The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-03-17
THE GREAT RESPER,
TALE OF A BIG DIAMOND.
How an immense Gem Was Lost,
Recovered, and Lost Again.
CHAPTER /.

go, a man WITH IL Dtack Tell on 6ne
back of his hands, dark beard
growing high upon his cheek
bones, and q great bush OF
iron-gray hair sticking out all round
his head, and a forelock sticking down
over his eye. One could see nothing
of his features but long red nose and
deep-set beady black eyes. His fustian
jacket was worn to rags at the elbows,
and so was mine, as for that-split
in the seams between the shoulders
with the constant strain of the labor
ing arms. Once upon time his top
boots had been black, but now they
were all the same yellow clay color
with the trousers that were tucked
into them, and just as badly in need
of repair.
l followed with Van Hoeck. He
held my arm, not for support, but for
guidance, because he was stone blind.
He was thirty or thereabouts, | be-
lieve; but he looked twenty years
older than /, who am now but
twenty-six. Though he was Dutch by
birth he looked like an Asiatic, being a
small, dark Jew, with all the charac-
teristics OF his people; while ], with
my fair skin, light hair, and large
frame, am pretty true in appearance to
my Northern race. He was better dress
ed than any OF us, for, though he had
accompanied us, and roughed it so
far as board and lodging were concern
ed, he had taken only q financial
part in the enterprise, his blindness
naturally debarring him from a lab
H. o1D4hoc aI
something of their original appear
ance. Albeit he had worn them day
after day for eighteen months at the
least; whereas mine, what with
exposure to the sun, the sweat
of work, rough usage, and the
strange devices employed in repairing
them, were scarcely recognizable as
! Christian clothing. His face gave
more sign of strain and fatigue than
either the Judges or mine, which
might we'll be, seeing how great a re-
lief to the mind physical labor is.
There was furrow between his brows,
deeplines descending from the inner
angl of the eyes, pinched look about
| the nostrils and feshless cheeks, that
gave fearful, strenuous eagerness to
the weird expression of his face. And
that expression was wierd, nay, even
repulsive, though his features were
not ill-shaped, and it was due chiefly
to the popularity of his eyes. Most
people of dark complexion like
| his, have a dark iris to the eye;
but his of a steely gray, and
was the more noticeable because there
was the iris and nothing else; there
was no pupil,-nothing but that gray
patch upon the yellowish ball of the
eye. He kept his eyes open when his
mind was pre-occupied. Often when
he was sitting near me while worked,
have changed my position that
might not see those ghostly eyes wide
open to an African sun, yet uncon-
scious of it's glare. There was some
thing terrible in his blindness.
Our rear was brought up by the
"Kid" The name by constant use
and familiarity had long ceased to be
slangy to my ear.
Poor little Lola! she was the rag.
gedest and most disreputable of the
lot, though it was not for that reason
she walked behind us; indeed, had
she suspected that to follow implied
inferiority, she would have marched
ahead of her own father. That was
her character. @,~
The child wore a ragged red flame
petticoat, camisole that had once
been white, and colored handker
chief tied loosely round her neck. She
had a. string OF colored beads upon hel
wrist, but neither hat on her head mol
shoe on her foot. Her purple black
hair grew low down on her temple
and broke into curl over the ears, al
the nape of her neck, and wherever il
was uncontrolled; it was matted to
gether in thick, loose plait that fel
down to her waist, and tied at the
end with a strip Of red flame
torn from her petticoat. Sht
had the prettiest little hands anc
feet, a dark olive skin, large bu
beautifully shaped mouth, with thu
finest teeth I ever seen, and pair o
glorious black eyes, full of audacity
and betraying only too faithfully he
wild and ungovernable disposition
Properly dressed land washed), sh
might have passed Tor O. Spanish
princess; in her present condition Their
was no mistakihg her for anything bu
} the self-willed little savage she was.
The Kid had given us deal o
trouble,-had we foreseen how much
I do not think Van Hoeck or woulC
have put in that postscript to the agree
ment which her father, the Judge, in
duced us to subscribe.
"The Kid has eyes in her head to Sc
with, the Judge said, in urging her CLAIM
upon our future consideration, cen,
she can use 'em as we'll as us in look
in for stones, end likewise, bein'
female, she kin cook our meals for us
she kin wash our shuts, end she XII
sew US up, end keep us nice and tidy
Whether she was capable OF heIpin
us in these matters, | can not say; a
| know is, that she didn't. 'Wha
kin you expect?" asked her father i
extenuation;. cher mother was til
darter of O. burned greaser, end
amt the Kids fault if she's GO
greaser blood in her."
We came up with the Judge at til
dock gates, where he stopped t
address a policeman stationed Their
"Kin you tell me, my FRIEND" h
said "where the best bank in tn
town is located?"
think the poiiceman's first impre
sion as he regarded us was that "
had felonious purpose in asking tn
question, for he did not reply imm
diately, and with reluctance directe
us to the High Street, and told us t
inquire there OF some one else.
CHAPTER II.
We marched on to the High Stree
our appearance attracting o GOO
deal OF attention, and creating SON
! amusement and speculation doubles