The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-05-31

!" Well, but this is really very oblig
ng, remarked Lord Rorymore, natural
y astonished. as the pawnbroker handed |
him his check I shall only want the
money a few days; but You must allow |
me to give you bill. |
Pay me at your convenience, . said |
the paWnbroker, civilly. There was /
slight pause, and then he added: Lord |
korymore, your father once rendered me |
q service which my whole fortune would |
not repay. am only too glad to be
able to oblige his son.
Oh, indeed d--ahl We ought to count
Is old friends, then" said Lord Rory
more, with forced smile, as he fingered
the draft had never heard that"
Your father did not tell you, then,
how he befriended me %
No, he said nothing about it.
That was just like him, exclaimed
Mr.. Tribal, with feeling. Your father
was good and noble man, my lord. .
This was said as the pawnbroker was es-
corting his customer to the door.
Duced queer money-lender that,
sohloquized Lord Rorymore, stepping
into his brougham, with his jewels under
his arm. wonder whether there are
more like him." But, musing in this
strain, he felt uncomfortable, and vowed
to repay the money at the earliest possi-
BILE date.
Spendthrifts make many such VOWS,
which they are unable to keep. In the
course Of a few days Lord Rorymore was
again in straits, owing to losses on the
turf aud at cards; and, to make matters
worse, he was at this juncture yictimized
by his steward, a rogue who absconded
after collecting his quarters rents and a
great deal of money paid for timber,
corn and cattle. This time Lord Rory
more was trulylin a lamentable predica-
ment. After instructing his solicitor to
raise him loan on mortgage, he was
still in want of money to pay some debts
of honor, and defray his personal ex-
| penditures. It was then that the thought
suddenly occurred to him of selling his
| wife's jewels and having diamonds of
paste put into the settings in their
place The first time this petty idea oc-
i Cured to him he dismissed it promptly,
but under the pressure of need it re-
Cured again and again. Lord Rory
more kept on repeating to himself that
4 his wife scarcely ever wore these famous
family Jewels. She had lots of others
for ordinary wear, and these were only
CURED but once or twice q year, so that
they were virtually like so much dor.
mant, Improbable capital. Once Lord
Rorymore had begun reasoning in this
way, he soon schooled himself to the be
, lief that he should be foolish If he le
himself be arrested by squeamish scru
Piles. The upshot was that he returned
! to Mr.. Triball's shop, partly impelled b,
the reflection that in selling his jewels tt
the pawnbroker he would be quashine
! that debt of five thousand guineas which
! had been irksome to him from the first
! Mr.. Tribal was not prepared for tn,
prosposal which Lord Rorymore made
, him at this new visit. He mad trusted
that his manner of granting the former
! loan would convey rebukc to the young
! peer, and it had given him exquisit,
I. pleasure to reflect that he might have
: been instrumental in winning back tht
, son of his benefactor to straight courses
! Il, therefore, caused him proportionatt
pain when he saw to what expedients
Lord Rorymore was now descending. A
!, pawnbroker may be highly honorable
. kindly man, and Mr.. Tribal was so. HI
: | examined the diamonds in silence turn
! ed them to the light and at last said b,
: would give $4,000 for them, which, ad
ded to the e5250 he had already lent
would be about their market value. A
! he was concluding this bargain, he sais
. gently s. Excuse the question, Lort
! Rorymore, but does her ladyship know
, of this transaction ?"
oh, ye-es, of course" stammeret
! the peer, reddening " but, you know
/, she wants to have paste set exactly ik'
|. them, SO that society may not suspecf
] anything. You can make good limitations
, in paste, can't you?"
, While these things are taking place il
: London, Lord Rorymore was also in pc
cuniary straits, and was brooding owe
them very dolefully in Scotland. Sh'
{ was an extravagant beauty, who had TO
years been running mp bills, withou
ever paying them, and now at length he
tradesmen, alarmed perhaps by report
/. of her extravaganza, had begun to sent
: in their bills altogether. Now it was
popularity in Lord Rorymore that, al
though very nimble in getting into deb
himself, he flew into wild RACES whel
his wife did the same and her ladyshil
well knew that if she were to confess
! debts of six or seven thousand pounds
she would never hear the end of it. Thi
would never do for a lady who liked
: quiet life. So it came to pass that at tn
very time when my lord was converting
the family jewels into paste, the thought
!, of my lady were likewise running ol
! paste, for she had lately been show
some imitation stones which were so nk
the genuine that it was scarcely posi-
bic to detect the difference even ON clos.
scrutiny Lady Rorymore argued witt
: : considerable sophistry to justify hersel
how hrc ho r1cf m
! lord had done on his side. On he
i, return to London she lost no time in go
! ing to the bank without informing he
! husband), and on asking to have he
! jewels given up to her she learned
:. through some inadvertent remarks of
: clerk, that Lord Rorymore had with
!, drawn all the jewels in her absence ant
had but lately returned them.
ssAh, then, I am too late, mutteret
: her ladyship, with sudden misgiying
and she turned quite pale, feeling con
vinced that her husband must have fore
! stalled her. oh, what baseness !" sht
exclaimed within herself. But if
, find he has done this mean thing I will
! never forgive him; everybody shall know
! it. I'll petition for a divorce" Hel
! ladyship was almost beside herself with
! anxiety and rage as she left the bank and
ordered her coachman to drive her te
! Mr. Triball's. She had heard of thi.
broker being the cleverest expert in dia
monds.
Mr.. Tribal was seated in his office
parlor, looking into the fire in refec
tive mood, and thinking of Lord Rory.
more, when her ladyship was announced
She Aounced in, trailing skirt of two
yards length after her, and pumped
down all her jewels on the table.
Mr.. Tribal, 1 heard you were good
! Judge of diamonds, said she, excitedly
81 want you to tell me truly whether
! these stones are genuine"
Pray be seated" said the pawn
broker ; and he took up the largest case
with his most serious air Yes, your
ladyship, these diamonds are quite gen
! uine, and very fine ones"
Are you quite sure?" asked Lady
, Rorymore, all trembling. g / was afraid
they had been tampered with. / have
! had dishonest servant"
"They are perfectly genuine, and o.
the finest water" repeated the pawn
broker
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