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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1905)
The Diamond River OY DAVID CIIAl'TKR XVII. (Coniiiiucd.i "Indeed, sir?" said Monboddo. Then ho la untied n sonilo laugh nnd winked bot hoycfl together. "Von were not the bnly one," lie mild, looking mighty fool Joli, but ns If ho thought lio wore looking mighty wise. "Indeed, sir," !ild tlie stranger. "Before we hnve finished n convorsn llon which promises to ho Intcrostin'," Jn(d Monboddo, "yon must favor mo with your inline." "I beg your pardon," said tho st ranker, for Monboddo had chosen to be incoinpiu iicnslble. The doctor repented his re qnent, nnd tho stranger bowed, and HaUl: "Smith, sir plain Smith." "IMalnsiiilth?" said the doctor. "Thank ion. My naine'K Honbnrrow. Tom Mon borrow, medlcnl prne't loner. Everybody known me. Look here, IMaliiKinith. If Jrou knew our deceased friend intlnintely, roit know how fond ho was of a Mttlo 'l!. . rti.i.1 Siiu an infinite look of Jntnous cunning. Tho listener's heart fairly rooked Within him, and Monbod do's vacuous-looking eye saw how the question had hit him. "Now, look hero," mild the doctor, "when I trust a man, I trust him. When J don't, I don't. Now, I trust you, l'lalnsmlth. There has been nonietlilng queer about our deceased friend ever flnco ho returned to England. There mvo been people after him dangerous people." Tho Htrangur leaned forward to listen, and the wily Monboddo made his speech it times scurcely understandable, the bet ter to assure himself of tho other's eager ness. "Now," with a flourish that almost lurched him from his chair, "what did llioae people want? What docs this Jeth roe Jones want? What does Harvey Jethroo want? Harvey Jothroo's got a million, haRii't ho? Isn't a million good enough for anybody.? Now they're both howling nbout what d'ye think? Come, whnt d'ye think?" ' "Why, I suppose," said plain Mr. Smith, "it's something they attach a value to, if they're making a noise about it." "Yes." returned Monboddo, with a nud den nnmirctit want, of interest in the whole business. "I suppose it Is." I "Here," said his friend, arousing him with tho crook of tho walking stick. 'Don't you go off to sleep just as you're getting to be such capital company. Seemed cut up, did thoy?" said Mr, Smith. "Any notion what they'd lost?' "That's tellings," returned Monboddo "But I know whero something is, and if anybody know the use of It, I'd pay to be tnught. You bet I should make n echolnr." "Why?" asked Mr. Smith. "What's It worth?" "Worth?" cried Monboddo. "Harvey Jethroo wasn't a liar. lie said It was worth millions nnd millions hundrmls of millions. Here's Jcthroe Jones has got wind of It. I don't know bow. Ho says tho same. Here's Harvey Jethroe, heir to his uncle's million, and he's weeping mad, because " Monboddo paused in full hnraniiue. "Ha. hat You thought I was nW to let the cat out of tho bag that time didn't you? Well, something's lost. That's enough for you and me. Isn't it? They're a mean-spirited pair, or they'd offer a reward. Why, ten thou and dollars wouldn't bo anything to hem. It'd bo n lot to me." "You know where to look for It, eh?" old Mr. Smith. "Ah, you're a cunning fellow, you are, and no mistake. You don't let anybody walk around you, do your' "No, sir." rturned Monboddo, with a euperb gravity, "I do not." "Your jolly good health," said Mr. Smith. "I hope 1 can nppreciate a gen tleman when I meet ono, and I meet ono here. A bright and shining ornament, kir." "Well," said Monboddo, "I'll trust you. No. I won't." Tho npprcclator of Mr. Monboddo's eentllity glared as if ho could have Wrung his friend's neck with pleasure, but ho controlled himself. "Well, doctor," ho contrived to say, with some pretense of suavity, "I hap pen to know what poor old .Tethroe's Irishes were. You mentioned a game just now. If what you know about lias got inythlng to do with a game, I might tell you what to do with It. I might vcn like to buy It." "Hundred millions' worth," said Mon boddo, nodding like a sleepy owl. "Heap V money, that." "Do you know what to do with what Jou'vo got? Look hero! don't