Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-09-23
AN AMERICAN In IT.
he Great Hatton Garden Swindle, Writ
ten for This Paper.
BY j. M. BARRIE.

Guess she forgot to put It back. It's
way thay've got, Ell, Colonel" laugh
The Coloners open. hearty manner
treasured the little diamond merchant,
who was growing Just q little-the
merest shade of atrife-suspicious.
The sharp eyes of the Colonel noticed
it at once.
We'll soon fix that up" he said, with
his usual calm drawl. "I'n stop right
here and get the money all the same
every cent of it. But 1 must ask you
to act as my secretary. My left fist
amt no good nohow with pen. Here.
any paper will do. Take this memo.
form OF yours and scribble few lines
Tor me. Ny wife knows I came right
here, and your bill-head will recall the
business and why want the dollars"
Nothing unreasonable in that. Little
vanderstroom had penciled memoran-
dums for his MANNED namesake several
times before. He sat down and wrote
to the Colonel's dictation:
MY DEAR WITE-Send me BY bearer the
pocket-book you have Of mine. with Its
contents I require it for immediate 3 ad
Important pay ment Don't keep the mes
senger waiting. Make him give you a re
ceipt Tor IL. Your affectionate husband,
CORNELIUS VANDERsTRooM.
Bully for you, cried the American,
when the Dutchman had written, signed
and sealed the letter. Now, then YOU
Just run down and give it to my man.
Tell him to drive to the hotel, get his
answer from my wife, and he'll be back
with the dollars before we've time to
finish cigar"
The diamond merchant executed this
commission with such alacrity and dis
patch that he was back in the Office
almost before the Colonel had taken a
second puff at fresh Villar Villar.
The American held the closed Jewell
case in his hand.
Lock it up he cried, jestingly, cor
l might be tempted to run away with
The little Dutchman hardly relished
that form OF joking. He opened his
safe with surprising promptitude, and
the Colonel himself placed the case
within its fastness. The merchant
turned the key and returned it to his
pocket.
They sat down and smoked. Time
passed and it grew dusk. The Colonel
became fidgety. Vanderstroom was
also getting restless. 1t was time for
him to be getting home to dinner.
After they had sat thus for more
than an hour the Colonel rose from his
chair and put his watch to his cart
must have stopped? No, it was going;
$4,000 was a large sum to intrust q
servant with. He wished he had gone
to the hotel for the money himself;
but-pshaw! nonsense, he'd trusted the
man with larger sums before. His
wife had gone out, and the groom was
waiting for her-yes, no doubt, that
was what it was. Six o'clock. and
nearly dark now! An hour past closing
time!
The Colonel no longer disguised his
anxiety. Something unusual must
have happened. He would return to
his hotel at once. His wife must have
got home by that time. Would Van
derstrOOm come with him? Or-how
silly he was-to-morrOw morning would
do equally we'll. Even if his man had
gone wrong, he could easily get fresh
notes and be in Hatton Garden with
them by 10.
The diamond merchant was really
more anxious about his dinner than
anything else. Reflection had shown
him that there was no cause for anx-
iety on his part. The jewels were
locked up in the safe and he had goo
as cover for the setting.
Therefore, as far as he was con-
cerned, the payment might just as we'll
be concluded on the morrow as that
night.