I THE DIAMOND river
1
MWWHWI VM H'i IB iH MM
BY DAVID
1)1 LAI'THIt X III. --(Continued.)
"AhJ" said Jethroe. with n woft, .slow
expulsion of tint breath. "Son -spoken
ncoitudrc.1 oil V Rubbed his hands to
gether a good Inl V Very deeply tunned
and very wrJnklrd?"
"That Is the limn, Kir. lo n hair."
"And tli oilier follow V"
"A red-hended mail of jHingnliiobilious
complexion. Clean mIiiivoii, exeept for u
lit tie touch of side whisker."
"Were they curioiiH at nil V"
"No, Hir," maid Monboddo. "No, wir.
They naked if (hero were any possibility
of mistake on my part iih to identity. Of
course, I set their iiiIikIh at rent upon
that point, and I thought it advisable to
add tliat the documents discovered iu the
bodly would alone have cured any doubt
on that point."
"Come, .Monhnddo, I want to be sure
nf this. Who firm spoke of docuinentHV"
"All, now." Miiid .Monboddo, "it is pos
sible the (in! suggestion catne from them.
It did ho, I remember. The red-haired
man said: 'The doeior would pnsnihly be
nided by documents found upon the
body.' Exactly. It was .not till thou that
I tllOC. ,,t : -t I ;!.., (belli tlltll
the documeiitH bud been forwarded to
their proper destination that they were
in your nephew's hand."
"There's something to be done with
4il," said Jolhroo. thoughtfully. Ills
ii Wit hand passed mechanically below his
chin, and he clutched at vacancy.
"Von nuiBt not do that, Hir!" cried
Monboddo.
"Do whnt?" nsked .lothroe, in nrniir.i
m cut.
"Tlmt!" said tin doctor, imitating bis
gesture. "I am afraid that I am not an
observant man; but that dutch at your
brnrd brought the beanl back again. I
mctunlly Haw It there. That motion of
'the hand traiiKformed you liaek to what
you wero when I Inst saw you."
"Yes," said .lethrne, with a glimmer
sf a smile; "you've brought your nerves
Into good practice for a startler of that
kind. Here, lot me think. There's some
thing to be done with this."
Ho fell to marching up and duvn the
-room, and Monhnddo sidled uneasily to
u chair.
A. knock wounded at tho door, and the
lithographic artist bowed himself In. lb..
Ing bidden to go right on with his busi
ness, be produced his work. It was vcrj
'ncnt nnd trim and new, and, on inspec
tion, turned out to be unite satisfactory,
'lie took his money, gave a receipt for
tho snino, and retired, having said "On.
nyl" several times, and spoken no other
word.
"look here, Monboddo," nuid Jethroe.
"There's Homethlng you 'must do for me.
I want nil these things to look like age.
I wnnt them crumbled, yellowed, soiled."
"Yes," said .Monboddo. "Child's play,
Ir child's piny."
"Will this ink stnnd salt water?"
"I'll guarantee, that, If you wish it,"
Monboddo answered. "Are these by any
chnnco to have been found upon the
body?"
"You're, u keen rascal, Tom," said
Jethroe. "Now, here's the game; these
sheets of vellum must look twenty years
old."
"A hundred If you like," said Mon
boddo. "I said twenty," Jethroe responded,
llo produced the satchel in which he car
ried tho originnl cipher, and spread a
leaf or two of its contents on tho table.
"That Is tho stnto to bring them to."
"Wxnetly," said Monboddo.
"They must bo immersed iu salt
water."
"Tho sea salt of the bath." said .Mon
boddo. "A touch of iodine."
"They must not bo allowed to become
illegible."
"I'll fix 'om."
OHAPTRR XIV.
Harvey and his transformed undo sut
nlono that night, and tho elder Jethroe
indulged in a good donl of rough mirth
over the trap he had laid for his ene
mies. "You must play 'em," he said, rub
bing ills hnnds gleefully together. "You
must make 'em think they've got. tho
clue. I never heard of liner sport in my
life. And what a lark it is to think that
they're nil como down to the funeral
tho funeral!"