you go to lcep, you know, just ns you're getting so Jntercstln'. Do you know whnt to do With it?" "Sell it. Jethroe," said Monboddo "Jethroo junior, lie was crying about .t last night. Blush for him. Crying Itko n child." "Pooh!" said Mr. Smith, "he won't Ittyo ypu anything like value for it. You trade with mo now, You let mo know nrbnt it is, hnd I'll do a trado with you." "All right," said Monboddo, "I'll show yon. You wait hero."' Ho walked from tho room with n plightly unsteady gait, but once out of tlcw ho became very much more sober Ihnji.he commonly wns nt that hour of the day, lie visited' his bedroom and re turned, carrying n revolver nnd the kntchel Jotbroe had given him tho day before, with tho labors of tho ukillcd lith bgraphlc nrthit within it. CHAPTER. XVIH. During MoubodoVu Absence, brief as MURRAY It was. iilaiu Mr. Smith was in n bun dred different frames of mind, and bent upon iiH many varying forms of action, I'hc first, the most natural and the most ! .'iitlelng Idea, was to knock Monboddo on tho head ho soon uu he had coiivinc- ' ed himself of the truth of the document io carried nud to make a bolt for life , and fortune. Hut there were many ex ; collcut reasons against this course of conduct, Inviting ns It was. To rob Mon-I boddo seemed at first sight a reasonable . sort of proposition, but there were argil- lneutB against even that. To achieve pos- session by purchase unless every other method of acquisition were proved Im possible, did not evon occur to Mr. Smith. To buy whnt could be had by fraud had alwnys seemed to him a foolishness, Acl 'this way and that dividing the swift mind," ho leaped to a plan which ho per fected in his rogue s fancy at the very nstant nt which Monboddo lurched back uto the room. . "Is that the article?" asked tho doc tor thickly. Ho held the case tightly nnd Jealously In both hands nud allowed an Inch or two of the parchment to be visible, with a fragment of n chess prob lem, whero a rook stood on Its own square with a knight beside It. Plain Mr. Smith wns n man of re source, but at the sight of this simple- looking object his joints relaxed and Ills lend swam and his eyes were dazzled. He stretched out shaking hands toward it, but Monboddo leered knowingly and drew it further nwny. Is it any good?" ho nsked. Hood!" gasped his companion. "The man who owns that nnd knows what it means " He was unable to finish his sentence and broke off short with nn agitnted groan. He made a great effort and pull ed himself together. "You needn't be nfrnld of me, doctor," he said. "I can tell you what to do with that lot. Let me have n closer look at It." "So you' shall," said Monboddo. lie was a great artist, and lie knew how, if the stakes ho pretended to play for had been real, the stress of this moment would have braced and sobered him. "So you shall. Hut this is business. Stand over there." The other obeyed word and gesture in stautly, and hu and Monboddo were sep arated by the length of tho room. The doctor drew the revolver from his breast pocket nud laid it before him on the ta ttle. It was unloaded, but it looked as imposing ne if them had been nix men's lives within it, nnd Monboddo win not fond of loaded firearms. He drew a single leaf of parchment from tho satchel, and then, taking the weapon in his right hand, he held out the leaf. "C'omu nnd tako tills," he said, "and go back to look nt it." Plain Mr. Smith advanced, looking Monboddo in the eye. The doctor had not tho apearaucc of a man who was conspicuously brave, and plain Mr. Smith was a blood-stained desperado, who had carried Ills life in many lands ns men in a spoou-raco carry an egg in a tea spoon. He walked up to Monboddo very slowly, quelling him with tils eyo ns he advanced, nnd Monboddo's rubles lost their vivid color and took tones of mauve and magentn. And plain Mr. Smith walked right up to the pistol barrel nnd took the shaking leaf from Monboddo's hand, and then, without u word, possess ed himself of the satchel, which still lay upon the table. "Now," said he contemptuously, "we'll hnve a look at these, and then we'll talk business. Put that thing