Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-08-04
THE DIAMOND CRESCENT.

right nor to left in their haste to reach home
and the comforts of the fireside.
l was sitting in my Office on the ground
floor, watching the restless people and phil
| osophi1ih2, as have habit of doing upon
the differences in human condition, when my
attention was suddenly arrested by a child
wearing upon her breast n superb diamond
crescent of pureSt water aud brilliancy, Be-
fore had time to formulate any opinion as
/ to how SO magnificent a Jewel could have
come into the possession OF II child, or to won.
der why its parents or guardians permitted it
TO wear such valuable trinket upon the pub
lie streets, an officer had tho little one in his
grasp
Looking at it nationally, nothing would
have seemed more probable than that the
child was thief, for did not fail to notice
In my first glance that her garments, although
scrupulously neat, were far from expensive
nevertheless an unaccoumtable excitement
took possession of me, and rushed to her as
sistancc, demanding of the officer authori-
tatWoly, Upon what charge do you make
this urrestr
lnStiuctively recognizing II friend, the ter
riiiod child besought me not TO allow the
officer TO take her to Jail
Look at that pin, the little thiefl7 the
officer said roughly making a movement to
drag the child away.
"Stoplh | commanded Indignantly now,
for had made up my mind that the child
should Mt least have hearing. "Who says
she is "a thcf3n
81 say SO, returned the officer sharply. 81
know EN-, these street gamins, and Il pre-
c!o'ls lot they are She's regular one, this
ono u.s."
Indeed sir, | am not theft Oh, am
not, | am notl diin't mean to do wrong.
l wanted to find my own papa, that Miss
Adobe says the crescent viii surely find"
The officer laughed coai,sely That is fine,
isn't IT, Highly dramatic for one so young.
You see | know 'em; they come in all ages
FROM
"Ouccr,n | interrupted him, for a crowd
was gathering now, despite the biting cold,
and did not much enjoy my position as one
OF the central figures, step with me into my
office while we hear the little ones story. |
am convinced that you have no more right
to arrest this child because she wears a costly
ornament when walking quietly along the
public street, than you would have to arrest
the wife or daughter of "a millionaire under
like circumstances. You know who | am.
and If the facts do not corroborate the story
this child tells promise TO deliver her over
20 You i'll the next few hours"
"All right" said the officer, take her;
you'll be wiser in the next tweuty-four hours,
Ill wager
And So | was but not just as the officer am
ticjpate! Tho child told me singular story
botWccu her sobs and facts proved it strictly
true Indeed, as had the little one in my
Office before the fire warm and comfortable
except for the effects Of her fright | had
time &C. see that her features and expression
were those OF a young princess of the blood
clear cut, exquisite and truthful. She was as
far removed from the youthful unt0rtunates
brought up ia vice and crime us is heaven
from cllth.
The gist of her story was that she was n
great mans daughter, and the only way she
would ever find her papa was by the crescent,
which he would recognize She lived with
Miss Adele, a music teacher, and they had
worry little money. Miss Adele had cried
that morning because their coal was nearly
gone and She had no money to buy more.
"Whrn Adele had gone out put the cres
cent on, aud came to find papa, for | knew
that II he saw that he would buy lis SOME
more wood and coal, the child contided to
mo earnestly.
Etllcd IA cab at the conclusion Of the tale
a.. ,'.., the child to the street and number
=
thercahout welcomed us with emotion.
"Why, my dear Eva" she cried, casping
the child to her, 'whcre have you been} |
have been almost crazy with anxiety about
you"
Eut just at this moment Miss Adele caught
sight Of me, and, drawing herself up with
dignity, she waited for an explanation Of
my presence there. Stating the case briefly,
l asked her to tell mo something about the
child
II viii, sir She said, motioning me to be
seated with grace / haye rarely seen equaled.
The sole guardianship of little Eva fell to
me strangely, she began. Il am the daugh
tor Of a clergyman and while teaching mu.
sic in my native village in the west it hap
penel that ono winters night some eight
years since-a night not unlike what this
promises to be-my father and | were star
tod by means at our windows Investiga-
tion showed woman and child. Both were
nearly frozen, and the woman, once in the
heated room, swooued. We summoned a
physician. but She recovered consciousness
only to lose II again, until We found that she
was dying. Toward the last the poor crea-
turr muttered wildly and iucoherently, and
seemed to be in mortal terror of punishment
for some great crime just at the last, how
ever, she beeame entirely rational and made
frantic efforts with her dying breath to tell
Us all about the child; bat the most we
couli understand was that Eva belonged to
wealthy parents, and that something would
provo her identity Sewed up in the rags
wrapped about the baby girl we discovered
the diamond crescent, which is strangely en-
gravel in cipher- unintelligible TO a stran-
ger, but no doubt significant enough to the
owners, whom we naturally supposed to be
lttle Eya's parents for this was evidently
what the poor woman meant to convey.
''My father and accepted the trust thrown
upon Us 10y that mysterious death rs a com
mission from heaven said Eya's guardian
angel, with a soulful smile which disclosed
rich, beautiful nature, ''and we set about to
find the parents For n long time we adver-
tised, but to no purpose Many replies came,
but to none Of these people did our little Eva
belong. At last, after my fathers death,
which occurred three years ago, certain that
Eva's parents were not to be found in the
west, | sold my property there, coming to
New York III the hope of obtaining pupils
here, and at the same time good legal talent
to push the work Of establishing my darling's
identity. We have not been very successful
SO far.
felt myself in dilemma. Here was
beautiful young woman who had evidently
sacrificed all her worldly goods to what she
believed a divnely appointed mission, and
for all | knew had ut this moment neither
money nor food, certainly not fuel for the
bitter weather, for little Eva had
given that fact away, and eel she
III.