The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-08-09

q removed the moss ana peDDles until
her intent watchers beheld the cold,
inextinguishable fire of the precious
gems cleaning within the dark: black
mold.
What think you now" whispered
D'Razelly, excitedly, "The diamonds
she will take. See is it not sop
And before the other could silence or
restrain him, he leaped forward and
confronted Anne. who stood quite still,
and only lifted her comely head fear:
lessly. smiling with calm defiance and
some unassumed amusement.
"Hush" she murmured, imperious-
IL, as he began to speak. "1n another
moment the mystery of what you have
presumed to be q robbery will be
elucidated, and precisely as l believed
it would be. Look
Down the path, with an unsteady and
unnatural gait, came a surprising appara
tion-the figure of u lady. Bare were
her feet, and her gray, %drooping head
was uncovered, and her thin white
robes glistened with the damp night
dews.
"Mother' gasped Tony Dorman,
amazed, and glad for the accused Anne,
who was 80 c%uriously exonerated.
Straight on came the somnambullst
Paueing at length before the treasures
she had secreted in her abnormal sleep,
and gazing with unseeing eyes upon the
priceless, sparkling things that she
touched lovingly with her withered
hands, and carefully again covered with
the thick, silky moss Then she smiled
family, sighed with satisfaction, turned,
and slowly moved away.
The c~ounteIapce of Louis DRazeily
at that moment was not that of an lndl'
vidual conscious OF superior discern
ment, and the glance he ventured to
youchsafe Anne was deprecatory.
What I should say l know not" he
stammered. "What I did think-what
I did do-so very stupid was. All,
if the kind mademoiselle could NE
but pardon" he continued, with gal
liant entreaty.
Very demurely she assured him that
his suspicious were quite ~pardonab!e,
anu perhaps creditable to his zeal as a
detector and denouncer Of the an
righteous:
Some time later, coming through the
handsome, brilliantly lighted hall,
Anne met the young master OF the
house.
"The tempting reward offered for the
recovery of Mrs Dorman's diamonds
induced me to come here as her house
keeper" she explained. Il had an in
e1plicable feeling that I might find the
missing jewels. I consulted no n
no one advised me. 1 was really ashamed
of my project, that 1 knew was qui1otic,
if not impracticable, and a failure would
have made me ridicul ,us. Shortly
after coming to Mrs. Dorman, I
learned that she had latterly been
haunted by an excessive and increasing
fear of being robbed; I leaned, too,
that she had only recently manifested
somnambulistic symptoms. The truth
came to me as an inspiration, but only
by merest accident; and only this morn
ing, while I was exploring for gentian,
did I espy the tiny, suggestive mound
of loose, dying moss, through which I
saw a single spark OF something shining
like a glowworm. So I waited and
watched, hoping she would visit her
buried treasure just as she did. The
discovery was very simple and is now
clear to you all"
And now you have won the reward,
you will leave US, I suppose he
observed, soberly.
eyes," she gravely assented.
sob, Anne, if l could only persuade
you to stsy% he responded, quickly
and imploringIy. "Do you fear 1 a
not make you a happy wite2'
at is not that" she said, with the
frank, serious manner that had always
so pleased him. "It is that could not
make you a happy husband. Do be
reasonable, Mr.. Dorman, for you must
be we'll aware that l am not at all the
sort Of person whom you ought to
marry. And beside" she added, with
a quaint little laugh, 81 have a pro
fession now, and I must not wed one
who kno s nothing of the instincts and
requirements of my calling
The handsome young fellow was
somewhat agitated by her speech which
he considered daring and significant.
"Surely, my dear Anne" he faltered;
"you would not wish to become a pro-
fessional detective nor would you init
mate that you have an affection for
Louis D'Razelly who so unjastly &C.
eused you, and who would willingly
have placed you ! n custody?'
"My friend" she replied. sweetly,'a
tear sparkling in each large eye, and a
lovely new color on each soft cheek
"we have just now had n understand
DRszelly ap I. he regrets
his mistake; and certainly he is not so
blamable when he would. only have
acted consoientiously."
"Yours is the logic of love, Anne"
the young man answered, dryly. "And
who may understand the heart of a
woman. You will be Louis wife n of
those days"
His prediction was verified. And so
it happened that a very happy and sat
isfactory marriage was effected by the
incident of Mrs. Dorman's missing