down," lie add ed. Indicating the rovolver. "If it's load ed you'll bo doing a mischief with it." Ho stretched out his hand with such a perfect coolness of mastery that Mon boddo allowed him to seize nnd lake away the weapon. Ho opened it nt the breech, spun tho chambers, nnd seeing that it wns empty, threw It to tho scat of an armchair n yard or two away, and be gan to examine the contents of the SHtchel. "Yes," ho said, "I've seen nil these be fore. They're right enough." He had been ns cool as it cucumber in ills dotiauco of Monboddo's revolver, but ho broke out in blotches of porsplratton, nnd lils hand trembled visibly ns he linn- died these little leaves of parchment, which to Ills imagination gave their own er tho cue to uncounted millions. "Do you know what to do with these?" he asked, and ho wns so brusque and in tense that ho fairly frightened Monboddo, who could think of nothing better to say than thai he had, a sort of general Idea. "A sort of a general reason ticket for an Idiot asylum," said plain Mr. Smith. "Do you know how to find the key to the statement theso things have got for the man who can understand 'cm?" "Yes," snid Monboddo, "I know enough." Ho heartened himself by a great exercise of resolution. "I'll thank you to give mo my property back again." "All In good time," said plain Mr. Smith. "You sit there, and don't you trouble yourself." So Monboddo sat nnd mused within himsolf as to what ho should do with tills bold and overbearing. adversary. Ho had won in a measure. He had persuad ed Jotliroe's pursuer that ho had found tho thing of which ho had been so long in search, and Monboddo was fairly Bat laded, further, that tho man no longer ddubted Je'throe'a death. But if he liad perhaps succeeded In this enterprise so far ns ills employer's interests wcro con cerned, he had no doubt whatever as to the completeness of blB fail tiro with re irard to his own. Jethroo had signified n means through which s few loose thou- funds might be made by swindling tho unprincipled. Plaiu Mr. Smith wn not In the least likely to part with any thou nnnds for what he held in his hand already, and it began to aflllct Monboddo to think tlint Mr. Smith might even de tect tho fraud which had been played upon him, nnd take personal vengeance upon his ducelvcr. Ho wan, indeed, bound to find out the truth Booncr or later. Monboddo wondered why he had 1 not estimated this certainty at Its full 1 value earlier. He felt very, very sorry for himself nnd ho wept a few tears. It was his time of day for being low-spir- ited, for ono thing. "I'll tell you what." said plain Mr. Smith: "you and me'll go up to Chicago together and get nn expert to solve those problems. Here's n plan of tho chess board with the key -n it. When w: vc got tho message plain and straight we 11 go out to South America together." "How do you know it's South Amcr ica asked Monboddo. "Oh!" his companion ailawcrcd with a jeer. "I've known that much a year or two. hen shall you be ready to come to Chicago?" "Hut I don't want to go," said Mon boddo tearfully. "I want my property back again, Unit's what 1 want." "You can please yourself, you know," said Mr. Smith. "I'm going, ami I'm go ing to-night. I shall start by tho mid night mall." "If you don't :ive me my property," said Monboddo, handkerchief in hand nnd tears in full How, "I shall call in the po lice." "Oh, denr, no," said Mr. Smith. "You won't do that, you know, because you stole this property yourself." "No, I didn't," wept Monboddo. "It wns given to me. I nionn I found it.", "Well, now," said plain Mr. Smith, "it's been given to me I mean I found it and I'm going to stick to it til! I get It translated." "Then," snld Monbodi'i, "I'm going to make a clean breast of it, and tell rela tives of deceased." "Hold on there!" snld Mr. Smith, seiz ing him ns lie began to lurch away. "You release me, sir!" exclaimed Mon boddo, with tragic dignity. "I am going to do my duty to honorable family. They're ready to give ten thousand down In ready money. That's Inducement to nny hont-st man to do his duty." "You sit down and talk business," said Mr. Smith. "How do you know