought to use m as
a catspaw tlie very man to whom the Jewels belong; snd
he overreached himself."
These statements I proved before the court. I return
now with my fortune to my mother's home. Never again
shall I be so poor that such a situation as that offered
by Moe Levy will appeal to me.
Nevertheless, had it m t been for the inackintotih
masque
on. of the
1