Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-06-30

treated as an uOlleSC man.
Now, did Van Hoeck deserve to
be treated as an honest man?
That was the question. I will give
here Braces account OF what occur,
red in the woods, and, as near aa
can, in his words: }!
"When we parted company in the
woods" he said, 81 hunted around
for Israel, as was my intention, you
will remember. I found him crawlin'
like a varmint OF a reptile through the
ferns. l fetched him into conven-
lent spot, and, says I, Israel l ses,
you air goin' to prophesy what has
gone OF the Great Hesper. It's not a
hard Job, if you give yer mind to it.
Tain't nothin' near so hard as proph-
esyins what's go;n' to be-
II had hold on him by the arm. All
OF a student, he filings himself round
grapples ON to ME, and lore Pm
aware OF anythin' Pm on my back,
and his two thumbs is inter my wind
pipe. meyer thought he'd got it inter
him. such strength and
agility,-and I'll allow he would have
strangled me hef the Kid hadn't come
up in the nick and frightened him by
singing out for you. did not lose
any time, and when l had shown I
was as strong as him, with @ little bit
to spare, got him to prophesy. He
wanted a plaguey lot OF perswadin,'
and he got it; but when he couldn't
stand no more on it, he let on that it
was inside OF rotten willer, alongside
a pond in the holler. l didn't know
no pond, but I ketched sight OF the
Kid sneakin' off, end I jest sneaked
after her, takin' Israel along, case he
mighter made a mistake in his jog
raphy. There was no walking fast
with Israel over the branlbles, end
l lost sight OF the Kid; but it
stood to reason that the holler was
downhill, so down went the way the
Kid had gone, near as could reckon,
and there was the pond, and the
rotten willer, all he had prophesied,
and there at the foot of the willer was
the empty case but nairy diamond. I
cooked my eye around end once more
/ kotched sight of the kid sneakin' off
went for her, naturally, but I might
jest as we'll have went from tom-tit.
She got clean outer sight about the
same times got outer wind, but
Israel wouldn't give up end so we
hunted about for the Kid until we
couldn't neither OF us hunt any more;
then we sit down in committee, and,
arter pretty warm discussion, we
came to the unanimous conclusion
tibet, fur the sake OF every
one consarned, we he'd better get rid
OF the leather case and say nothin
about it. laid it down that the Kid
had not took the diamond for mere
mischief. She knew, in her own greas-
er way, that the thing had a power in
it to bring happiness to the owner
like a charm. She see that it clothed
us decent and lodged us comfortable,
and that, while it separated you and
her, it brought you and squire's
daughter together. And we laid it
mutual that the Kid he'd too much
gumption to pitch the thing away,
but would hide it somewhere where
she could fetch it bimeby. Now, hef
we'd done otherways, what would
have happened? Van Hoeck I'D have
declared it was all q lie, and wild horses
wouldn't er dragged the secret outer the
Kid. The only hope OF gettin' back the
Hesper was ter let her play her game
and watch her close"
A copy OF this statement 1 sent to
Sir Edmund, and added:
either Van Hoeck is possessed of
supernatural clairvoyance, or he
must have been in completely with the
man who took the diamond from me-"
"Can that man have been the Fur
nival' who obtained the address OF
Brace and myself from you?"
For my own part, l doubted Van
Hoeck's innocence. Perhaps l may
have been biased in forming an opin-
ion OF him by my jealous dis
like OF the relation he had formed
with Edith. She was the only living
creature Van Hoecz had spoken well
OF in my hearing; and I fancied he was
playing a hypocritical part to obtain
the pleasure OF her society and friend
ship.
By the return mail, Sir Edmund
wrote:
"I felt it right to read that part OF
your letter referring to the robbery to
Van Hoeck, who for the last week has
been an accepted visitor here: and, l
may add, the object OF Edith's sympa-
thetic commiseration. He declared up
on his oath that there had been. no
struggle between himself and Brace, and
that no statement had been extorted
from him by the violent means indi-
Gated; that when you left, he felt his
his way to the road, and waited there.
Brace came and undertook to lee - 80
home. He remembers stopping on the
way while Brace asked him if he
thought you had really been robbed
ofthe diamond. Heknew nothing of the
leather case, which Brace might have
concealed in the manner you describe,
without his perception. After this
explanation, he said that he must
once more relinquish our friendship
until all doubt is cleared up. But, he
added emphaticaily, as he was about
to leave us, If only a part of this
story is true, If the girl got possession
of the diamond, hid it, and should
restore it to Brace and Thorne, they
will make away with it and you will
never see any one of them again. /"