whether I'm willing to pay until we've had a chance of talking things over?" I am going to do my duty," said Mon boddo, and by this time ho was really persuaded that he was on Ins way to a noble action. He waved the adversary aside, and made for the door, but Mr. Smith suddenly laid hands upon htm. and by an une.vicctd display of agility and strength Hung htm into an armchair, where he sat down so hurriedly nnd heavily that ho left his wits behind him. The chair must have been nn unusually solid piece of furniture, for except that It recoiled a foot or two under .Monnoit do's impetus, it was unaffected by his plunge into it. But Monboddo himself wns absolutely as indifferent ns tho chnir. Ho made not a movement and gave no sign of life for a quite considerable num ber of seconds, during which plain Mr. Smith stood watching and listening with bared teeth and gleaming eyes. Then the half-recumbent figure heaved one great sigh; the limbs and hands began to dis pose themselves as if for slumber. Wheth er Monboddo thought nt nil of this rough nnd novel method of being put to bed or no, he gave no sign, nnd in a minute lie was snoring softly like a man who might practice one dei'p and vibrating note on the violoncello over and over again. Mr. Smith still watched and listened until lie wns persuaded that Monboddo was really and truly asleep. Then ho gath ered up tho leaves of parchment, Insert ed them in good order In the satchel, be stowed all in n roomy pocket nnd left the sleeper to his sleep. CHAPTER XIX. Jethroe laughed like a tornado when Monboddo told the story, or partially told the story, of his own discomfiture. The doctor strove to enlarge upon his own cunning, upon the resource and arti fice bo had dlsnlaved. but It was all of no nvnll to stay Jethroe's mirth, nnd tho big man laughed until ho was fairly tired. "But now," he said, nt length, "this lets mo through. I start for town this morning, nnd I want you with me, Har vey. Good-by, Monboddo; 1 am really very sorry for you. If you played your cards properly you might have had nn easy two thousand out of Mr. Smith. But cheer up, doctor; you haven't mndo a bad thing oi it nftcr nil. We must turn to nnd pack, Harvey." That afternoon saw them in Chicago. Jethroe took qulot lodgings, nnd his nephew, ncting on Instructions, went back to ills hotel nnd waited there. He hi not long to wait, for on the following morning there came a telegram fron. Jethroo, Instructing him to draw tn thousand dollars, to pnek for n voyair nnd to proceed to Now York. He obv ed without question; he had long slroe ceased to question, for ho seemed to hn been taken by a tide he hnd no power resist. His uncle was beforehand wl1 htm at New York. "Wo sail to-morrow for Rio Janeiro,' said Jethroe. "In seven weeks froir 4V wo shall bo at our journey's end; ufid you will see what only one white man's eyes have seen before you, the greatest storehouse of riches in tin world. Thnt gang of thieves and mur derers is all gathered together in Chi cago, Harvey. They aro working out tho problems." IIo laughed In his bols terous way. "Wo have a clear field, and if they track us thoy enn be made wel come. . l' hnve one method of welcome they don't dream of." (To bo continued.) CouMn't He'TTTtT "If I'm so horrid, whnt Induced yoa to marry me?" "You did." Covolnnd Lender GOOD i Snort Qtofiesl H:-t-hMt-rMl'':-H''r4' At tho closing exorcises of u Syra miso school, n little girl -wnB nsked: 'Who la the head of our government?" 'Mr. Roosevelt," she replied, promptly. 