Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-11-14


cated?"
think the policeman's first impression,
IA he regarded US, was that we had fell
onious purpose in asking this question,
for he did not reply Immediately, and
with reluctance directed Us to the High
Street, and told US to inquire there OF
someone else.
CHAPTER II.
We marched on to the High Street, our
appearance attracting good deal OF at
tention, and creating some amusement
and speculation doubtless. Persons on
the opposite side Of the road stopped to
look across at us, others regarded us ask
ant in passing and turned round to watch
our progress, few children followed US,
thinking may be that we were about to
give some kind of street entertainment.
We found bank and streamed in,
small crowd collecting round the door,
as it swung to behind the Kid. The
clerks suspended their operations and
looked at us in open-mouthed astonish-
ment as we ranged ourselves along the
counter.
lis the manager of this concern in?'
asked the Judge-"H off, he added,
in roar, as the Kid, slipping her 1.-the
hand under the brasswork protecting the
counter, began to finger the scales.
The Kid, unmoved, satisfied her curl
osity, then, withdrawing her hand, rest
ed her elbow on the counter, and drop
ping her chin in the palm, gazed ut the
clerks with stolid indifference.
The manager is in, what do you
want?" asked the clerk.
LET up, Israel" said the Judge, falling
back step, and waving his hand signih-
cantly toward Van Hoeck.
I'VE wish to negotiate loan on the
security of large diamond that we have
brought home from the Cape" said Van
Hoeck.
Eight hundred and twenty carats,
fust water" added the Judge; 1.-The
grandest stone in this almighty universe"
There was a whispered consultation
among the clerks, and one went into a
private room at the back of the bank,
from which he presently returned with
the manager. go,
lam the manager; what do you want?'
Van Hoeck repeated his statement.
"And what security can you give me
that the diamond is genuine, asked the
manager, with o pleasant smile, ''or that
it is legitimately yours to dispose Of? :,
You will allow, sir, if anyone he'd
lost q stone of this kind he would have
made it unsafe for us to walk about with
it in the daylight" replied the Judge,
land as for its bein' genuine, you kin
hev the security Of your own eyesight.
81 do not profess to be Judge OF dla-
monds, and ] can have nothing to co
with it," said the manager, defnitiveiy.
We streamed ont of that bank rs we
had streamed into it, and tried another,
but with no better result, the manager
telling us that transactions OF such KIND
were altogether beyond the range OF his
business; and we found third, but the
manager was absent, and by this time.
being convinced that the plan we had
proposed was impracticable, we put our
heads together in council at the corner
of the street to determine what course
we should take.
We were disguised at Southampton,
and, had we possessed the means, should
have gone on at once to London, where
we might have found some former ac-
ouaintance to help us out OF our present
difficulty. But we had nothing-nothing
in the world but the things we stood up
right in and the great diamond. For
our smaller finds and our implements we
had sold at Natal to make up enough 10
pay our steerage home, and our spare
clothes, our knives, every available thing
we had bartered away on our passage Tor
food to supplement the miserably insut-
ficient steerage fare.
1--WE kin not pawn the Kid" said the
Judge, lend 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 eat
en- nothing since six, when our last ra-
tions were served out to US on the
''Southern Cross" Our position was a
desperate one. With millions in our
possession, we might starve in the street,
or have to take refuge in the work house.
II was odd, indeed, and very unpleasant
also. At length, being unable to see any
way out of our difficulty, we made our
way TO a poIice-station and laid our case
before the inspector.
( "Well, my good fellows" said he, hav-
ing heard us out, 81 don't see how I'm
to help YOU. The mayor is the proper
person to go to, but he's away yachting.
The only person I can think Of" he add
ed. after moments reflection, "whc
might serve you is Sir Edmund Lascelles
Hes got kind Of museum, and buys W
curiosities, / know; and kind old gen
tleman he is, too. Now, II he's at home
-
We asked him hurriedly where Sin
Edmund lived, and he replied that It wal
out Huntington way-MOnken Abbey.
eight or nine miles, and anyone would
tell Us the way.
I Wen, there was nothing better to b