The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-10-25
sAxDYs DIAMOND

No.. sandy. il's your turu Why aoH'
you rssai Have you Ics, the plsos'
sssay ssrsistienea the tails OF bis rag
sed cosi siib sn sir of conscious virtue.
Ne uas 90, goias 10 iuss bis place. shat
ssrr the o,her might be. Nos Joias said
this. not because be cared Tor the poor, bal
becsu.e he ws- thiei. and bad ihs bag
he read oai 10 shriii TRIBE. !, ~s 90
ssful pity they isi bin keep ihs hss then,
be sddea. by ~a, Of oommsn.
Maybe they'd 90 ken he was . thief,
Suggested bis neigbbor, Who was sandy's
chief lfisoi aud sils aud m,ybe you wad
helped yoursel' bin now aud sgaio, Sandy
II you had good chance
Speak for yoursel'. Sam knox. was
ssnd.y's lofty reiort I'm no thief. at any
rate
Boys. stiend 10 the lesson, interrupted
tho teacher: and the debate bad. periorce.
10 bs postponed for the present.
sandy marched home after school, swell
ling With indignant pride. utterly declining
Sans usual escort. The tso we're friends
more from force Of circumstances than nat
ursl affinity. Both earned . scanty 10
come. carry ing parcels and messsges from
The railway to the different qusys; bat,
though they held the same profession and
were comrades 10 . certain extent, Sandy
by no means considered Sam in the light
Of an equal His clothes were many degrees
more ragged. bis shoes thing OF the past
or iutnre. and. III point OF family conrec.
tions well, there could be no comparison
between Sans drunken father and bis own
thrifty, hard working mother.
The coolness lasted some days. and might
have lasted much longer but Tor startling
adventure that befell Sandy. Trudging
around the dock st the edge Of dusk one
evening. with huge package for coast
ing steamer, his foot struck against some-
thing something that giittered 10 the dim
light just bit Of glass. he said to him
self turning it over With the toe Of his
shoe; and then be dropped his burden with
. crash, and swooped down upon bis find.
II was 9 ring. dull aud tsrnished with
mud, but neither crushed nor broken; and
the bit Of glass WAS the stone. 1t CLEAN
ed out like the wiudows on the opposite
shore at sunset
Sandy rolled 1t up carefully, shouldered
his package. and delivered II at the tiny
booking Office at the end OF the quay, ,stur-
Oily argued out the question Of an addi-
tiopal penny on account Of It's size with the
clerk. and got it; and then be betook him
self to a solitary corner Of the dock wall,
aud sat down behind sugsr-oask to con
slider matters.
First and foremost, should he tell biz
mother? He rather thought not. She
might insist on his delivering it mp to the
authorities, and taking the chances OF .
possible reward; and Sandy had an ex-
ceedinely uncomfortable conviction that
was just what be ought to do. Yet be re-
mem bered boy who found a pocket book
on the gang way, and the owner only gave
him shilling for it, and another who
found a. telescope and got nothing. Sandy
felt that fortune lay within his grasp, and
thst, il he had to barter it away for one
shilling or Ave, it would be paying too
dearly for principle
He had heard OF rings being worth hum
dreds Of pounds; and, il this was worth
but one, or even. to be safer still, fifty
The tide rippled in below bis feet unheed :
ed, the long line OF gas lamps twinkled
like yellow stars 10 the black. restless river
The keen wind whistled through the rig
siug behind. Sandy saw and felt nothing,
wrapped in blissful visions Of the modest
dlty.
For two whole days. he carried the SO.
cret alone. Then bis responsibility became
too heavy. Tacitly ignoring past differ
ences. he waited on the quay one dinner
hour for Sam KuoI. binding him over TO
s,ric, secrecy. though on that head be had
l,ttle fear; for Sam, whatever bis iailings
might be. he had never been known to do
Q shabby thing TO friend
Sam, I've got something to tell you.
I've had find.
One bs~bee or tws' queried Sam. in.
diff rebtly.
Just wait till you get a sight OF III Its
worth more baw bees than you ever saw 10
sll your days.
SO you're not going to.sive il up to the
suthoritics2 Sam asked curiously, when
be had heard the story.
And may be get nothing at sll, like Jem
McCullock, answered Sandy, shortly.
You'd not do that yoursel', Sam Know.
No. III not. agreed Sam. fraukly; but
you've Always professed such lot more.
A duh red hush crept up TO Sandys
brow. He bsd not counted on Sam being
sharp enough to view the case 10 thst
igbt.
Any how, let us have a look at II. went
ou Sam. pursuing tbst point no further,
Behind the sugar cask, after indefinite
pr.cautions. the treasure was produced fof
inspection
How much do You think III ge, for III
he asked. deferriDg to Sans Judgement
for once. He was much older. aud might
reasonably be expected TO have some ex
perieuce in v.lusbles -o,ber peoples II
not his own.
! mind OF besiing . man say once tust
be gave go for on. not near s. big ~ that
bu, you'il not get ss much. for who's so