San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-19
THE DIAMOND BUTTON
FROM THE DIARY OF A LAWYER AND THE
NOTE BOOK OF REPORTER.
By BARCLAY NORTH.

Press Association
and she wept violently.
The storm of tears acted like storm
on a sultry day; it cleared the atmos-
phere.
When she recovered herself she began
to think.
She made close examination OF the
room; it was similar in size and appear
ance to the one she had first found her.
self in.
A mattress lay in the corner with
pillow and horse blanket tumbled on
it, as if some one had slept there. Two
chairs stood near the dormer window.
On one was a newspaper. She picked 1t
up. 1t was of the date of the 18th OF
September. That was the day she was
last at home. 1t must still be that day.
The newspaper was new and fresh: it
had not been opened.
A small, round table stood in the GEN.
ter of the room, plain, wooden top
table, not particularly clean. A plate, a
cup, both dirty, and some crumbs,
showed that not long before some one
had eaten there.
A stump of a lead pencil lay on the
table,
She went into the other room.
1t was bare of everything save chair
and the bed on which she had lain.
Apparently there was no hope of es-
cape. She listened. She could hear no
sounds in the house. Only the noises
from the street.-the cries of hawkers,
the shouts of children at play, the roll of
vehicles-all these came to her deadened
by the distance.
What was the meaning of her seizure
and confinement, she asked herself.
Who was the enemy of her family who
first killed her brother and then abducted
her? Why were these calamities so sud-
denly precipitated upon them, who had
always lived such quiet and uneventful
lives?
1t was problem too deep for her to
solve; she was not even aware of an
enemy.
Her thoughts instinctively turned to
Holbrook. He would assist her if he
knew of her distress, and he would know
because of her failure to meet him as re-
quested.
All, thought! She had been trapped
by forged notes from him. She grew the
more frightened by the thought.
Oh, if she could but communicate
with Holbrook! She prayed heaven to
open a way.
Hi, missy, hi"
A voice startled her. She looked in
every direction but the right one.
''Hi, missy, look up"
She did. In the roof there was sky.
light. Through broken pane the very
dirty face of boy looked down upon
her.
If it had been the face of an angel it
could not have appeared more beautiful
to her.
II seed them when they brung you
up here. Was you sickg
"Yes. Can't you come down here?"
mo, de winder is nailed tight. Sides,
he'd trash me. He kicked me down
stairs onct."
Who's he?"
''De Teller 'wot's got yer locked up.
Oh, he's tuffv'
Hes bad MANI"
Hes an orful bad man, I'm tellin
yer, missy"
''Do you want to help me?"
You'd tell on me-"
mo, indeed l won't. If you would
only help me. could get bad man pun
ished."
What, trashed? What, walloped right
up and down. his eyes blackened and his
teeth knocked out-say, missy, would
yer if I'd help yer?"
His eyes danced with glee at the pros
pect.
Indeed, | would" said Annie; and
she was quite sincere.
81 golly! dat would be good. Yer
wouldn't tell on me. sure?"
mo, indeed"
Den will if kin"
Il want you to go to Mr.. Holbrook"-
and she gave him the address land tell
him where | am, that / am locked up
here"
.Write it down, missy"
Il have no paper. Wait" she said, as
she ran hastily into the other room. She
snatched up the paper and tore strip
from the margin, and catching up the
pencil on the table she wrote hurriedly:
Help. | am locked up on the top floor
of house,
But where?
She looked up at the boy.
Where am T.
The boy snickered Why, right down
DIRE, missy.