Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-08-21
rH1E$DAhYERS JEWELS
~ XYSSsSaNE(nF ANONYMOUS toUEl
MsSgMN~N' ~ Wbcb is Told a TbrIIi9e StoD
H.. Of ested Crime:
lnF HforYMouS NOVEL,

card. With my compliments, YOU per
ceive. He! he. l don't suppose they viii
remember who / am"
Have you no relations" / asked, for
l am always strongly Of opinion that
property should be bequeathed to rela-
tires, especially neal relatives, rather
than to entire strangers.
None" he replied. mot even poor re-
lations. | have no deserving nephew or
Scotch cousin. If l had they would be
here at this moment, smoothing the pill
low Of the departing saint and wonder
ing how much they would get. You
may make your mind easy on that score. ="
Then. who Is this Ralph whom you
have never seen and to whom you are
leaving so much?' / asked, with my
usual desire for information.
he glared at me for a moment, and
then he turned his face away.
'D-n 1t! What does it matter, now
I'm dyingT' he said. And then he added,
hosrsely. Il knew his mother"
could not speak, but involuntarily |
pnt ont my hand and took his leaden
| one and held it. He scowied at me, and
then the words came OUT, as if in spite of
himself:
"She-if she had married Tue who
knows what might But she mar
| SOD Ralph. My first name Is Ralph"
| Then. with a sudden change Of tone,
| pulling away his hand, There! now
you know all about it. E~difying, isn't
it? These deathbed scenes always have
an element of interest, haven't they?
Good evening"-ringins the bell at his
| elbow-''I can't say / hope we shall
meet again; 1t would be impolite. No.
| don't let me keep you, Good-by again"
! "Good-by, Sir John" / said, taking
| his impatient hand and shaking it gently;
God bless you."
"Thankee," grinned the old man with
a sardonic chuckle. IF anything could
do me good that will, I'm sure. Good
by"
As / breakfasted next morning previ-
ously to my departure l could not help
rejecting on the different position i'll
which l was now returning to England
az a colonel on long leave-to that III
which l had left 1t many, | do not care
to think how many, years ago, the
youngest ensign in the regiment.
II was curious to remember that in nv
youth / had always been considered the
fool of the family; most unjustly so con
sideTed, when I look back at nay quick
promotion owing to casualties, and at
my long and prosperous career In India
which I cannot but regard as the result
of high principles and abilities. to say the
least Of it. of not the meanest order. On
| the point Of returning to England the
trust Sir John had, with his usual shrewd-
ness, reposed in me was an additional
proof, If proof We're needed, of the conf
dence I had inspired in nina conf
dence which seemed to have ripened
suddenly at the end of his life, after
many years of hardly concealed mockery
and derision. Just as I was finishing
my reflections and my breakfast Dickson,
n of the last Joined subalterns, came in.
This Is very awful" he said, SO grave
ly that l turned to look at him.
What is awful"
Don't o know he replied.
Haven't you heard Sir John
last nightT
"Dead?' 1 asked.
He nodded and then he said:
Murdered in the night. Cathcart
heard a noise and went in and stumbled
saw the lamp knocked over, and a figure
rush out through the yeranda. The
moon was bright and he saw a man run
across a clear space In the moonlight
. tall, slightly built mar in native dress,
but not a native, Cathcart said: that he
would take his oath on by his build.
He reused the house, but the man got
clean off. of courses"
"ALd Sir john
"Sir John was quite dead when Cath
cart got back to him He found him
lying on bis face. His arms We're spread
out and his dressing gown was torn as
II he had struggled hard. His pockets
had been turned inside out, his writing
table drawers forced open, the whole
room had been ransacked. Yet the old
mans gold watch had not been touched,
and some zone in me of the drawers
had not been taken. What on earth is
the meaning Of it ally' said young Diok-
son. below his breath. What was the
thief after
In a moment the truth flashed across
my brain. 1 put two and two together
as quickly rs most men, / fancy. The
jewels. Some n had got wind of the
Jewels. which at that moment were re-
posing on my own person in their old
brown bag. Sir John had been only Just
in time.
What was he looking for?' continued
! Dickson. walking up and down. THE
| old man must have had some paper or
other about him that he wanted to get
hold of. But what? Cathcart says that
nothing whatever has been taken, as far
as he can see at present"
1 was perfectly silent. It is not every
MAJ who would have been so in my
place, but I was. Thow when to hold
my tongue, thank heaven!
Presently the others came in, all full Of
the anne subject. and then suddenly I
remembered that it was getting late;
and there was q hustle and a leave TAX
ing. and l had to post of before l could
hear more. Not, however, that there
was much more to hear, for everything
see1ned to be In the greatest confusion,
04A CFCAy SPoS1S VI CONJECTURE was e0@Oat
a to the real criminal and the motive
for the crime.
I had not much time to think of any.
thing during the first day on board; yet,
busy as I WAS In arranging and rearrang-
ing my things, poor Old Sir John never
seemed quite absent from my mind. His
image. as l had last seen him, constantly
rose before me, and the hoarse whisper
was forever sounding in my ears, I'm
watched! I know I'm watched" Icould
not get him out Of my head. l was un-
able to sleep the first night 1 was on
board, and as the long hours wore on l
always seemed to see the pale. searching
eyes of the dead man; and above the
manifold noises Of the steamer and the
perpetual tapping Of the calm water
against my ear came the whisper, I'm
watched! I know I'm watchedr'
CHAPTER II.
| ar> AM