The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-24
ell. we shall see" said Mrs. Trafford

that / thought they would prove them
selves wrong. And yet Julia is married
and here I am all by myself"
But the little widow did not find herself
left very much alone. Her friends came
to see her duly and truly and especially
did the young ladies get into the habit of
going in at all times-just to cheer her
ND. they said And before long the young
men also got into habit of going in to
have a cup of tea with her, and while
Marcus Oxford and Sir Anthony were in
Blaukhampton they naturally went and
called on the incoming regiment which
had relieved the 32nd. and equally natu-
rally they took several of the officers to
call at No. Z, and very soon it became one
of the popular houses in the town among
the officers of the 43rd princess Mary's
Own IIussars.
About this time the Bob Markhams
went up to town for few days, but when
they got back to BRENTWOOD Mrs. Bob
drove over and insisted upon taking Mrs.
Trafford back for Il day or two. She tried
hard to get out of it but Mrs. Bob would
not hear IL word about that-they were
going to have an impromptu dinner party
the next evening, the Lucifers and some
two others. 1t was no use Mrs. Trafford
declaring that she really wanted rest and
quiet more than anything else, Mrs. Bob
meant her to go and said so, she would
not take no for an answer and simply said
she would not leave the house alone.
So Mrs. Trafford had no choice but to
get her things put together and submit
to the inevitable, and | must admit that
e clio
got there. And whilst she was there, the
neighborhoOd was again thrown into a
kind of convuIsion by the news that an
other great robbery Of jewels had been
committed!
Little Mrs. Bob was eloquent about it.
"Oh Mrs. Trafford," she cried, 81 do get
SO frightened by all this really almost
wish that we had never come into this
neighborhood at all. Yes, do really. |
know I shall never know q moments
peace when we get to the Manor Lodge,
and of course, if you visit much you must
have silver and so on. You can make
very good show with just as many dia-
monds as you can carry about your person
but you can't carry your dishes and
your spoons and forks about with you,
can your"
''Well, not very comfortably" said Mrs.
Trafford, with laugh. but, if you are
so frightened you can buy electrO-plate
instead of silver-nobody will want to
steal that"
Mrs. Bob looked doubtful Bob would
not like that, Pm sure" she said. ''He is
so odd about those things, If you can't
have real things. don't have them at ALL
he always says, and | believe he'd rather
eat with his fingers than use what he calls
sham things. Yes, know it's very silly,
but men who have rOughed it a good deal
are like that. Bob really hates display of
any kind, but he does like to have what he
has good"
''But the gang have cleared you fairly
we'll OUT cried Mrs. Trafford; land sure
ly, after getting all those thousands of
pounds worth of jewels out Of you, they
would never have the heart to come back
for your spoons and forks"
81 don't know" Mrs. Bob answered.
''Thieves are queer sort Of people, you
know. They don't stop to think whether
the women who own the jewels they steal
will mind the loss of them. They just
look upon the possessor Of jewels as a sort
of gold mine which they may as we'll help
themselves to as not. If they stopped to
think, they would never do it and should
still have all the pretty things that Bob
has bought me from time to time since
we were married. All the same do owe
this gang something. They gave me back
my locket and, after all, set more store
by that than do by all the rest"
81 think they will let you off any fur
Their TOLL said Mrs. Tra(ford; ''they will
never have the conscience to come your
way again"
81 hope not" said Mrs. Bob, simply,
''but never feel very safe What | have
left is quite worth coming back for. How
ever" she went on, Bob is making ar
engagements to have strong-rOOm put in
the house before we go to Manor Lodge,
and then, as he says we shall lock every
thing up the first week or two and after
awhile we shall get careless and forget
and then one fine morning we shall come
down and find everything gone"
II am sure | hope not" said Mrs. Traf-
ford, "but in any case, whatever happens,
you are fully prepared for the worst"
The new outrage had been perpetrated
on the house of very rich lady living
about four miles from Blankhampton.
This lady had been bidden'to dine at the
house of her married sister two or three
miles away, and in accordance with her
general custom on such occasions she had
taken her butler and her foOtman with
her to help to wait at table. And during
their absence, while the rest of the SER
wants were at supper, the gang had got in
and had made Il careful and clean sweep
of everything; after which they coolly
went along to the Palace Of the great
spiritual lord Of the diocese, where they
effected an entrance and helped themselves
to such of the episcopal plate as they
found adjoining the great carved-oak side
boards and Bullets in the Palace dining
room. ..-..s.
After this it is safe to say that the
neighborhood went mad with anger and
fear, and the trade in thief-proof and fire
proof safes was so brisk that the makers
had hard work to get them set in their
places as fast as they were ordered. In
the town itself the excitement was fast
and furious. the teaspoons disappeared
again and the strings Of pearls and the
paste ornaments, and every evening about
the hours of ten to twelve, you might hear
inc ar