The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-05

I
at the thought. What do you mean by
that? No one is goin at it with hammer,
Is there! Why, this may have been worn
oy the queen of Sheba. for aught We
know"
coolly. But that doesn't affect the mys-
tsrious chance which always exists OF Its
destruction. Pearls explode Didn't you
know il Why. that is what l started TO
tell you about those rare specimens which
shared with the diamonds the honor on
| being heirlooms in our family. Let me
see. was II my great-grandmoiheI: 80; my
great-great-grandm the Lady Cather-
crime, OF course.
ut was the eve of the majority ball of
| her eldest son, Chauncey, whose name
also bear. She went to the secret crypt IN
the strong room to get the pearls, meet
ornaments for such a function. she opened
the oaken casket. and. behold there, where
the milky necklace should lay, was httis
! gray, feathery ash and the golden wire am
vanished into air. The noble dame gave
one despairing shrek and expired: M
Here Mr. Auckland slipped his wine as II
You don't tell met calculated Mr..
Black siding uneasily in his chair. Tx
plOde! Why should they? They ain
loaded"
4 hope they don't make a noise or do
any damage, father" said little Mrs.
Mr. Black looked his disgust at the idea
4 and the epithet, but made no reply;
NO madam" said Mr.. Auckland, turn
. ing courteously to the affrighted matroh-
! THE disintegrdtion is sudden but noiseless.
Science has thus far failed TO explain its
cause, although good guess is, some SUD-
tie disease"
4 didn't bargain to buy an explosive
disease" said Enoch ruefully, quite t9r-
getful of Richard the COnqueror anu the
Mayflower is there nothing one can 90
to prevent such "A fiare-up?
4 would suggest that II be kept IN
some cool place where there Is sllSht cur
rentof of air
Then the inner compartment Of my
ornamental fire-proof. etagere safe is hard
Let
molu desk by the window in the library
The sides are mere lattice work Here I'm
ma, my child, just put the pearl IN there
and bring me the key. -,
But father" again ventured poor little
Mrs Black burglars"
MIR BIack hated to be called father by
his wife for he was her senior by a good
many years and il made him feel them She
was well aware of this aversion, but un-
able To break the habit from nervousness
"Nonsenser' he blurted fOrctbly but IN
consequently; there aren't burglars IN
these daysi and haven't an electric alarm
at every window"
Yes father"
That's a curious little key" said Mr..
Auckland, by way of diversion, on Emma
return. May 1 look at It? Thanks OF
, foreign manufacture, 1 presume?
Yes Burmah.
This visit proved so pleasant that Chaun-
cey Auckland repeated it several times dur
ing the summer. His devotion to Emma
became a subject Of neighborly comment,
which did not fail 10 reach the ears of
; Frank MaXon. At first he outwardly ig-
I muGn
soon an incident caused him to act with
the energy which was his characteristic.
He met his lady love one afternoon, and
began operations at once, as follows:
Don't you love me?'
Why. Frank, you know 1 do. Why else
would / be here2"
Englishman. l suppose on account OF his
wealth.
Frank. be careful If you doubt me.
you will longer be the man that love,
and so l shall no longer love you"
But your own father told me So
Yes He said that this was an alliance
which your affection and his interest made
desirable and he asked me not to be
marplot. Can you wonder that the man
that you love doubt l?''
mo. dear Yet you might have trusted.
Poor papa Despite his wonderful eXecu-
tive abilities he is simple as a child in
weaknesses. and for some reason takes adj
vantage of them
Il believe ne is an imposter. and / shall
make it my business to prove him one"
Why do you still doubt
Because l believe IL my right and duty
10 shield you from annoyance and persecu-
Frank Maxon found many suspicious on
inquiry. His city friends smiled and
shrugged their shoulders when Auckland
name mentioned. Perhaps he was all
right He was plausible and gentlemanly,
but-well, after all, il was none of their af
fairs. Frank MaXOn persisted, and his pa
thence was rewarded He learned that
y
gish house which he claimed to represent.
lie learned that he had obtained money
Through this representation. Warily he
laid his plans He was ready to strike
When to their trysting place came Emma
in awhrl of excitement.
"Oh. Frank" she cried. such misfort-
unei Poor papa is fairly beside himself"
"Oh. he has discovered, has he? ! was
just about inform him"
than a half hour since we found it,"
Didn't / promise you that l would eX
pose his imp0Stureg
Frank. dear, | don't know what you are
I'm so anxious to tell you. What has he
and his imposture whatever they may
mean, to do with our pearl?
why, the great black pearl"
why has he stolen it?'
ooh, dear. There you go again. Now
listen. stupid That famous pearl of which
father has been so proud, is ruined, de-
stroyed, little heap of dust"
why. who smashed it?'
mo one; it exploded. Don't interrupt
me, sir. You see papa had promised TO ex-
hibit IL at the loan exhibition. So this
noon he took the case from the desk and
opened it And there in place of that love
of dust OF feathery ash! An. If II only had
been stolen we might recover It, j"
1T seems to me that have read of such
a casualty, but it's happening is so rare as
TO be almost impossible. You say your
father took the pearl from the desk? Didn't
he keep such valuable article in his
He used to until Mr. Auckland warned
him. Oh, it's such a coincidence The very
same catastrophe happened TO an heirloom
in his family over hundred years ago.
That poor Lady Catherine! Her fate was
so tragict'
My dear 1 don't believe in Condolences.
They are an excuse for lack of reasoning.
The only heirlooms this Auckland ever had
in his precious family are a moose and a
pair of handouts. If he predicted such
probability as this, it was because he was
prepared to make IL a certainty. i have
Just obtained proofs of his rascality."
Then he is the. he whose imposture'
you would expose =:
yes, dear Don't you remember"
He hasn't troubled me lately and I've
been so happy that / had forgotten"
Let me think. This great black pearl
may prove the taliSman of our happiness.
Hasten, Emma, to the house and bring me
some of that dust
stroyed-that he may have stolen it?"
Il am sure"
oh Joy; papa would do anything for us
And il is TO be mine some day-you know
when. Wait, wait, 4 II be back instantly
1t was late the following evening that Mr..
Chauncey Auckland entered his hotel and
sauntered to the desk.
You sail tomorrow. sir?'' said the clerk
as he handed him his key. well, good
bye; a pleasant voyage TO you
Despite his habitual langour, Mr. Auck-
land started as he opened the door of his
room, for the gas was burning brightly the
wardrObes and trunks were in a state of
confusion. and lolling in the easy chair
smoking Frank Maxon.
What you doing here?' asked Auck-
land, fercely.
Maxon raised his hat from the center Ia
BILE. Underneath lay a revolver, which he
leisurely pointed at the Englishman
sit down" he said, and the man 81