The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-27


ness she was catching with her needle on some
gold threaded stuff the ray touching and gliding
her satin hair, gnting in the lustre OF her brown
eyes, bringing out the softness of the rosy velvet
OF her cheek. And as she looked up at me, what
transformation and illumination from withinl I
wondered at myself, as looked at her, that l
dared think of making so radiant being my wife
it seemed sort of profanity and it brought
my hearts beating to stop for half athoughts
time.
Fortunately for me, Hester had no such idea
of herself II believe said /, throwing myself
on the grass at her feet, that you must have
proposed to me. Certain it is that never should
have had the courage to ask
IF you please said she laughing. land,
she continued, II am going to propose to you
now
''You are going'-
II suppose know that papa has been saying
in the study, and know that You havent--oh,
do forgive me, dear" and the color Streamed up
her forehead in rosy flash, 1.-The money, or the
means of raising the money, for any such enter
prise. should really think that papa was be-
side himself. Now" said Hester, turning to me
in beautiful glow. II am afraid you are going
to be angry-promise me that if you are you
won't say world
mot syllable" said /, half amused, half Won
dering, wholly overcome with my delight IN the
lovely being and my presumption In calling her
mine.
well, then, do you remember the little bag
of diamonds?r
THE bag of diamonds" cried
eyes. Don't you speak! Don't you be angry,
bending over me caressingly. "But l went to
the jewelers. today and l pledged these dia-
monds for just enough money to buy and equip
your teams and
These diamonds!'
YES and she dropped her hands into her lap
and grew white, looking at me.
But, Hester, darling-why, they didn't belong
to mel' l cried in CONSERVATION.
"They didn't belong to anybody else," she
managed to say before she burst into tears;
land it isn't worth while to throw our lives away
splitting Ani-oh, thought you loved me. I
never thought you And here all converse
ton was smothered in the usual manner when
tears have been in question
After quiet was restored, and the ruff1ed locks
were smoothed, and sunshine had followed the
shower, my dear girl took the word again.
And BESIDES" she began, IF the thing turns
out we'll you can redeem the stones. And if
you can't shall have my own little property in
two years. heard papa say so, and it will be
my duty to redeem them" and then, tears and
smiles still struggling she turned swiftly and
placed in my hand half-dozen bank bills, each
one of them of a number to take my breath
away.
Well, it was true those diamonds belonged to
nobody if they did not belong to me. l had
been, more than a half-dozen years before, on
my way to the railway station in Montreal.
when, as l sauntered along, sudden hue and
cry arose behind me, swelling to a tremendous
uproar, and always little more than inclined
to fair play [ stepped aside, when a huge
burly fellow who must have seen that wished
to let him have his chance, dashed by giving
me sharp thrust and blow with his shoulder
and hand as he did so. The crowd followed
him without regarding me, and when l picked
up my senses l was standing by myself, a little
dazed, having lost my handbag at the hands of
someone in the crowd, which, however, con-
tanned only few toilet articles
l made my way, all the same, to the train;
and it was not till the next morning, when l
was comfortably within American jurisdiction
that, CHANGING to put my hand into one of my
overcoat pockets, came across an unfamiliar
and mysterious object there, which, after curl
ously fumbling it in the dark, took out and
found to be a little yellow canvas bag full of
what knew could be nothing less than rough
diamonds.
That was what happened, then, when the
fellow endeavoring to escape brushed by me so
rudely. Doubtless thief, he had slipped his
plumber into my pocket as he passed, in order
that it might not be found upon himself.
/ lost no time in notifying the Montreal Off
Gals of the occurrence; but did not surrender
to them the jewels, which, apparently, nobody in
all Of Montreal and the outlying country had
lost. took them to lapidary, and ascertained
their value. and after my engagement to Hester,
l had left them in her hands for safe-keeping
till called for. had not rested, withal until
advertisements in the Canadian English and
L
and had even followed the fortunes of the one
person whose description reminded me of the
man that had brushed by me in the Montreal
street, but ali to no purpose.
Nevertheless, was not prepared for this &C
ton of Testers. At first, surprised and be-
wildered, presently was seized with a sort of
terror was ruined-I had appropriated to my
own use what did not belong to me- and it took
time and reiteration to reassure and convince me
that 1 could even take the bank bills, relying on
hor mi q in 10
ty 10 redeem them if the enterprise failed.
II can redeem them with these identical bills, !"
said.
II feared that" she said. Sand went over
teams to be put in readiness for you, and told
him to engage your-gang, you call it"
''You, Hester, do such a thing as that"
II didn't like to. It made my heart beat and
my voice tremble. But said happened to be
going that way and so was charged with the err
then that you couldn't retreat"
81 don't know" l said, whether you have
created me or destroyed me-"
you are very ungrateful," she exclaimed.
'You don't deserve it, but have set the loom to
weave your money bags. Now go to work and
fill them!" And then she took up her needle and
began to sing an odd little lifting song in the
provincial French, and then she dropped her
needle and threw her arms about me- and hoped
she had not made a thief of me, but what else
was there to dol
To this day think did an unlawful and
unjustifable act. But did it. I'VE are partners
in this at any rate, if we never are in anything
else, the gain of it and the sin of it," she said.
But here the conversation ceased to be practical;
and have always thought that there were two
excellent reasons for not retailing lovers talk;
one being that to third parties it is thoroughly
fat, stale and Improbable, unless those third
parties have very undue curiosity concerning
the affairs of other peoples and in that those
third parties do not deserve to be gratifed,
which is the other reason.
But that day and the next spent to their last
instant in mastering the plans for my campaign
against winter and the woods. l put the ques
ton of right and wrong behind me as we'll as
could. knew that Hester's share in it meant
only that exceeding love had blinded her percep.
tions, and, at any rate, the thing was done. The
rest of the season l let no day pass in which did
not gather information 10 make up, as far as pos
sible for lack of experience, and, having secured