'Thnt is right," said the teacher, "hut vhut is tils ofllclnl title?" "Teddy!" responded the little miss, proudly. During President ITurrlman's visit to Cheyenne, Frank Jones, the yonng ton of Chief Clerk D. A. Jones, of the amster-mcchnnic's oftlce, was sent to lis prtvnto car with a telegram. Mr. Harrlmnn, attracted by the lad's bright lomeanor, said: "What do you do?" I'm one 'f th' directors 'f tli' Union Pnctilc." "What!" exclaimed Mr. Hnr Iman. "Yep, I dlree' envelopes over t' th' uinBter-meclHinie'B olllce," was the 'nconlc reply. Apropos of the rocent examination leason at Oxford, a particularly good itory of Oscar Wilde is being told. At lis viva vocetrlul at Magdalen, "Wilde vas asked to translate a page or two f the New Testament, -which tho ex unlner suspected would puzzle him. S'ot so, however, for the future author ipoued tho book and apparently wlth ut any dlirtculty began to translate the passngc about St. Peter walking n the waters. "That will do nicely," mid the examiner, after n verso or two bad been beautlft:"..y rendered. But IVlldo raised a deprecating finger. Hush," ho said. "I wish to see If the tmtlcman Is drowned." As the liner cleared tho heads and tho heavy swell of the open Atlantic became noticeable, dinner -was served. The twenty-six plncos at tho captain's table were filled, nnd ns tho soup ap peared, tho captain addressed his ta ble companions. "I trust that nil twen-ty-flvo of you will have a pleasant trip," ho said, "and that this little as semblage of twenty-four will reach port much benefited by the voyage. I ook upon thep twenty two smiling faces as a father upon his family, for f am responsible for the lives of this iroup of nineteen. I hope all fourteen of you will join mo later in drinking to n merry trip. I believe, we seven fellow-passengers- are admirably suited to each other, and T applaud tho Judg ment which chose from the passengcr list these three persons for my table. You and I, my dear sir, are " The captain chuckled. "Here, steward, bring on my fish and clear away these dishes." The late Secretary of State John Hay was fond of tolling a story of o king who once upon a time fell into a state of deep melancholia. Court phy sicians could do nothing for him, nnd were In despair, when a certain very wise man bethought Himself of the well-known euro of sleeping in the shirt of a perfectly happy man over night. So couriers were dispatched ev erywhere In search of the shirt of a pertecuy nappy man. uno Dy ono they returned from their fruitless search throughout the vast kingdom. At last only ono courier remained out, md lie, too, began to despair of finding the shirt of a perfectly happy man. It was just about twilight, and ho was rlillng over a village green, when ho was attracted by the curoIcs3 laughter of a dlsreputablo beggar who was stretched full length upon the sward. "Aro you a perfectly lfnppy man?" de manded the courier, reining In his horse. "I am," said tho bccjrnr. "A thousand crowns for the loan of your shirt!" "But I haven't uny," replied the beggar. STORY OF THE CLOVER. Hie l'nitilUnr Field Flower Not n Nuttvc of Thin Country. To the averago man it is usually something of a surprlso to learn that there are more sorts of clover than two tho red and tho white, enya the Philadelphia Record. As a matter of fact, eight or nine varieties, of various hues, are common In fields and by tho roadside in the neighborhood of Phila delphia, all of them Immigrants from the old world. Tho few species that are native to tho United States are :hlelly western in their range. The pretty white or Dutch clover, Df creeping habit, which is a favorite for lawns and places where a closo, smooth turf Is desirable, has a tall cousin known as alsiko, or Swedish clover, which Is ono of tho most charming of wayside blooms. It is ills tlguished from tho white clover by Its upright habit and the color of the flower heads, which aro usually moro or less (lushed with pink. Practically useless for pasture, but lovely as a nonegay, Is tho yellow, or hop clover, so called because of tho resemblance of Its Howers to hops. In ngo tho flowers lose tho brilliant yel low of their prime and. change through ton3 of bronze to a worm chestnut brown, which is very charming. Another cpeclcs for which tho farm er has no respect, and which Is com mon on lean land, to one with gtay udt green leaflets like Uny ollvo lenvos, uuil oblong bends of dun flowers, -which are all but concealed fey a clonk of long silky hairs. Common through ont Europe and western Asia, It la known In half a dozen languages by names that all mean "rabbit's foot;' and rabbit's foot clover we call it hero. It Js believed to have been brought to tho West Indies by Spanish explorer! prior to