The Portland daily press., 1879-09-27

You make the best you can of the old ground
and let willful man go his own way.
Whether you move or not, shan't stay"
Yes, there was clearly mystery about
this man, young, handsome, with an iron
will, with no vices, who would have been an
ornament to a crack regiment or duchess S
drawing-room, and yet hiding himself in
poverty and Africa. L couldn't make it out
at all. l didn't like to be outdone in gener-
osity by an Engishman; but l could but
feel it was a kind of destiny that was driving
him, and that, as he said, his boots were be-
ginning to boil. So the next morning we
Just shook hands and said Good luck TO
YOU old fellowr and then he went his way,
and | mine without more ado than II we
expec ed to meet again at supper-time
win [ ever forget that day? hadn't
been at work three hours before knew
myself to be the master of a more splendid
diamond than l had ever dreamed OF in my
widest dreams. Yes, in our wretched little
patch had lighted upon an African Kohl
noor Don't turn up your nose at Cape da-
monds if you have never seen that one. 1t
was queen; and tug at my heart told me
what our patch was going to be-
Our patch? 1t was mine; it was the sole
property of Thomas Conner. With ven
geance indeed had Luck turned at the de-
parture of Paul Andrews-poor devil! 1t
was sin and a shame. He had lost his
share by three hours; and because he had
been generous, and had given up the old
ground to me- My first thought had been,
Now for Kate and Dublin! My second was
to get hold of horse and gallop like mad
after Paul Andrews, to bring him back again
INTO the firm for l could no more have kept
that luck to myself than l could have picked
a pocket 1 knew which way he had gone 4;
and one doesn't get far in that country in
three or four hours. But though l rode as
much like mad as the nature of the beast
and of the ground would let me, | couldn't
come up with him. He wasn't at the new
place, nor anywhere else that l could hear
or find And though l tried for days, and
was more or less on the look out for months
after. no news of Paul Andrews could
hear almost felt like a thief; but there
was no help for it. / could do nothing but
put my back into things and work away.
IL.
1t was the height of the season when the
Southwestern Railway brought me from
Southampton to London. 1t was with sore
heart that made my first visit to the Eng
lish capital; but it couldn't be helped, see
ing that l had not yet three hundred year
of my own; and Conner rhymes with Hon
our, as all the world knows. But had what
was worth it, if people were half as fond of
diamonds as they are said to be. For that
matter, had, in the rough material, three
hundred year without counting the big
stone, my first and finest find, which 1 had
chrstened Kate Cregan, and meant to give
to my sister in return for the nine-and-four-
pence that she didn't give me, poor girl! And
it would be a delicate way of repaying Miles;
for of course one couldn't pay back kind
ness in common dirty coin. I'd had it cut
and set at Capetown; and l kept it about me
till could put it on Kate with my own
hands.
But though / couldn't see her in Dublin
just yet, wrote to her-maybe Miles would
let her run over to London, to have bit OF
fun with brother who hadn't turned up
quite so much of a bad penny as had been
expected of him. | hadn't written home
since I'd been away, because, for one thing,
Pm bad correspondent, and for another, l
never knew from day to day where I'd tell
her to send an answer And I didn't write
much OF letter, even now; only line or
two just to say how glad 1 was to be back,
and that I'd be free to come to Dublin in a
week CT two, and that [ had turned up
trumps in diamonds, and was her loving
brother Tom. l didn't mention African
Kate; that was to be for a surprise. Then l
went to work, and settled my affairs as well
as could for the hurry was in to be back
in Dublin again; and, for all my hurry, did
pretty WELL Meanwhile I'd been to a real
tailor, and got him to make me look little
less like a ruffian than I'm afraid did when
1 landed at Southampton, not forgetting a
suit of dress-clothes for though l didn't
know a soul in London in these days, an adj
venturer soon finds out the need of being
ready for anything tina may turn up at any
time.
Twas beginning to wonder as the days
h., 7 In limo fror, afa
but thought nothing wrong, as why should
l? I'd never been in London before; and l
had plenty to do in the way of sightseeing
Even staring about the streets and the Park
was enough just then for a man raw from
Africa. The very day my dress-clothes came
home, / had fancy to put them on; for I'd
never felt myself dressed like gentleman
before, in all my adventures. So, having no.
where else to go, took stall at the opera,
and amused myself by thinking, We'll, Tom
Conner, when you went down under the sea
pected to be turning up herep And then,
for the life Of me, couldn't help giving a
thought to poor Paul Andrews, who ough
to be where | was, if | was any judge of
faces at all and who wasn't just because he
dissolved partnership an hour too soon. And
| was beginning to ieel lonesome, too, in Lon
don, where / didn't know the people or the
fnrpiUn
70 K tics old niano BEFORE She married Miles !.
and the new clothes didn't feel to fit me
Somebow T was wanting the old nine and
the old canvas Jacket and the grin Of an old
chum,s hand
Win NV ewes off tho STAGE 7 chanced to
LET them faIl on the finger Of a lady who sal
hesi Ii mo 7 didn't tbinl, much 81 the fin
ger, but had diamonds in my head, and |
~ ho nan,od hes;dn INV o1y,, hi9 ono onIv n
w W. 90 cot in wsv beyn15 anvtbino thew ware
' "o'I 70 in Canetown Ttmada me feel asbamcd
Of the stvIe Of nine or of Rates rather. So
7 +ons a note Of If in NV mind and settled
to have # conied or bafterad If nossibIe bV
So,na 4, ct Nrafe iewalIar 7 don,t know What
tbn ladu was like 70 This dav for 7 snent the
root Of The time taking nhotooranh Of the
inc W On INV hrain and the neSt morninn 7
tonI al hanson, and drove to q man whom Ia
been introduced to already in the wav of
+rode Uis namn was Graves
''sI T want STONE, Stone reset said T. Sand when
vou,ve saen II tbink yo,,,n saw it's worth
ifbe doino, ), ~ -
VI ut NV, hand into tba broast- noclkat
paT Ivy iI Inv - i; '' littla lpother
WY mmoio 1900 Iont ond@piinayer forget
t d st;uor - ran Own from tho roots
efe oou Hninta tha TO-; 1t ~ W., tons w hen
fonnS S If WASH, therei The iewelIer waited