Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-26

That the case had been made in oil
| near Cape Town was hardly TO be
! doubted. That it had been constructed
to contain a diamond was conjectuTal
but more than probable. His course al
last lay clear before him. TO find out
! what Mrs. Ennis connection with
7 South Africa had been was the first step
| on the ladder to success.
| Where il would lead him he could not
! possibly guess, and did not at that mo-
| ment particularly care. He should sue
! coed, and that was ali he thought Of.
Whoever the murderer had been, hen @
| longer entertained a doubt that the case
| before him had contained the motive OF
! the crime, auG would lead ultimately to
! the conviction Of its perpetrator.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE FREIIGER DIAMOND.
Among Mr.. Padger's earliest re-
! markaDle achievements after he had
! started in business on his own account
! the discovery and capture Of a gang of
! habituaI diamond stealers stood easily
! pre- eminent. The stones had mystic
| riOusly disappeared, packet after pack
| ct, during their transmission from Am
| sterdam to London, and the manner in
| which Mr.. Padger found out the system
employed by the robbers, and eveutua ally
| succeeded in trapping all the principals,
| was sufficiently iugenius TO be recapitu-
| lated here. Had it anything to DO with
| the Westcliffe murder?
1t must, however, suffice to say
| that he gained both profit and
praise from the merchants whom
his success benefited, and one in
particular, Dutchman nam
stored by MS fundamentally consider
able amount OF valuable property, had g,
in addition TO a substantial recognition of
his services, promised to place his eXNe-
renee entirely at AIr. PadgeT's disposal
If ever an occasion offered when II might
assist him.
To him then, Mr. Padger betOok him
self the morning after his momentous
discovery The wealthy old merchant 5
Office was situated III Walton Garden,
and consisted of one small, dark, plain
Iy-furuished apartment in which the
iron safe securely embedded in the wall
was the only sign that any business what
ever was carried on there.
Mr.. VAN Cooler was seated at his high
desk when Mr.. P&Gger arrived, partak-
inc Of a modest luncheon consisting of
bread and cold sausage.
''Aha, Mr. Badger, - he cried on per-
ceiving that gentleman in the doorway
Chow it vos nit you, men 1reund?''
First rate, thanks, - said Mr. Pad
ges cheeTily. ''How's yourself and
business?
''For neinselluf olTight, but peezness
bah, - and he shrugged his shoulders
despondently, for if Mr.. Van Cooler was
to be believed he was always on the i'm
minent verge of bankruptcy.
81 want you to do something for me,
if you VIII, - remarked Mir. padger,
iauntiIy taking his seat on Il table in the
center Of the room.
''You know, - said the old Dutch
man, ''eef I gan | viii. Not ish eet you
yant?''
81 want, - replied Mr.. Padger, tax
ing out his note book and reading the
details with extreme deliberaJion, 81
want diamond of an oval or egg shape,
one inch and q quarter in its longest di-
ameter, and thTee-quarteTs Of an inch in
its shortest. -
Mr.. Van Cooler stared in blank amaze
ment q: this modest demand but pre-
ceiving 10 symptoms OF joking in Mr.
PaGger' 5 immoyable countenauce, he
was forced to conclude that he was III
earnest.
"Haf you py any janice gom indo
vorduue mein freun?' heAsked as Mr..
Padger sat. airy swinging his legs, with
an eNpectaut air rs if he anticipated the
imminent production of trays full Of
such stones as he required.
''No, ne answered, shaking his
head solemnly, "'no such luck for
Padger.
''Do you not know den dot tiamond
such as you DESCRIBE would COST you
tousands of pounds?''
$50 much the better, - cried Mr. Pad
ger enthusiastically. ''The more it costs
the better 1 shall like it -
lis II, den, mein freund, dot you hat
gone ont of you pram?' exclaimed the
Gstouished dealer, seriously alarmed for
the state OF Mr.. Padger' s intellect
no, no, said he Taassuriugly, IN
all right, Mr.. Van Cooler. Let me ex-
plain.
As briefly as he could consistently with
clearness, he related the circumstances
of the murder, the discovery of the cas-
ket, and the reasons that led him to the
conclusion that its contents had been
diamond such as he described At the
end Of this narrative, Mr.. Van Cooler
shook his head doubtingly.
''Think not, eh?'' inquired Mr..
PadgeT.
cit ees scarcely probable.
''Why not?
"a shdOne soch as dot gould not dis
abbear mitout some questions asked. Its |
vereapOuts would pc veil known, aint 1t? |
For constance, 1 baf here leest of all, !
or nearly all, der veil known crate tia |
and you shall zee for yourselluf |
eef dere Is soch a ting dere.
He produced from his desk a small |
volume bound in black cloth, and laid it |
before Mr.. Padger. It was, as he had /
said, . list Of such conspicuous diamonds |
as he had seen or read CT in the course OF |
q long experience. and was the result |
OF many years of careful accumulation, |
which had been undertaken solely IS q |
labor of love, for the old gentleman was |
devoted 20 the objects OF his daily trade. !
quite apart from their intrinsic value, or
the profit 10 be made of them.
''Somday, he said 10 Mr.. Padger,
Z I shall write a crate pook apout tria-
muuds You viii see
May TIook shrough this now?' asked
Mr. Padger.
''Ja wohl Look, Mir Padger, look;
put you viii not your tiamund there
/