Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-05-09

By the next morning all Blaukhamptol
was In a blazs OF excitement abont th,
robbery OF Mrs. Lovelace's Jewels. Sh,
had never been much liked in the town
having from remote times gone in Target,
for what in country towns is known a
carrying on." Her equals objected to i
because they had a sort OF vague starchet
idea that it was not the right kind o
thing, that il let down their class an,
lowered their order: her rivals hated he
little ways because they did not care abou,
being left out in the cold, and where
Mrs. Lovelace WAS there il generally hap
pened the men were TO be found also. and
in n way not very well calculated to please
the other bellies Of the place: her inferior.
said openly enough that they did no
think the lady's carvings on respectable.
Yet-though nobody was really in their
hearts very sorry for Mrs. Lovelace's los.
the entire population of Blankhampton
went into a fever OF excitement over the
Robbery itself. II was too dreadful that
anything so bold, so impudent. should
have happened in their u~ususpecting
midst, thst while the old ladies were out
with their card-cases or perhaps the young
chNo tSNP III tuClE ucNOliOOS ut the
Parish, a thief had boldly walked into n
house In n well -frequented thoroughfare
and had carried of n box OF jewels.
IL was reasonable enough to the Blank
hampton people that a gang Of thieves
should put a ladder against Lady Luci-
fer's window aud make themselves too
painfully at home In her private apart
ments. while as for that Mrs. Markham,
well. they simply thought il was too dis.
gushing that an Australian squatter's wife
australians are all supposed to be squat
tiers to deep-rooted folk such as gather
around the stately Csthedrals OF this
country should ever nave possessed such
a wealth OF beautiful jewels, a woman
who had probably been quite = low crea-
ture TO begin with, such rs made Blank
hampton people wonder what Lady Luci.
fer could be thinking of TO strike up an
intimate friendship with her, and even in
vite her to stay in her house.
But when these thieves came into the
verv midst OF the town, when they could
walk boldly into u lady's room In the mid.
die OF the afternoon and help themselves,
then IL was indeed coming home to them,
and society talked about nothing else.
And then when society had talked il well
over--society In the shape of Mrs. Fairlie
and Mrs. John Doughty. Mrs. Monson
and the young lady with the nose-society
went home and locked away its tea
its imitation pearls and It's brilliant paste
ornaments. All! dear, but this is a funny
world.
In Ewes, however. the excitement was
even deeper, and the inhabitants of The
houses which had not been robbed fele
as people sometimes feel when the next.
door house has been struck with light.
ming, and ike a man does when he finds
in the midst Of a railway accident
and the man next to him Is struck dead
by his side.
"Do you know" said Julia, during the
course of that dinner. while the Staunton
sapphires graced the chimney-shelf, do
you know, saw Alice Mauleverer go in
the Lovelace's about half-past four to
did your" somebody asked.
"Yes. was standing In the window
watching the lamplighter light the lamps
lit was barely dark. Aud I saw Alice
cross the road just here and
20 Into the corner-house. She opened the
door and went in-as she always does"
lid you see her leaveP" her mother In
Mol did not wait to see IL she stayed
Or no.. l noticed that the lights were
not burning-indeed. l had seen Mrs.
Love- 20 go across tho road towards the |
house about half an hour
1T would have been odd II Miss Maui
everer had gone in just at the right mo-
nent, wouldn't it' said Lady Stanton.
sxcitedly.
However. tho following day II tran
'pirsd that Miss Alice Mauleversr had