The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-07-27

iItt--lttEteS, rs ne S1lO W HAS lax.
who had followed him.
Matilda Yane. if dey can come any
Of dere -chwindling bricks over nae,
make, dem breasant OF all dey lays
dcre fingers on. De quickness OF de hand
will never keep pace nit de rapidity OF
dis child's eye-he wasn't built dat
way"
And with these emphatic words. de-
livcrcd with tap on the side OF the
nose and sagaciOus wink Of the eye,
Mr.. Cornelius VanderstrOOm executed
a dignfed waddle down the road in
the direction Of his train. while his
wife. turning round in the hall. when
her lord and master was out OF sight.
discovered and Immediately took pos
session Of the dropped pccket-book.
CHAPTER IL.
When the diamond merchant re-
turned from business to his suburban
home that night he was a strangely
altered man. The starch and buckram
Of the mornings exit had vanished. \
limp. invcrtcbrate exterior, combined
with "a detected havior Of the visage,"
silently attcstcd that, like Hamlet in
his affection, he had that within him
which passcth show"
, Mrs. NandcrstrOOm, however, seemed
| ObliviOus Of the change. They had no
company at dinner, SO they sat down to
a tetc-a-tctc repast, at which the lady
had to do all the talking, for poor Van
derstroom had evidently returned to
the monosyllabic period of primeval
speech The music in the drawing
room was bereft of its customary
charms to Cornelius just as the last
cigar and might cap" seemed destitute
Of fragrance and consolation. But, all
un,nindful Of such matters, his wife
alternately ratified on the piano and
chartered through the evening, until
tho stable clCck chinlcd half-paat Ii,
and it was time TO go to bed.
| A married mans couch Is the last
place in which he should attempt to
hide secret sorrow. Vandcr,troOm
knew instinctively that it was all up
with him the moment he slid between
the sheets. For breathe, there Il Ben
edict in bonnie England who would be
permitted to close his eyes and Danish
care by slumbcr without first inpart
ing the cause of his discomfort TO his
knew well enough what was on her
husbands mind, it did not suit that
cstimublo lady's purpose to alleviate
his distress until she had proved to him
in IL practical manner that he was far
from the careful custodian of his own
property he invariably represented
himself to be. Moreover. she liked. in
common with the rest of her sex. to
have any supertluous money there
might Inc about in her own safe keep
! ing. and now such Il chance rs she had
never dreamed Of in her widest dreams
presented itself. With it came the OPP
portunity to read her lord !. lesson, and
prove to him that he was not such Il
cock-of-the-walk as he imagined, and
that henccforward, if there was any
Growing to be done. it might just as
we'll be undertaken by the hen.
There was no sleep for Cornelius that
night until his bedroom had been
turned into a star chamber. with his
wife rs grand inquiSitor, and the bed
for the rack. Slowly. but surely. the
dreadful confession was wrung from
him. Humbly he had to disclose the
nature of the loss he firmly believed
he had sustained to abiectly own that
he had been robbed in broad daylight
in his train. pcrchance-he. the astute.
clever Cornelius. robbed like a common
country pumpkin of his pocket-hock.
containing f3.50O in Bank OF England
notes, which must have been distracted
from his undercoat somewhere between
his home and Hatton Garden: for
when he reached his office that morn
ing it was gone.
Mrs Nanuerstroom listened in kind
of ecstasy Of female triumph to her
husbands agonizcd confession of male
fullibility. Nor was it until she had
extracted from him VOW that he
would never carry such large sums
about with him again. and that he
would deliver the t3.oro into her safe
Keeping should it ever be recovered
which seemed hopeless. after all he
had told her at break fast about limo.
cent holders Of stolen Bank Of England
notes and never ask for the mnneN
back again. unless the demand, OF bust
Hess rendered such a course absolutely
Imperative: it was only after these sol
clun promises had been drawn from the
unhappy Cornelius that his good lad y
turned him in an Instant from the mos
miserable Of mort;lls IL the most Joy
u,ls If little men Ivy showing him hi:
pocket-bnul with the notes intact. Il:
She had tound them in the hall that
! morning. rcnc~ing >nurly and safc,,
under her pillow.
From that hour NJ. Cornelius Van
Urr>Ctonl ; reputation ltr ln'NIltlt
cutent-~ in the detection IF crime. hi
dissertations ON rogue, ANA ro-uc"y. a
we'll H. the customary a.ll.>iunS t. hi
Distinctive dextcrity in the octtcti' L
"put up yoh~. had t. be confined - hi
city circle If admirers Bat event
were ri>rliue destined t. Shattcr III,
diamond merchants reputation 70
sharpness Il, much abroad - ~ home
CHATTER Ill.
! K was afternoon in Ha.,on Garden
). Cornelius was summing hi, conSco llen