Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-15
THE RAJAf'S HEIRLOOM.
BY FLORENCE MARRyAT,
Author of Her Lord and Master" Etc.
Copyright 1895. by Bachelor, johnson & Bacheller)

Copyright, 1895, by Bachelor johnson & Bacheller)
1 suppose nobody has forgotten the great
Manchester .swindle, when Jonas Mears
and Theodore AlIcock managed to abscond
with twenty thousand pounds of Their en-
ployers' and boiled clean across the At
Iantic Before we could get on the trail. 1t
took me six weeks of my time and a regu-
lar chase and no mistake before 1 ran the
two scoundrels to earth in Chicago, where
they were giving themselves out as English
lords. However. I succeeded in catching
their lordships. and didn't care how much
trouble It had cost ME. 1 had brought
Messrs. Mears and Allcock back safe to
their native country and delivered them
over to the proper authorities, and 1
thought 1 had earned a few days rest.
We had had a wretched passage across,
with head winds against eight days out
of the ten, and my duty done. 1 thought
with keen satisfaction of my little place at
F'ulhanl ard my own comfortable feather
bed and my wife waiting to welcome me
home with tasty little supper.
The reality was as good as the anticipa-
tion- 1t was a beastiy autumn afternoon,
with driving rain and a cold southwest
wind. but the cottage looked bright and
cozy and warm, and Nancy was as red as
a peony from pleasure at seeing me-
1t was early when 1 reached home, not
more than O'Clock. bat 1 was a regular
beat, and when l had had my dinner of
tripe and onions : felt good for nothing
but to go TO bed and sleep. / was neither
fit to talk nor think l couldn't keep my
EYES open, and my Nife's chatter sounded
\k9 a confused medley OF sound | couidn't
kven relish a. pipe, but took drop of
Scotch hot and staggered up 10 my own
room.
Whatever you do, my DEAR 1 said to
Nancy, don't disturb me till you hear
I'm awake aga.a. for I've got several
rights rest to make up. I'll lock my door,
ard don't come up till I unlock it-unless.
indeed. It's something very particular Ike
message from the chief. or such like"
"Ior', JarSr exclaimed Nancy-when-
ever my wife uses the affactionate diminu-
tive of my name size always pronounces it
as if she were jtckdaw making known
Its desire for food-"Lor, lark, he'd never
be sending after You soon this, and
you just off L0lrd shipi You go to sleep
and think no more Of svch foolishness.'
Nancy" l replied, 'the business of the
state must be attended to- at any cost
1 don't expect anything of the sort. but if
wire should arrive 1 must have it with
out delay"
'Drat the state-' cried Nancy, ait don't
pay you over and above so much that it
has any call to rob you of your natural
rest. Go to sleep, John Busby. door you
will be fit for nothing tomorrow morning"
the enormous importance of my office, and
the dignity of my employers. She is al
ways drafting the government and
Blowing the superintendent of police, in
manner which would cost me my ap-
pointment if overheard, but she is good
wife TO me and she means well. l suppose
1t IS hard On woman to have her husband
called away at all manner of times and
never 10 know when to expect him back
again. But | had no inclination to argue
the matter then. 1 crawled upstairs 10 my
bed room and was soon between the b!an-
kets, sunk n q profound slurIber-so pro-
found that | became utterly unconscious
to all external things, and had rot even
the power 10 dream. It seemed as if I had
been sleeping for hours or days, when I
was reused by the sound of an uncertain
tapping on my bed room door, and an
apologette voice, calling in loud whisper:
''Jarki As soon as / became sufficiently
conscious to recognize the voice l was sure
something Of Importance must have oc-
CURED and was ou the alert il q moment.
Sr We detectives learn to sleep with our
ears CDcr.
What IS II. Nancy?' I exclaimed, hur-
Tying to open the Goor. My wife was half
crying outside il, with a yellow envelope in
her hand
20. JGrk,' she said there's nasty tele-
gram come for you. and 1 wouldn't have
let you see it for ever 50, OILY 1 was afraid