Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1894-02-02

NfNiHt iehsOhh IOf Dtlug
gia" latJack's wife was absent at the
seashore, and not the least important
one 'Fas the fact feared l should
breah down and surrender before
had finished the Job l had in hand. 1
thought Of Tho revolver Jack had men
tion'di and my blood ran cold. 1
sank noiseles-ly down upon my hands
and 'nees aud began voyage Of dis
cove y ] discovered chair with my
head ! burt my shoulder on table.
Jacl-9od evidently been extravagant
IN tn way Of getting new furniture
aud eccentric in the matter of placing
it. After time, however, 1 reached
the dressiuq table, got my hand on
the biz square box.
JUS then the mta turned over. Il
breaibed IS man never did when
asleer Then he seemed hstering in
tently. Ibcard him raise himself up
on his elbows A movement he made
was dreodhllly suggestive Of the steal
thy Withdrawal of weapon from be-
meath pillow
remaiuel standing, and in most
unple, SAINT posture, for so long "a time
that wondered vaguely if the cur
tainsNere not SO thick as to utterly
excludo tbe light Of day making ex-
istenc there one protractod night.
At List tie man sank slowly down
upon bis bed again. He stretched
himself aai grunted luxuriously. Oh,
how tired / was He gradually raised
the key and increased the volume of
his breath He was sound asleep
again. Ierawled painfully out Of the
room, ,iptoed cautiously downstairs,
clinAoed ont of the window, which 1
easily openaG from the outside and got
away j om the vicinity Of Terrace Park
place, while the rain still roared and
the da Anass was unbr9ken. When /
reache ny batchelor quarters | put
the pi cious box on my bureau. Iun-
dresseo harriedly and plunged into
bed. aii was almost noon when
awgIse.
cs49 back to my senses very
gradual When l looked about me
there the box, Jacks box only
onls L.A2s.aal.-lasSar- Siifere0t-
sprshg out of bed. l rushed over
to where tle thing stood TIT was
different. 1t wasn't Jack $ at ALL My
limbs shook. Ny hands trembed
violently, l almost fell down under
the excitement of the moment. l got
out a heavy screwdriver, one of the
tools [ had bought for my burglarizinq
exploit, and then decided not to take,
and l pried the box open. Diamonds
Diamonds! Great gems in the most
exquisite settings. Rings, bracelets,
necklaces, brooches, earrings What
glory of flashing beauty And
lifted oat tray after tray, only to fine
the tray more and more emphatic thr
deeper | went. / had to sit down 70.
a few minutes to get my breath an,
steady my nerves.
| ttmbled the diamonds into tn
trays bundled the trays into tn
box; | put the box into a bureai
drawer carelessly scattering pile o
clothing handkerchiefs, stockings
gloves, ties, and so on-over it;
locked the drawer and dressed as fas
as | could. II must get downstairs
must get down soon. Perhaps ever
one ] met would read my secret in m
face no matter. / must take that risk
There was not the slightest allusio
in the newspapers to the theft of whic
had been guilty-not single line.
was disappointed, in much the same wa
man sentenced to be hanged woul
be if they postponed his execution
for day or two and neglected t
speak TO him about it. The mail col
tained mn urgent invitation from Jac
to come and lunch with him. ! mu
see Jack l must look into his eye.
could il be that he had bought or bo
rowed those gems?
| arrived at Atherton's five minut,
before the time he had named, Or
look into his face convinced me of OF
thing-he didn't suspect me of bcir
in the house the night before;
knew nothing of what | had done.
He asked me up to his room. wer
readily eagerly but like man in
dream. The box he had broug
down to show me still stood on h
dressing-case. He laid his hand on
and called my attention to it. can
I was out of the city last nirbt F."
said, "and thieves might have h.
their own way with it. "
There was only one solution. D
ceivel by the night the storm, the a
pearance of the buildings at the bae
| had failed to enter No. 7. 1 Ii
robbed one of Jacks neighbors.
couldn't give reasonable choice b
tween No. 9 and No. s.
managed to get an excuse for 9
ing into new room and looking a
into Atherton's back yard. | ha
from that point of vantage, a go
view OF the back yards of his two ne
door neighbors. They had no reve
tions to make. One was full of /
sort OF rubbish which had impeded /
progresSland handicapped my mo,
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