The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-03-30

we had nothing-nothing in the world but
the things we stood upright in. and the
great diamond. For our smaller finds and
our implements We had sold at Natal to
make up enough to pay our Storage home,
and our spare clothes, our knives-every
available thing-we had bartered away on
our passage for food TO supplement the
miseFably insufficient Storage fare.
We kin not pawn the Kid" said the
I Judge, END that's about the only perkiSit
as we could well do without"
It was now well upon three O'Clock, and
/ We felt the need of food. having eaten moth
/ ing since six. when our last rations were
served out to us on the Southern Cross.
! Our position was a desperate one. With
millions III our possession, we might StarYe
! in the street. or have to take refuge in the
woI k-house. 1t was odd, indeed. and very
unpleasant also. At length, being unable
to see any way out Of our difficulty. we
made our way to police-statiOn and laid
cur ease lefore the Inspector.
! We'll. my good fellow" said he, having
/ heard us oEt. Il don't see how I'm 70 help
/ you. The Mayor is the proper person to go
| TO, but he's away yachting. The only per-
/ son | can think Of" he added. after a mo-
ment's reflection, who might serve yOu is
Sir Edmund Lasccles. He's got kind of
museum, and buys up curiosities, l know;
and a kind old gentleman he is, too. Now,
if he's at home"
We asked him hurriedly where Sir Ed
mund lived, and he replied that it was out
LymlngtOn Way-Monken Abbey-eight or
nine miles, and any one would tell us the
way.
Well, there was nothing better to be done;
so we got the Inspector to give US a more
definite direction. and then started off in
search o. the Abbey. The Judge swinging
along ahead at n good four miles an hour
the Kid had to trot to keep up with us; but
l gave her my hand. and she did not COM
plain-it was not in her nature to show suf-
fering in the ordinary way.
1t must have been about six O'Clock when
we found the park entrance to Monken Alb
bey and there we were stopped by the
lodge keeper, who refused to let us pass
without permission from Sir Edmund: but
When he heard tn at we had been sent by
the Inspector of Police at Southampton
he sent his wife up to the house to know if
/ tie baronet would see us.
We sat on bank near the lodge gate for
close upon an hour before we learned our
late: Tor Sir Edmund was at dinner when
The message reached the house. and the
cryant did not choose to deliver it until he
Lad dined. servant led US through the
park to the Abbey, and took Us into beau
/ tiful hall, waInscoted with dark oak and
hung with antleTs. old amor, and other
suitable decorations; and here we waited
until Sir Edmund Lascelles came to us Our
spirits rose at the first glimpse of the hand
some, portly old gentleman There was
white hair, and the promise OF kind treat
ment in the genial smile with which he
greeted us,
Well" said he, cheerfully. you have
something to sell me, have your"
Yes. replied, If you can buy it; it is a
diamond"
A diamond! All, that's costly kind of
curiosity. but like them for all that; have
you got ii with you?"
Yes" said 1. and, turning over my hand.
| opened it, showing the leather case
strapped to my wrist which contained the
The baronet was thunGerstruck by the
prodigiOus size OF the stone, for he could
see that the leather fitted it closely
You tell me that this is damond?" he
exclaimed. lifting the case as it lay ON my
hand.
We had it tested at Natal" said Van
Hocck, 1t is a white amond, and if not OF
the first water is certainly of the second: it
weighs go carats."
Is it possibl ? Come with me- Light
hundred and twenty carats" said Sir Ed
mund, in great excitement Bring a light
into the library at once" he called to one
az the servants.
We went into the libary. where | cut the
stitches of the case, took out the Great Hes
per and put it into Sir Edmund's hand, by
which time reading lamp had been
brought in.
II II Il uf Al II True. he SAID, examining
ii under q powerful light. a wonderful
stone "a perfect form-a prodigy Come
here, Edith; look at this
\ young lady who had entered the room
drew near. Il was only by looking at the
faucet we had had cut and polished that she
could distinguish that this was diamond,
Tor II was dull and gray, and looked like a
hump OF glass that had passed through the
FIRE.
1t is an extraordinary size, is it not,
pLpaf" she asked.
Extraordinary, indeed The Koh-i-noor
is not fourth Of the szel See what the
book says about that; get down Haydn, my
dear"
Miss Lascelles fetched the book. while
her father still examined the stone, as an
artist might masterpiece, and presently
read cloud
Its original weight was nearly 500 carats,
but it was reduced by the unskillfulness of
the artist--BOrghese, a Venetian-to 279
carats; lis shape and size resembled the
pointed half rose cut of a small hens egg
the value Is scarcely computable, though
two millions sterling have been mentioned
as lustifable price, If calculated by the
scale employed by the trad :. This diamond
was recut in 1852, and low weighs 1O21l
carats."
Good, good" cried Il. baronet With
ssliliul cutting, diamond II such form as