ITo hurst into boisterous laughter, and
returned to tho theme again and again.
Harvey felt the mirth grnto upon him.
Ho was of another world and another
material, nnd ho saw no jest in the bus!
ncsa. It was nil ugly and repellent to
dilm, nnd ho was glad to escape his un
clo's constant repetition of instructions,
which had nlrendy been pressed upon
lihn to weariness.
Ho escaped under pretense of great
fatigue, but when once ho had got clear
of that oppressive gown and slippers to
think, llo reviewed the whole singular
story, nnd went over it from the begin
ning the time when he had gone out to
meet Constance by tho side of the com
mon, and, while waiting for her, had
heard tho last groans of the murdered
man. All the events which hud so rap
Idly followed seemed to hnvo pressed
Constance quite apart from him.
But, after nil, St was not bis fault .that
the had been caught up Into so strangely
romantic n scries of events, and he tried
to find excrises for himself. And while
ho was thus musing he sat looking at
tho door knob of an unused door, and he
wns absolutely certain that he saw it
move. His bedroom was one of a suite
of three nnd ocensfii'd the central place,
eo that three doors communicated with
It the one b"y which lie himself entered,'
end the locked nud bolted doors on each'
MURRAY
side of the apartment. It happened that
the door at which he Avas looking was
locked and bolted on IiIk Hide, so that It
did not seem as though a very hopeful
enterprise had boon undertaken by whom
soever was seeking an entrance to his
chamber that way.
Harvey rose uii stealthy tiptoe and
walked softly toward the door, keeping
his eye upon the knob, which was being
very quietly and slowly twisted this way
and tint t . He could see that n certain
amount of pressure was being used upon
the door itself, whenever tho catch was
withdrawn: and he knelt down closer to
tile keyhole' ami noiselessly withdrew the
key. No light emtio through; but on his
own side of the door there was a china
keyhole guard, and it was ten to one
that the same thing existed on the other
side also. I'.ut while he was peeping into
the darkness of the keyhole he saw it
slant light suddunly appear within it,
nnd withdrawing swiftly he allowed the
guard hi full. lie listened with great in
tent tie , but his heart throhlied with ev
eiti'iueut, and he was at audi pains to
cuiitrol hl breathing thai his ptiNcs
drummed in his ears.
This all passed away in a while, and
he could hear an asthmatic wheezing be
hind the door, and, after a considerable
time of waiting and listening, the pad
ding about of a heavy nnd inelastic foot
step. "Now, if I were a brave man," said
Harvey to himself, "I should just go
round to tlint room and ask what all
this means."
He was a good deal less of a coward
than he fancied himself to be, but his
young courage was only to lie aroused by
action, and stood In need of leadership.
I'.y and by he settled back to his
thoughts. His mind reverted to Con
stance. He had more money now than
ho ever expected to handle as his own
since his uncle had chosen to quarrel
with him. ills uncle had abandoned his
opposition, had loaded him with money,
and promised to make him heir to a vast
fortune; hut all this brought him no near
er to Constance, and carried him farther
and farther away from any chances of
quiet and repose.
"What's the good of millions," he ask
ed himself, "if you can't enjoy them?
Why should I care to have thousands at
the bank if I can't buy what I want
with I horn 7 I can't purchase the quiet
little house coveted and get married
and settle down, as I meant to before
this thunderstorm of an undo came to
make life impossible."
And as ho was thinking thu. there
rose on a sudden an nppaUing shriek,
which sounded almost at his ear. It
was a Avoman's voice that called, and it
was as shrill as an alarm whistle, and
as piercing. Ilnrvey, not pausing to In
quire whether he was brave or not, dart
ed into the corridor, and there encoun
tered ii burly man, who was footing it
nimbly In tho half-darkness. The two,
with a heavy shock, came to the ground
together, and Harvey, groping after
something to hold on by, and being half
dazed by the fall, seized tho stranger with
both hands by the sido of tho beard, and
held on there as a drowning man is said
to hold on to u straw.
