Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-11-29
CAPE DIAMONDS.
A DETECTIVE STORY

Spect1cled ana very lnOlfenSiVe
loo4ing man Ned Girard and my
self were the suffering inmates of Z
nondescupt vehicle of the stage-wag
on pattern, drawn by six small cap,
horses en- route from the BloemfOn
TEN diamond fields of South Africa
for Wellington, thence by rail to Cape
Town.
Two-thirds of the really terrible
journey had already been accom-
plished, yet there were still some two
hundred miles to travel over sun-beat
plain and arid desert before us with
the mercury at 102 degrees in such
shade alone as our tilted conveyance
afforded in truth, there was nc
other
Our eyes were blurred and blinded
by the ceaseless glare of the sun,
whose rays beat down on the sandy
desert from the unclouded sky, which
was as brass above us. Our bodies
We're sore and bruised by the unceas-
ing jar and Jolt Of our rudely hung
vehicle We were parched with
thirst, which the lukewarm water
along the route, utterly failed to
Stake and though continually d rowsy
could neither sleep by day or by night
because Of the intense heat, the sand
flies swelled and burning feet, and
intense nervousness engendered by
the foregoing with the other Giscom-
forts and sutferings incidental to a
stage journey of some hundreds of
miles through South Africa.
The most Of us 6new each other by
sight, through having met from day
to day for some months, IN and about
the mining field we had just left. But
| Will venture TO state that six more
surly, unsocial fellow passengers than
our dusty unshorn selves were per
haps never-literally-tbrown to-
gether.
If Ned and myself were perhaps
little more pronounced in general dis
agreeableness than the others, we con
sidered, indeed, that we had ample
provocation therefor. For thirteen
months we had been toiling and per
spring, taking our several turns in
the dump or in our twenty-four
foot mining claim, as the case might
be. In nearly, if not quite year of
unremittng toll, we had barely sue
ceeded IN washing out enough small
stones (the invariable term for dia-
mouds in South Africa with which
to pay our running expenses; and
then one stroke of the pick unearthed
a rose diamand of such size and purity
that for full sixty minutes our good
fortune was the talk of Bloemfontein.
Well that night, after our frugal
supper, Ned, without speaking, ex
tended the precious gem toward me in
hls open palm, as we sat at our rude
table, in our canvas-covered cabin. |
do not answer for the scope of my
partners vision, of course. But in
the uncut brilliant as in the magi-
clans stones, | myself saw but one OBJ
ject-a sweet, wistful face framed in
a wreath of dark hair, within the
depths of whose soft eyes was look
as of patient waiting for the return of
him who had gone to seek his fortune
in the PARKWAY diamond fields.
Homer was Ned'S mterrogative
query, raising his own eyes, which
had bent upon the gem, with a sort of
PARKWAY look, to meet my own sud
denly upturned gaze
Home" | echoed, with joyous en-
phasis
But hardly had the word escaped
my lips when tall form dashed
through the door, and upSetting the
candle by sudden blow, seized the
diamond from Ned still outstrctched
hand and was OIL in the darkness
the whole event having taken place
in less time Than have occupied.
OF course we gave the alarm as
quickly as we could regain our scat
tered IDEAS but through half the male
population of Bloemfonteiu turned
out, it was To NO purpose.
The robber aud his booty had disap-
peared, without the slightest clew.
So it was that being in local par
lance down on our luck Ned and
myself Disguised aud discouraged
had sold our claim to a couple of new
corners for about $500, and with those
composing our present stage coach
party, had taken passage, as | have
said, for Wellington, intending to re
turn home, even though with heavy
hearts and light pockets.
Besides the small, specialized man,
who had represented himself as a sort
of colporteur Tor a religious society at
Cape Town. our fellow passengers
composed two diamond brokers, to-
gether with a young and very beauti-
ful fellow, who called himself MAT
thur. The latter had been very sue.
ceSSful, and 10 was with feelings OF
envy we heard him relate the the
,acytIt pf two AyppES' yDrL- I'M "a 1aSsrf