Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-03-04

you don't you can learn-stopl Listen
u. You are up TO my diamond passion
. we'll, there's where l want you'll I wan
o man--an honest mana capable maj
NJ to 90 TO South Africa for me, and fin,
mo the biggest diamond there-a dozeI
of OF them, il you're so minded Will 20,
goG Stop I'll take care OF the littl'
r woman IL you do, and provide for her i
you don't come back. The sea voyag,
will give you chance to taper of, dror
q the drink, build yourself up and al
that when you CT there youll be al
" right again, and then you can use youl
brains in finding me that diamond. III
y pay You good wages. and all You find il
mine II is a bargainf Strike hands
y on it IL itisl"
"n Margaret says yes, I'll 60. gen.
A eral. And Gnd blosc YOU, anyhow.
"Oome home to lunch with me then.
and we'll ask her she II likely be there y
Not only she, but all the children
were there, and in the newest of clothes,
for Mrs. Jack had been at work too, and
Mrs. Gary told her husband, with tears
in her eyes /: "We needn't go back to
that dream Of horror any more"
SO it was all settled in few minutes.
Cary's family were to have the cottage
on the generals farm and an ample al
lowance. the eldest boy and girl to go to
school, and Gary himself to 60 after the
big diamond. In week Mark Gary
sailed, with o chest full OF books in
which to study up the subject, and the
little woman and her children were
happy on the farm-happy, at least, as
they could be with Gary away in quest
of the big diamond.
How did that quest fare1 I must
let General Jack tell it in his own way,
as he takes the key of his safe from his
pocket, preparatory to opening it, and
stands on the hearth before the CRATE,
warming his stout calves, and empha-
sizing his narrative with gestures of the
key.
"Never was mistaken in a man in all
my life before that! Made all my
money by looking in peoples faces to
see if could trust 'em or no. And
this here Mark Cary-well, there's half
million O. diamonds, great and small,
in this here chest, let alone bonds, and
I'd left him here with the safe open and
nobody else in the house, and gone off
say to Europe or the Sandwich islands,
perfectly easy. But, you see-well
there's such thing perhaps as tempt
ing people too far. Gary got along
splendid at FIRST. he wrote to his wife
and me regular all along the voyage,
and when he got to the Cape he Bent
photograph that we might see how he
was spruced up. I could see tho old
curls was coming back to his hair, the
old fire to his eyes, the old roundness to
his cheek-and the little woman was
more in love with him than ever. He
went up country, and by-and-bye his
letters begin to come regular again, and
diamonds, too-small ones, hut one or
two good-size ones, so that in their
sum they might be taken to be worth
full as much money as l had put up for
him. One day he sends me real bril-.
liant two.carat fellow and simultaneous .
draws on me for E5OO, saying he was ,,
going to another place in the hope to
find diamond worth the venture. ..
"After that no more from Mark Gary. !,
More than q year went BY and not
word did I get from him, nor did his !,
wife no more than me. The little woman !
was we'll nigh crazy, and as had no :
good news for her, I didn't tell her any. :
had written in a private way to a cor :
respondent of mine at Natal, and heard :
what I was afraid of-that Gary had :,
gone all to the bad again-and it cut me :,
deep: but never let on, not even to my :
own wife. No news-eighteen months !
and more went by, and not single word :,
from Gary. I kept out of the little :
woman way all could, but one stormy y
night she burst in upon my wife and .
me, as wild as she could be. General y
Jack, she says, wringing her hands, but :. :.
never shedding tear, and turning on =
me face I couldn't look at for the pity :,
sioner Of your bounty any longer! You .
are the best man that ever lived and I'm :,
the most wretched of women, but that's =
no reason why should keep on impos- "
ing upon you.' So I says to her: .
What's up5' for was pretty sure now =
she had news of Mark, and nothing =
good. Have you heard from Cary7' :.
General Jack, she says, solemn like, =,
know my hu band is deadl l know y
chat he has been false to you, and it kill 1o T.,
ID him! It's killing me!' was struck "a "a
Ill of heap. Never mind, little - =
woman, never mind + 1 was going on - -
10 say, when my wife broke in. How :. :.
lid you learn all this, Margaret she a
lsked. I'm dream, a dreadful, awful -
lream! said the poor creature, and then = -
'he broke down, burst out crying, and .,
couldn't say any more. So We sets to ~
work to console her the best way we =,
,ould, but didn't make much headway "
It it. told her would be cruelty hurt =, 10
f she didn't let me keep my promise to :;
Mark, but her last word was she y" '.
couldn't, daren't and wouldn't live on =
ne. :"
"Just then the front door bell rang, n,
nd when William opened it, the rag ki
,edest buzzard of q man broke past him cr
nd came rushing into the sitting room n,
lere where we were. He hadn't whole b,
fitch nor a clean stitch on him, that A,
elbow hadn't his hair was long and
vild and his beard also; his feet bare wi
nd his face would have won premium ba
or sharpness. All the same, that little of
7oman knowed him as soon as he Mt
topped at the door, turned white as a y,
heet, held her two hands together tight, A,
nd just sighed between her set teeth W,
Mark 7 I thought she'd go over, but W 20
he was too true grit for that. He never 30
oticed her, nor nothing else. He came
traight up to me and kind O. steadied
is staggering feet by holding on to the
able and looked me in the face and said,
ool and calm like, but in monstrous :.
hin, reedy voice General Jack, I've u:
cen thief and traitor, sot and .n W.
agabond, for more than year but I ~ ~
ave lived long enough to make you II II
mends. Here's your diamond take it oe
uickly, for I'm dying 7 and he put II,
undle of rags about as big as your two ~, to
SITS in my hand, and went over just like W. W.
g was shot ~
"The little woman gave one cry, half I'M
", half terror, and had him in her arms wi
ext instant, his head in her lap and she Of
him with kisses, while my nj,
life, cool as statue, turns to William bo
nd says /: Have some soup made, mr.
nd first thing saw she had the brandy no
ottle and spoon and was down on her W
nees beside him. 'He's just starved th,
, death, general, that's ALL says she. ma
nd I wpap 4 nouharo II, that rinO uhiIo 49,