San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-13
OUR MIDNIGHT VISITOR.

what had become of you. All! you rogue,
I'll bet my bottom dollar it was that
pretty wench l saw the other day that
kept you"
"Mind your own affairs" answered
angrily.
Don't be thin skinned" he said,
"young people should control their tenn
pers, and you've got mighty bad one,
my lad. Have you heard that am 60
ing to leave your
I'm sorry to hear it," said frankly;
"when do you intend to go?"
Next week." he answered, "but don't
be afraid; you'll see me again. I've had
too good time here to forget you easily.
I'm going to buy good steam yacht
$50 tons or thereabouts-and I'll bring
her round in few months and give you
a cruise"
"What would be a fair price for
craft of that sort?" asked.
"Forty thousand dollars, said our visi-
tor carelessly.
"You must very rich, remarked, "to
throw away so much money on pleas
ure."
"Richr' echoed my companion, his
southern blood mantling up for mo-
ment. erich; why, man, there is hardly
a limit-but there, was romancing
bit. I'm fairly we'll off, or shall be very
shortly"
"How did you make your money!" /
asked. The question came so glibly to
my lips that had no time to check it.
though | felt the moment afterward
that had made a mistake. Our guest
drew himself into himself at once, and
took no notice of my query, while my
father said:
"Hush, Archie laddie, We munna speer
they questions of the gentleman l
could see, however, from the old mans
eager gray eyes, looking out from under
the great thatch of his brows, that he
was meditating over the same problem
himself
During the next couple of days Ihesi-
tated very often as to whether | should
tell my father of what / had seen and
the opinions l had formed about our
visitor; but he forestalled me by making
discovery himself which supplemented
mine and explained all that had been
dark. 1t was one day when the stranger
was out for ramble that, entering the
kitchen, found my father sitting by the
fire deeply engaged in perusing a news
paper, spelling out the words laborious-
ly and following the lines with his great
Ao II in, h.a cd
up the paper as if his instinct were to
conceal it, but then spreading it out
again on his knee he beckoned me over
to him.
"Wha dye think this chiel Digby is9"
he asked. could see by his manner that
he was much excited.
mo good" answered.
"Come here, laddie, come herer' he
eroaked. you're Draw scholar. Read
this tae me alood-read it and tell me if
you dinna thinkA've fitted the cap on
the right held. 8 It's a Glasgey Herald
only four days auld-a Loeb RAMA
feeshin boat brought it in the morn. Be-
gin frae here-'Oor Paris Letter. Here
it is. Fuller Details read it a. to me-"
began at the spot indicated, which
was paragraph of the ordinary French
correspondence of the Glasgow paper. 1t
ran in this way: Fuller details have
now come before the public of the dia-
mond robbery by which the Duchesse de
Rochvieille lost her celebrated gem. The
diamond is pure brilliant weighing
eighty-three and one-half carats, and is
supposed to be the third largest in
France ard the seventeenth in Europe.
1t came into the possession of the family
through the great-granduncle of the
ducheSse, who fought under Busy in
India, and brought it back to Europe
with him. Represented a fortune then,
but its value now is simply enormous.
1t was taken, as will be remembered,
from the jewel case of the duchess two
months ago during the night, and though
the police have made every effort, no
real clew has been obtained as to the
thief. They are very reticent upon the
subject, but it seems that they have rea-
son to suspect one Achille Wolff, an
Americanized native of Lorraine, who
had called at the chateau short time be-
fore. He is an eccentric man, of bohemian
habits, and it is just possible that his
sudden disappearance at the time of the
robbery may have been coincidence.
In appearance he is described as roman
tic looking, with an artistic face, dark
eyes and hair, and brusque manner.
A large reward is offered for his cap
ture."
When finished reading this my father
and sat looking at each other in silence
for a minute or so. Then my father