The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-07

Del1GVe II! Our mouse was DTOken luUO
that very night. Nothing serious came
of it, wonderful to relate, owing to
James extraordinary presence of mind.
She had been unable to sleep after my
thrilling account of the cab accident,
and had consoled herself by reading
Baxter's Saints Rest" by her night
light, for the canary became restless and
liable to sudden bursts of song if acandle.
were lighted. While so engaged she be-
came aware of a subdued grating sound,
which had continued for some time be-
fore she began to speculate upon it.
While she was specializing it ceased, and
after a short interval she distinctly
heard stealthy step upon the stair, and
the handle of the passage door before
mentioned was gently, very gently,
turned
Jane has some of that quickness of
perception which has been of such use
to myself through life. In moment
she had grasped the situation. Some
one was in the house. In another mo-
ment she was hanging out of her bed
room window, springing the policeman's
rattle which she had had by her for
years with view to an emergency of
this kind, and at the same time-for she
was capable woman-blowing pierc,
ing strain on claimants whistle.
To make u long story short, her EXTRA
ordinary presence of mind was the saw
ing Of us. With her own eyes she saw
two dark figures fly up our area steps
and disappear round the corner, aSd
when policeman appeared ON the scene
half an hour later he confirmed tt. fact
that the house had been broken into by
showing us how an entrance hal been
effected through the kitchen window.
There was of course no more sleep for
US that night, and the remainder of it
was passed by Jane in examining the
house from top to bottom every half
hour or so, owing to rooted conviction
on her part that burglar might still be
lurking on the premises, concealed in
the, cellarette, or the jam cupboard, or
behind the drawing room curtains
By that mornings post l heard, as I
expected l should do, from Sir George
Danvers, but the contents of the letter
surprised me- He wrote most cordially,
thanking me for my kindness in under
taking such a heavy responsibility Il am
sure never felt it to be SOY for an entire
stranger, and ended by sending me a
pressing invitation to come down to
Stoke Moreton that very day, that he and
his son, whose future wife was also stay
ing with them, might have the pleasure
of making the acquaintance of one to
/ whom they were so much indebted. He
added that his eldest son Charles was also
! going down from London by a certain
train that day, and that he had told him
/ to be on the lookout for me at the sta
ton in case 1 was able to come at such
short notice. made up my mind to go,
sent Sir George u telegram to that effect
I and proceeded to fish up the jewels out
of the tea caddy.
Jane, who had never ceased for one
instant to comment on the event of the
night, positively shrieked when she saw
me shaking the bag free from tea leaves.
Good gracious! the burgiar5.' she ex-
claimed. why, they might have taken
them if they had only known.
Of course they had not known, as I
had been particularly secret about them;
but wished all the same that 1 had not
left them there all night, as Jane would
insist, and continue insisting, that they
had been exposed to great danger. l
argued the matter with her at first, but
women, find, are impervious, as q rule,
to masculine argument and it is a mis-
take to reason with them. 1t is, in fact,
putting The sexes for the moment on an
equality to which the weaker one is I'M
accustomed and consequently unsuited.
A few hours later was rolling swiftly
toward Stoke Moreton in comfortable
smoking carriage, only occu lied by my
self and Mr.. Charles Danv ,rs, hand
some young fellow with p,le face, and
that peculiar tired MAJ ner which
Though, as / soon found, natural to him)
is SO often affected by the young men of
the day
"And SO Ralph has come in for a
legacy in diamonds" he said, listlessly,
when we had exchanged the usual civil
ties and had become to a certain degree
acquainted. "Dear me! how these good,
steady young men prosper in the world.
When last heard from him he had pre-
vailed upon the one perfect woman in
the universe to consent to marry him,
and his aunt (by the way, you will meet
her there, too-Lady Mary Cunning
ham) had murmured something vague
but gratifying about testamentary in
tentions. A week later Providence fills
his trimming cup with a legacy Of
jewels, estimated at?'- Charles opened
his light, sleepy eyes wide and looked
inquiringly at me. ''What are they esti-
mated at?' he asked, as T did not an
swer.
1 really had no idea, but I shrugged
my shoulders and looked wise.
Estimated at a fabulous sum, he said,
closing his eyes again. ''Ah! had they
been mine with what joyful alacrity
should I have ascertained their exact
money value And mine they ought to
have been if the sacred law of primo
geniture (that special providence which
watches over the interests of eldest SONS,
had been duly observed. Sir John had
not the pleasure Of my acquaintance,
but fear he must have heard some re-
ports-no doubt entirely without founda.
tion-respecting my career, which in.
duced him to pass me over in this man.
ner. What moral! Ny father and my
Aunt Mary are always delicately point
ing out the difference between Ralph
and myself. Iwish I were good young
man, like Ralph. 1t seems to pay bes: