The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-06-28

if Jack weren't my husband already.
Well, goodby; don't fiirt too much With
that silly little Christina when you get
out There are the sandwiches"
She let them fail beside me, nodded.
and was gone lay on my back. with
nothing to look ~ bu: the narrow strip
of blue sky overhead. IL was quite
cool where ! lay. Oh b.d Of ss.N, and
rubbish, and it was still as de5Dhs
was buried alive to all intents and pur-
poses, and the chance of my ever being
disinterred rested upon basis of prob
ability so narrow that judged it wisest
not to hope. lay there, gazing up at
the sky, and thinking over my adven-
ture-beginning at the beginning, with
my meeting with Birchmore at the hotel,
and tracing the progress of the consp1r-
acy step by step 10 its conclusion here.
1t was very ingenious. and very well
carried out II had taught me lesson
that was likely to profit by if l ever
got out.
dou't know now lcnrS l lay there
probably but n short time. All at once
another face intervoned between me and
the sky. Ii was not KateS this time; it
was avery different one-Christina's.
After peering nuziousiy downward foF
several moments. she asked:
lis Herr GainsbcrouSh thereT
Yes"
Tho Herr n moi badly hurt7-
Not bit, Christina"
''GOtt sci Danki7 she exclaimed
heartily, and adding, at is all well; you
Will be helped out Immediately" she
vanished.
Soon other faces appeared, with boards
and helmets-the faces of the ''Polizei."
In few minutes, by the aid of ropes
and stout arms, l was drawn up once
more to the light of day, blinking like
an awkward bat
Before me stood nearly a dozen per
SONS, a squad of police officers, with
their swords and carbines; Herr Ru-
dolph and Christina and three prison
ers-a woman and two men, whose faces
were unpleasantly familiar to me.
Some little official ceremony of idenh-
fication, and so forth, having been gone
through with. we all started for our
various places of destination. The trial
took place not long afterward in Dres-
den; the prisoners were all convicted
and sentenced to- don't care to re-
member what. They were a dangerous
gang of thieves, whom the police of sew
eral countries had long been vainly en-
deavoring to capture. But meanwhile
went back tospend the night at the farm
house of Herr Rudolph. need not say
that / scarcely had the courage to look
him and his daughter in the face. Herr
Rudolph was a most excellent and
blameless person, and as for ChTist1nai
| knew not in what terms to begin my
apologies to her.
1t appeared that my little friend Helm
rich in Paris had had his suspicious of
the man calling himself Birchmore from
the first, and in writing to hts father
and sister had mentioned as much
When, therefore. the BirchmOre party
Unexpectedly turned up at the farm
house, along with the owner of the dia-
monds, good deal of perturbation was
created Afraid openly to warn me In
the absence of direct evidence Christina
had done what she could indirectly TO
excite suspicious IN my mind Failing
in this the girl had actually gone down
to Schandau, on the evening of my In
terview with Kate in my chamber, and
laid her information at the police
bureau. The next morning she met the
officers by appointment at some dis
lance from the house, and they followed
US to Kohlstein.
After seeing the whole party of us to
the top of the Stein (Birchmore followed
a few minutes after myself and the 9th
ers1. they formed a Gordon at the foot of
the path and one of their number went
I'D to reconnoiter. Peeping over the
edge of the plateau, he saw Blrchn0re
lust making his attack. and Immediately
sicnaied to those below to approach
Thus it happened that the thieves, as
they were making off with their plum
der. found themselves confronted by an
impossible Gordon of six loaded car
bines. Resistance was out of the queS-
ton. and they surrendered at discretion.
And what can | do, Christina"
said. ito show you how much l thank
you? OF course don't speak of cancel
ing the obligatiOn-that nothing could
do; but | should like to leave you some
thing to-to remind you that you saved
my life and my diamonds Would you
wear "A diamond ring for me or pair of
earrings"
No. many thanks. Herr GainsbOr-
ough," replied the little maiden gravely-
You owe me nothing, and as for dia~
monds, shall never like them, since
have seen them the cause of so much
trouble and danger"
But unless you let me do something,
Christina, | must think you refuse to
forgive me for my inexcusable imper-
thence and stupidity"
She looked down at her bare feet and
smoothed her apron.
well. lieber herr, would not like
to have you think that, truly. l do for
give you with all my heart, and just be-
fore you go away tomorrow, just when
you are ready to start, perhaps, If you
please, 1 will ask you for something"
You shall have it, whatever it is"
answered.
So the next day. when the drosky was
at the door, and my trunk packed and
put on the box, | left Herr Rudolph con-
no rixar and xvpnf hack