The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-15

lime here, and it's pity; you must
have got lot of friends"
swell, I've warned you," said the 9TH
IT; you'll have one more warning. II
you won't be wise you must keep the
liamond, but il won't be much good to
you. It's a good stone. but. speaking
'or myself, I'd sooner be alive without
{ than dead with It,"
He gave the proprietor a menacing
glance and departed. and the assistant,
having by this time finished his din
ser. the pawnbro'eer went 10 his own
Win On appeute Dy no means impaired
by his late interview.
The cat, with its forepaws tucked be-
meath il, was doing on the counter.
Business had been slack that morning.
and IL had only been pushed off three
times. 1t had staked out n claim on
that counter some five years before, and
II anything was required to convince
II of the value of the possession 1t was
the fact that 1t was being constantly
pushed off. To firm-minded cat this
alone gave the counter value difficult
TO overestimate, and sometimes an OBJ
sequious customer fell into raptures
over its beauty. This was soothing.
and the animal allowed customers Of
this type to scratch 1t gently behind
the ear.
The cat was for the time the only
occupant OF the shop. The assistant
was out and the pawnbroker SGT in the
small room beyond, with the door half
open, reading a newspaper. He had
read the financial columns, glanced mt
the foreign intelligence and was Just
about to turn TO the leader when his
eye was caught by the headline: "Mur-
der in Whitechapel." He folded the
paper bacla, and with a chilly feeling
creeping over him perused the account.
In the usual thrilling style IL recorded
the finding of the body of man, evil
IDENTIFY a sailor. behind a boarding
placed in front of some shops in course
of erection. There was no clew to the
victim, who had evidently been stabbed
from behind in the street and then
dragged or carried to the place in which
ttO pOoN hdu OtCn ulSCONtItus UC
pockets had been emptied, and the po-
lice, who regarded the crime as an or
dinary one of murder and robbery, en-.
tertained the usual hopes of shortly ar
resting the assassins.
The pawnbroker put the paper down
md drummed on the table with his
fingers. The description Of the body
left no room for doubt that the victim
Of the tragedy and the man who had
sold him the diamond were identical.
He began to realize the responsibilities
OF the bargain and the daring of his
visitor of the day before in yenturing
before him almost red-handed gave him
an unpleasant idea Of the lengths to
which he was prepared TO go. In .
pieasanter direction il gave him an
other idea; IL was strong confirmation
of his friends valuation of the stone.
II shall see my friend again" said the
TO himself, as he looked up
from the paper. 'Iet him make an at
tempt on me, and We'll see."
He threw the paper down, and set
ting back in his chair, fell into pleas
Ing reverie. He saw his release from
sordid toll close at hand. He would
travel and enjoy his life. Pity the dia-
mond had not come twenty years be-
fore. AS for the sailor, poor devil, why
didn't he stay when he was asked?
The cat, still doing, became aware
Of strong, strange odor. In lazy
it opened one eye, and dis
covered that an old, shriveled up little
man. with brown face, was standing
by the counter. 1t watched him lazily,
but warily, out OF half-closed eye, and
then, finding that he appeared to bc
quite harmless, closed it again.
The intruder was not an impatient
type of customer. He stood for some