Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-01-17

me, made for the siding, where my
mineral train was waiting for me.
"You look tired this morning, Mr..
Corner" said the brakeman as soon as
we sturted on our somewhat slow and
fwearisome journey.
81 look what 1 feel, Jim," said I.
"And / am as sleepy as an owl. I
never went to bed last night"
''Then lie down and have a sleep
now, sir" suggested Jim. Heres
some sacks and q rug to cover you. If
the jolting don't wake you, you may
be sure won't"
The good-natured fellow kept his
word, and as / am one of those happily
constituted individuals who can sleep
on or through anything, l felt much
refreshed when we arrived at the quar-
ries after what Jim called "a roughish
passage" over the uneven surface of
the moorland line, which had been
laid solely to serve the needs of our
quarries and some neighboring iron
mines.
After l had had wash and done full
| justice to second breakfast at the
miners Arms" felt ready to face
my mornings work of making up the
mems pay sheets. While / was doing
that the bag, which ] fondly imagined
to be mine, lay on the table before
me, nor did any doubt as to its ident-
ity trouble me until had finished my
calculations and was ready to embody
the results of them in sundry little
heaps of gold and silver.
Then, as | felt IN my pocket for my
keys, my memory began to entertain
a vague suspicion that that bag was
somehow unfamiliar to it. 1 am by
no means an observant man, and as 1
couldn't have set down categorically
the characteristics which distinguished
my bag from others of like make and
shape, l felt rather than thought that
the one in front of me did not possess
those characteristics.
However, my key fitted the lock,
and as I turned it, my suspicious
vanished, but only to be replaced
moment later by an astounding GER
tainty.
Instead of resting upon the familiar
brown paper packages of silver and
little canvas bags of gold, my eyes
were dazzled by q many y-colored
! iridescence which shone forth from
the inside of that bag as soon as
opened it.
Diamonds, by Jingo!" | cried, as
started back amazed.
The bag fell over on it's side, and
half u dozen loose stones rolled out
upon the table, where they lay spark
ling gloriously in the wintry sun
shine.
AS soon as I recovered my self
possession picked them up and put
them back into the bag, the contents
of which / then examined as well as l
could without exposing them to the
view of any one who might happen to
look in at the Office window, for, though
l had no reason to suppose the quarry
men were not honest, | thought it
best to keep my discovery to myself.
The bag, l guessed, was probably
the property of jewelers. traveller;
n traveller in n large way of business,
too, thought !, as l peered into it in
the least exposed corner of the office
and found it almost full of what, little
as knew about precious stones, | felt
certain were valuable jewels.
But certainly travellers in jewelry
did not usually pack, or rather omit
to pack, their samples in such an
utterly careless fashion? Rings,
brooches, bracelets, loose stones, at
least one necklace, gold watch and
chain, some bank notes and a con-
siderable sum of sovereigns were all
mixed up together in a chaotic con-
fusion which seemed at least incon-
sistent with business habits.
l began to doubt whether it was
even consistent with honest possession
of, at all events, the contents of the
bag on the part of my late fellow
passengers-th man who was booked
for London, and who had been asleep
when left the train at Thurley.
No doubt he was awake, and also
aware Of his loss by this time. What
state of mind he must be in, too
but, just as | was trying to realize his
voices and shufling of heavy feet
in the yard outside reminded me that
it was time to pay the men.
What had better do? / wondered.
Borrow what | needed from the notes
and gold in the bag that was not mine,
or put the men off with fair words till
Monday? They were rough lot,
though, and il / Iadopted the latter al
tentative there would probably be
something very like riot. 1t would
be wiser, l thought, to pay them ii l
could get enough change to do it.
Hurriedly summoning the foreman
and telling him that n mistake had
been made in supplying me with
money, [ went down into the village,
and, after some trouble, succeeded in
collecting enough silver and copper to
serve my purpose.
Then, with that precious bag out of
sight between my feet, paid the men,
who were already grumbling at the
delay, at the same time doing my best
to rally them into better humor, for
felt absurdly nervous, and WAS ready