JB47, nnd thence has spread well over our country. Best known of all tho trefoils Is tha common meadow or red clover, whose fat round heads of magenta bloom dot every summer mead. Beloved of men from t;mo lmcmorlal a rcature In thcli festivals and In mystic rites, Its valui to tho agriculturist seems not to hav been recognized until nbout tho six teenth century, when Its cultivation was first begun. During tho mlddla ages it was reputed cfllcaclous against the wiles of witches, nnd knight and peasant alike wore tho clover loaf at a charm. Tho popular association of tho four-parted leaf with good luclt dates from tho saino ancient time. v.hen tho cross formed by tho foui leaflets was held to Imply somewhat of supernatural virtue resident therein. Such a clover leaf was believed to mako tho possessor capable of doloct lug evil spirits; to Insure safe return from journeys; to Induco dreams of one's sweetheart and various sorts of pleasant fortune. The fondness of bees for clovoi flowers Is well known. Tho vl"" of those nectar hunters probably 8uL.oaC ed tho old Anglo-Saxon name for th red clover, which was "honeysuckle," a term still current In rural England, and synonymous, doubtless, with Shalt spcaro's "honeystalks." The showiest of all our trefoils h the crimson or Italian clover, -which la recent years has become frequent as i crop in Pennsylvania fields. It to e nntlve of Italy and southern France. Tho flowers are not in round hoads. like tho red clover, but in long spikes of so fiery a color as to have attracted tho attention of flower growers, who employ tho plant at tlmca ns a decora tive annual In tho flower garden. A MEETING WITH "B.ll." "Some years ago I was ordered t take a long rest," said a man, quoted by the Washington Star. "I journeyed as far Bast as New Brunswick In search of a good place, nnd being In St. John when nn old fisherman frlond of mine was getting ready to mako a voyage to New York, I took a sudden notion to go with him. "Tho -weather wns bad all the way, and when we entered the Sound you couldn't see the conipanlonwny from tho wheel. I never Baw such n fog. 1 was on deck with tho old man -when wo entered the Sound. lie was stand log by the wheel. Suddenly I saw him lean over and bawl: " 'Sloop a-ho-o-nyl' "I didn't hear a thing to Indicate th proximity of a sloop or nny thing else but those old fishermen from tho Prov inces have a faculty of seeing things in airy kind of weather. "Tho old mon gave his attention to' tho wheel, and presently I heard a faint cry off In tho fog. "Schooner a-ho-oo-oy!' "The old man Htraightencd up nnd bawled: " 'Is that the Lucy Ann?' "Again the silence for a momont and then faint and weak came tho an swer: "Ayc, aye! Is that th' Mandy Jane?' " 'Aye, ayol' bawled our skipper, and ho twirled tho -wheel, lie never lock ed my way, and for a tlmo I thought hhn unconscious of my presence. After fifteen minutes of silence ho suddenly turned with an emphatic nod of hU head toward that section of the foff from which tho answering hall had come, nnd said: " 'That was mo Brother Bill. I alnl seen him beforo for a year.' Then ha went on with his steering no If noth ing hnd happened." A Soliool Girl's Runny. Tho following extract from a school girl's essay cornea from a high school Iti India, and was published In tin monthly magazine of the school: "Kins Henry 8, wan tho greatest wldowoJ that ever lived. IIo was born at Anna Domino In the year TOGO. IIo had 51 C wives, besides children. Tho 1st was beheaded, tho 2d was revoked. Shot never smiled again. She said tin word 'Calais' would be found on hoi heart, after her death. Tho greatest man In this reign was Lord Sir Garrett Wolsey. IIo was Blrnamcd tho Boy Bachelor. IIo was born at tho ago of fifteen unmarried. Henry 8 was suc ceeded on tho throne by his great Grand Mother, tho beautiful nnd ac complished Mary Queen of Scots, sometimes known no tho Lady of tho Lake, or tlio Lay of tho Last Mln strel." Canso nml Knct, "It was eating "so muclf candy thai made mo plump," explained the obari mold. "Ah," rejoined tho Mnltten youth, "that (recounts for tho tweet wtsgt you hnvo," ,