The shrieking went on all the time;
louder than at first, if that were possi
ble, but at least seeming so because of
the extreme volubility with which tho
cries were poured out, and in a very few
seconds tliero were hulf a dozen peoplo
in the corridor, and the whole hotel was
in commotion. The noise proceeded from
tho room adjoining Harvey's not that
from which the door handle had been
tried, but its opposite and though the
door was wido open, tho chamber was
in darkness. An olllcial lady, in a black
dross, with man-like cuffs and collars,
bustled through the scattered little
crowd, catered the room, whisked on tho
electric light there, nnd closed tho door.
Tlie shrieks continued for a few seconds
still, and then emtio suddenly to an end.
CHAPTER XV.
Harvey lay and held on to the stran
ger's beard, and tho stranger, who was
extended on the broad of his back, stared
hard and unthinkingly at the celling. The
corridor was brilliantly illuminated by
this time, and new observers were drib
bling into it every instant. The manager
bad arrived, and was questioning one or
two of Ms servants as to what had hap
pened. Harvey was beginning to come
to himself.
"This follow," he said, "ran into mo
like a madman. "I believe he en ne out
of that lady's room."
"Who Is he?" asked the manager, ad
dressing one of tho waiters.
"Gentleman in number nineteen, sir,"
said tho waiter. "Came In by the ten to
ten to-night."
Tho gentleman of number nineteen
gave no sign of cunsciousness. He stared
without the slightest change of counte
nance, without so much as a ilicker of
tho eyelid, straight above him, and tho
lookers on wero somewhat nlarmed about
him. One of them, a little more useful
than the rent, stooped and began to lift
Harvey to his foot, but the lingers of
both hands were entangled iu the stunned
man's board, and it was seen tlmt the
whole sido of tho face nnd throat was
bruised and bleeding where the wiry,
black gray imir imil been torn nway by
Harvey's unconscious but strenuous
grasp. Tho young man's hands were full
of hair, ns if he had been disembowel
ing an old fashioned cushion.
"Von had bettor enrry this gentleman
to number nineteen, and then cull a
doctor," said the manager. ".Mr. Jethroe
is not hurt. I trust?"
Mr. Jethroo was led back to hln bed
room nnd comfortably scntcd in an arm
I chair while tho manager questioned him,
I with all tho respect due to Hnrvcy's In
heritance of tho deceased uncle's mililoi
' (if it-tlr1r
Harvey attached a great deal too muck
Importance to, tho event which hnd just
happened to bo inclined to tulk about
It fredy. I0 contrivisl to satisfy tin
manager whilo keeping his own counsel.
The manager lint! said ! is respectful good
night, and had Imwc) hiiuaelf half waj
out of the room, when a sudden and un
expected message wu brought him.
"Would it bo possible," the bearer o
the message asked, "for Mr. Jethroe to
receive n visitor?"
"A visitor?" H-ii'vey demanded, in
great astonishment. ' I suppose the vis
itor has a name?"
"Tho name is Thome," exclaimed a
voice from without, nnd Ilnrvey dashed
into the corridor to welcome the speaker.
"What in the n.nno of wonder brings
you here?" he itski-d, dragging the old
gentleman into the room by both hands,
"Accident, dear boy. accident," said
Mr. Thome with nourishing geniality
"I nad bushionH here, ami thought Con
stance was iu need of change, and so
I brought her with me."
"Constance is here?" cried Harvey.
"In this hotel?"
"in this hotel, .liar boy," said Mr.
'I borne. He was as pompous as of old
but he was geniality itself. Tho million
made a dilferonce. "She lias not yet re
tired," he said, "though she had just
reached her room when that extraordi
nary noise broke on!, and she and I both
witnessed the cxtr.".rdinnry scene iu the
corridor outside. Wiiat was it all about?"
"That is more than I can tell you,"
Harvey answered with perfect verbal
truth, though the reply, in effect, was
misleading. "Can I see Constance?" lie
linked eagerly.
