The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1888-06-08
was as strong as him, with a little hit

I was as strong as him, with a little bit
to spare, l got him to prophecy. He
wanted a plaguy lot of perswadinf, and
he got it; but when he couldn't stand no
more on it, he let on that 1t was inside of
a rotten wiilef alongside a pond in the
holleh. l did't know no pond, but I
ketched sight of the Kid sneakin' off, end
LEST sneased after her, takin' Israel
along case he mighter made . mistake
in his geography. There was no walking
fast with Israel over the bFaMbies, end
l lost sight. of the Kid; but il stood Il
reason the holler was down hilh 50 dnW1
l went the way the Kid had sHnn, hear
us l could reckon, ard there was the
pond and the rotten willer as he had
prophesied, and there at the foot of the
willer was the empty case, but ,nsirv
diamond. l cooked my eve nffunnd, and
once more katchcd sight of the Kid
sneakin' oil. l went for ner naturally.
but l might jest as we'll have VENT for a
tom-tlt. She got clean outer sight about
h same times I got outer wind. But
Israel wouldn't give up, md we hunted
about fol-, the Ri6 till we couldn't neither
OF ue buht any more; then we sat down
III committe, and, arter pretty warm dis
cusslon, we came to the unanimous con
clusion that, for the sake. OF EVERYONE
concerned. we had better git rid Of thu
leather case and say nathiH' shaIt Il. |
laid It down, that ihe KID had not took
the dsaniohd for mere mischief. She
knew, IN her w greaser way, that the
thing had a power in it to bring happi-
ness to the o~wner-like a chaTrs. she
SEQ that it clothed us ,aerrnt yend lodged
us comfortable, AID mat while it separ-
ated i"h and her, it brought you and
sources daughter together. And we laid
it down mutual that the Kid had too
much gumtion to pitch the thing away,
IL would hide it somewhere where she
could fetch it Limeby. Now, ef we'd
done otherways what would have han
reneds Van lioetk nd have declared it
was I'LL a lie, and wild horses wouldn'ter
dragged the secret outer the Kid. The
only hope of gettin' back the Hesper was
ter ley her play her game and watch her
A copy of this statement I sent to Sir
Edmund, and I added:
Either Van Hoeck ID possessed of sup
ernatlral clait1oyance, or he must have
bseh in completely with the man who
took the diamond from me.
Can that man have been the 'Furni-
val who obtained the. address cf Blace
and myself from ythm:
lR.S the feturn mail Sir Edmund wrote:
81 felt it right to read that part of your
letter referring to the robbery to Van
Hoeck, who for the last few weeks has
been an accepted visitor here, and l may
add the object of Edith's sympathetic
ccmmiseration. He declared upon his
oath that there had been no struggle be-
tween himself and Brace, and that no
statement had been extorted from him
by the violent means indicated, that when
you left he felt his way to the road, and
waited there. Bruce came and undertook
to lead him home. He remembers stop
ping On the way while Brace asked him
if he thought you had really been robbed
of the diamond. He knew nothing of
the leather case, which Brace might well
have concealed in the manner you de-
scribe without his perception. After this
explanation, he said hat he must once
more %relinquish our friendship until all
doubt is cleared up. But, he added enl-
phatically, as he was about to leave us,
If only a part of this story is trua-if the
girl got possession of the diamond, hidi it,
and should restore it to Brace and Thorne,
they will make away with it, and you
Will never see anyone of them again.
''If Van Hoeck is not the very old 'un
hisself," said the Judge, when l showed
him this letter, ''he's hand in hand with
him."
We asked Lola if she had recognized
the ma who dropped from the oriel win
dow.
NO" she replied; "the night was too
thick; but he wa about the size of the
man | saw the night before going from
II window to the other in the left-hand
side of the house."
One morning Brace said to me:
I've had my suspicious on it for some
time; but now I'm sure on it. We're be-
ing natched,"
asked him what reason he had for
this belief.
My reason is this" he replied. "The
ong-legged niger as coaAfs here for
dollar this morning. Hy4ad like he'd
been buying up your AA&4Bons, so l
jest had the rascal esfed; but there
warn't marry thinslsaIsasm but varmin.
Lay your life, sir, that niger didn't give
half-a-dollar for nothin'. We've got TO
keep our eyes open!'
You think he is q spy, paying the
help for information with respect to our
movements" l said.
~ do..jest that"
"Why?" echoed Brace, drawing a long
breath, because tikL4jaat tLre weeks
since Van Hog &ealned that wesare go
in to get baak the efaat Hesper kapdshe
found an'esd lse for quittnTi's
of Monken AZ S ssas