Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-11-02

The "dear boy" obeyed without the
best grace i'll the world, and Mrs. Fair
holme Gdn"ired the jewels and played
with thom all like a child with new
toy. But the rubies seemed especially
to captivate her fancy.
"They are magnifcenti" she said
and her eyes were almost as bright with
excitement as the gems themselves. 81
never saw anything like them. And
the diamonds are fine too But those
old fashioned settings are horrible. l
shall have them all reset at once. Do
you know the address Of a good jew
eler?"
"Linklater of Bond street is one of
the best, believe. But, if you will
excuse me saying so, don't you think
the matter will keep till the colonel's
return? I'm not sure that he would
care to have them altered" "
"Oh, he won't object if it is my
wish, " she said sweetly. II am going
into the town early tomorrow. shall
wire myself to Lin1latcr's to send one
of their people to fetch them"
He quietly ran up to London in the
morning and paid Il visit to Mr. Link
later, to whom he explained the cir
cumstances and then requested that the
stones should not be unset until they
heard from the colonel himself.
"But. my dear SIR" the jcweler
said, Il know nothing of these jewels.
No such telegram as you mention has
been received by us
The September afternoon was waning
when he got back to Broadwatcr and
Mrs. Fairholme, superb i'll a velvet din
her gown, swept across the hall to greet
him.
lyon tiresomc fellow, she said play
fully, "where have you been all day?
The man from LinElatcr' S has Lcen here
since 8 O'Clock waiting for you to come
home with the st1ongroom keys"
There was moment s pause, wherein
a dozen wild ideas flashed through
Dicks brain. 1t was evident that Mrs.
Fairholme had merely used the pretext
OF wishing the jewels reset in order to
get them out of the house.
ooh, Of course. 1 forgot. He has
come for the jewels, hasn't he? I'll
fetch them "
But when he reappcared his hands
were empty.
"I'm awfully sorry, Mrs Fairholme,"
he said coolly, "but I've mislaid my
keys. I hopo l haven't dropped them
out of doors ~
81 don't think it will be much use
searching for them," she replied, with
az, MI 1nac.,,,t 1n,,,,h tET ehnl
locksmith down from London the first
thing i'll the morning. And the jcweler' S
man shall wait. -
Dick wrote out u telegram and gave
it to groom with a sovereign. "Send
it off at once, Rogers And keep still
tongue i'll your head"
The message ran as follows.
To Colonel Fairholme, on board the Australian
mail steamer Orataya at Naples
Return overland. Imperative business
Please don't fail DICK.
If the colonel obeyed, he would be at
home i'll three days-that is to say, four
days before he would have arrived un-
der ordinary circumstanccs-four days
before he was expected by Mrs. Fair
holme.
When the locksmith arrived, Dick had
little private conversation with him,
and a bank note changed hands. AS the
result, the man told Mrs. Fairholme
that the Job was u long one, and that he
could not undertake to accomplish it
under three days.
The mysterious man, who was not
from Bond street, went away, and ON
tho third afternoon returned, but the
strongroom door was not opened yet.
The workman was awaiting instruc-
tions.
About 8 p. II. there was rattle of
wheels i'll the avenue, and somebody
rang the front door bell.
The next moment the colonel, in tray
cling cap and Mister, stepped into the
lamplight. She shriekcd and sprang to
her feet, overturning the bamboo table
with Il crash.
"Colonel Fairholmon' she gasped
wildly. "Home already"
Mrs Bellarmine! Bless me, what
remarkable thing Why, 1 thought ]
had left you in Melbournor"
"Then she's not your wife" cried
Dick aghast
''My wife /" exclaimed his uncle, per-
picked to irritability. lyon know very
well l have no wife, sir! | met this
lady and her husband in Melbourne,
and they very kindly nursed me through
my bout of influenza. told you so in
my letters"
OF course the "man from Linklaters"
was her husband, and the pair of ad-
venturers, knowing the colonel's plans,
had taken advantage Of lis illness to in
tercept his letters, forge substitutes to
serve their own ends and make this
bold attempt to steal tho famous rubies.
The colonel beamed upon his nephew.
"And what shall | do for you, Dick,
for saving my rubies?"
"You can repay me very easily if you
| like, sir. Call upon Sir George Warbur-
ton. ~
The colonel made "a grimace. But he
went. And within two months Evelyn's
| prophecy was fulfilled. Answers
Heat and the Eyes.
The fact appears that thero is a very