"Certainly, my dear Harvey, certain
ly. Meet us in two minutes in the cof
fee room."
Harvey made a rapid toilet, nnd with
in the specified time was standing hand
In hand with Constance, with Mr. Thorne
looking on nt their meeting with hands
upraised In jocular blessing, like a father
in u comedy. There was nobody else In
the apartment, nud they were able to sil
down and talk at ease. Unfortunate
for Mr. Tborno. he had not found time
to impress Constance as he had meant to
do, with the idea that his arrival at that
particular hour was an accident, and even
if he had, it. was ten to one that the
girl's downright, honesty of nature would
haw led her to refuse to shelter him. She
betrayed the truth unconsciously at once.
"We heard of your loss," she said,
"and pnpu thought that it was only right
and just that ho should be present at the
funeral.'
"Thank you for coining," Harvey an
swered, "but I had very much rather
that you did not attend the funeral; it's
n wretched business altogether," he said
haltingly, "and 1 wouldn't have you
there for worlds, dear."
"1 didn't think It was at all my place
to be there," Constance answered; "but
papa insisted mid I came."
"Well, you know," said Mr. Thorne, "I
couldn't explain my reasons iu that fel
low's presence; but it's a long time since
wo met, Harvey, nnd I wanted "
"Tho fact is," said Constance, "thnt
papa wanted to know whether that great
fortune you hnvo come into was going to
make any difference between yon and
me."
"It would make n difference," Unrvey
answered, "if I hnd my way. It would
make all the difference in the world. It
would have made us man and wife, my
darling; but I'm as far off from happi
ness ns ever, I'm nfraid. I'm pledged
to go to South Aincricn to wind up af
fairs there, and I can't even guess how
long I may lie forced to bo away."
Constanco read tho trouble in his voice,
and lnid her hand iu his unhesitatingly;
but her father understood tho mutter dif
ferently. "You're not going back on your under
taking, llarvoy?" ho said.
"Father:" cried Constanco indignantly.
"No," said Harvey. "I inn not going
back on my undertaking. You kept us
apart some years, Mr. Thorne. I don't
blame you for it; I never felt that I hnd
n right to find 'fault with yon on tlmt
score."
"My dear boy," said Mr. Thorne, "ex
cept from tho worldly point of view, the
mnteh had always my very warmest
sanction. I am not about to withdraw
thnt sanction now, when the only ob
stacle to a happy union is removed."
"Very well, sir," Harvey answered.
"Will you consent to this: So soon as
over the ho boggled n little at the
phrase the ceremony is over I return to
Chicago. Then, without los3 of time, I
must stnrt for Brazil. Will you consent
to a marriage before I go, so that I can
leave Constnnce in your care, nnd claim
her from you at once on my return?"
"My dear Harveyl" Mr. Tborno shook
hnnds with enthusiasm.
"But am 1 to havo no voice?" asked
Constance, laughing and blushing.
"Yes, denret," Harvey answered, with
a sort uf tender gnyety. "the casting vou
is yours."
Those two yums people had been wait
ing for each other so long, nnd rneh un
derstood the other's heart so thoroughly,
that coyness would hnve boon n more pt
tense."
"Say 'Yes,' " urged Harvey, "mid sun.'
wo happy on my journey."
"Yes," she said.
(To bo continued.!
Thoy Compromised.
"Will you bo my wife, Gucnlvore'
"No, Charles. I think far too miici
of yon for that. I still want you.
friendship. Let me bo your stenogra
pber. That Is the only way In which
1 can submit to man's dictation."
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
Ignorance would be more blissful if
It was able to recognize its blissful,
n ess.
Only Two Now.
"Johnnie," said (ho teacher, "can you
tell mo how many seasons there nro In
tho yenr?"
"Yes'm; there nro two."
"Are you sure you're right? Are
there not four season In u yenr?"
"No'm. There used to be four, bill
they've cut two off."
"Well, what are the two?"
"Tho season when you go to the sea
shore or mountains for two weeks, nnd
the season when you get bnck homo
unj wonder how you are going to get
a Vuitor overcoat."
A Let-tip All Around.
Citizen Don't you get any vacation?
Office Hoy Goo, It rests de whole
oflioe when do boss goes off.
Accounted Kor.
Casey Cassldy be working over six
teen hours a day now for almost unw
illing! Costlgan--Th reptile scab! I'lint do
be be doing?
Casey Whoi. he's gone Into busi
ness for himself, begorrnh!
Misunderstood.
"I won't see you to-morrow," said
her llance, who was Interested In poll
tics. "I must go to Washington."
"What for?" demanded the sweel
young tiling.
"I want to got our Congressman tc
support our bill and "
"Tho Idea! Your Bill should .support
himself, now can he bo so la.y?"
Philadelphia Press.
I'olnt of View.
"Justice," remarked the proverb dis
penser, "l.s blind."
"Don't you believe it," rejoined the
rontrary person. "Tho scales are- In
her band, not over her eyes."
An Kxceiitlon Amonir Men.
Smith Smlloy la an exceptional
man. I don't believe he has an enemy
in the world.
Jones 'that's right. Why, even his
relatives speuk well of him.
Bnuli a l'oo inh Question.
Mrs. Neurleh My husband bought a
lovely ocean landscape yesferdny.
Mrs. Neighbors Indeed! Is It an oil
or waler color?
Mrs. Neurleh Water, of course.
Didn't I Just say It wns an ocean land
scape? Uj) to Him,
Kvn So you are going to marry the
young man from Now York? Is ho
"eaptuln of finance?"
ISdnn I hope so. If he Isn't he'll
'mve to be a "captain of Industry" and
hustle for both of us.
In tlie Hoarding House Kitchen.
i rmmv d. i m,
mm i Ttw
7 S
The Mistress of the House -What
was that chirping sjuud, Mary?
Tho Cook (who U scrambling eggs;
A chicken that c.uno out of one ol
those eggs, but it s'joke too lute
ma'am.
A I'i'ceantioiuiry Measure.
Wigg Scribbler says ho can't com
pose a poem unless he Is smoking.
Wagg Isn't there some scheme wc
can get up lo make him stop smoking
Not ICqir.il.
"Do you think time is money?" said
Biffson.
"Can't be!" replied Bangs, "they say
thoro's no cud to time and I'm
broke!"
Cbunce to J,oso Her.
They wore about to go for a sail oc
tho lake.
"Shall wc or take your chaporoc
with us?" queried the young man.
"Will tliero bo any danger?" she
asked.
"Well, tlie boat might capsize," re
plied tho youth.
"Then let us take her along by all
means," said tlie fair damsel.
AVorlc of Art.
Him Isn't that Miss Upperlon ovei
by the piano?
Her Yes.
Him She Is certainly n handsome
girl, isn't she?
Her Yes, but sho Isn't as handsome
us sho Is painted.
Diamond Uxport.
first Stranger Excuse me, sir, bill
I understand you are a good judge oJ
diamonds.
Second Stranger That's right.
first Stranger Would you mind
giving mo your opinion of tho stout
in this ring?
Second Stranger Don't know any
thing about .stones. I'm a baseball um
pire. See?
I5llny IllltlillCHh.
Uyker I hear you have left the
bank in which you wero formerly em
ployed. Tyker Yes, three weeks ago. I'm
In business for myself now.
Hyker So? What are you doing?
Pykor Looking for another Job.
I UNEXPECTED PROTESTS. I
It wun Mrs. Cralgle, of tho old Oral
pie house in Cambridge, Mass., who
ivould not be so cruel to her "follow
worms" us to tar her trees ngnlnst cat
rpUlurs. Itccent destroyers of tho
'.irown-tall moth have scarcely been
'roublod by .such extremes of merciful
ness as this; but they receive ozn
queer protests.
"Sir," wrote on woman to tho local
roe warden, "I have- watched tho poor
men employed by you while engaged
In their perilous task, and I do not Keo
how your conscience can bo at peace
while they nro without a proper safe
guard. What nro tho lives of hwect.s
in tlie balance ngalnst those of men?
Heter u horde of caterpillars than one
broken human nock.
"I wish to propose and If you do
not Immediately consent I shall appeal
to higher authority nnd Insist that
sufety-nets, like those In tho circus,
diould bo spread below every tree, and
If nets cannot, be got at once, thon
blankets, until they can. Respectfully,
"Maria U.
"P. S. 1 hnve some blankets I would
be willing to lend, but they aro rather
holey and perhaps not strong enough."
Fortunately, no .safety-nets wero
needed by the skilled linemen em
ployed, since none fell during tho cat
erpllar campaign.
She was not the only person to
whom their occupation looked alari'
in;:. Another tree-warden received this
e.tmprohonslblo If slightly Incoherent
appeal:
"Dear sir, please leave us our cater
pillars. w don't mind and aro not
afraid of itches, but my daughter his
histories and men In the cllunia ivouVl
be worse. Her hlsterloks aro very bad
p. ml It is iruloy terreblo to see them at
such bights. Why are they worse than
lneliworimi anyway? Yours tmley
John Jones."
Now Yortf Stvlo.
The mistress of a Harlem apartment
w :ij fJnnving an applicant for the posi
tion of inn Id tlirough her flat .She hnd
been liberal In her promises of privi
leges In the way of afternoons nnd
nights off, says Harper's Weekly, ani.
bad (won gone so far ns to offer lh
use of the sewing machine.
The new girl sec-meJ pleased, an?
I he mistress was beginning to hope.
They walked back Into the dining
room, and the girl actually removes
one pin from her hat. Then 'she
st ppcd.
"Oh. do you do your own stretch
In' V" she asked.
"Do we do our own what?" nsked
the puzzled mistress.
"Strotchin'."
"I don't understand."
"Slretchin'," repeated the girl again.
"Do you put tlie stuff on the tnbk) at
meal time and .stretch for It, or do I
have to shullle It round?"
The, J'nu-ioticj litmus.
Though Henry James, tlie novelist,
lives abroad, ho is very faithful to
America, and very proud of his fellow
countrymen. At the Athenaeum, of which classic
club ho Is a member, Mr. James dined
one evening with Joseph Chamberlain.
Mr. James prajscd the English high
ly, lie praised their dress, their man
ners, their country life, and even their
climate.
Mr. Chamberlain listened attentive
ly and gracefully. At the end ho said,
expecting a compliment for Great Brit
ain: "Mr. James, if you were not an
American, what would you want to
bo?"
"If I were not an American," Mr.
James answered, promptly, "I'd want
to bo one."
,Muny Ilucru ts for J:ip Snry.
Cadetshlps In the Japanese navy are
open to every subject In the empire, a3
aro also commissions In the army and
all civil appointments under the' gov
eminent. Tliero is no system of nomi
nation and tho successful candidates
are chosen entirely by competitive ex
amination. Tho naval exploits during
the present war have naturally given
a strong impetus to the eagerness of
high-spirited youths to enter u service
which lias won such glory for tlioli
country, nnd tho applications for na
val eadetships during tho present
year already far exceed In num.
her those of any preceding entire
year. In one district of tho four in
which they are received they already
amount to over P.TOO, as against 3,000
In 1003 nnd 5,500 in 11)0-1.
AYomaii-Jjike.
"She's very masculine, Isn't she?"
"0! sho Is and she Isn't.".
"Why, you used to consider her ex
tremely mannish."
"True; but one day 1 asked her why
she was so and she simply answorodi
'Because.' "Philadelphia Press.
Not ihn Samo ThilliT.
"Is that man you Introduced uio '
1. .. oillllnti?"
"No; bo's got It, that's nlJ.''-"otro1'
Free Press.
- t
Loafers believe In acqulrlns thdi
dally bread a loaf at a time