The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-07-27
THE NAZIM'S JEM.

WudG Sdlu.
ANY letters. Georger'
He started up hastily.
Letters, sir5 Yes, sir, letters and q
telegram
Read the telegram" said, after
another spell of thought.
He tore open the yellow envelope.
Just heard of your illness. Start
for home today. Mary"
Mary is my promised wife. I recalled
that she was at Colorado Springs with
her invalid mother when / fell ILL., ]
looked at George. He must have read
my question. He seemed to make mo-
mentary calculation.
eff all goes we'll, sir, she should be
here today"
Mary was coming. The thought act
ed on me like a tonic. / wanted to
throw aside the blankets and leap to the
floor. Godsl And couldn't even raise
my arm.
"Get flowers. George, I murmured.
LET in the sunlight. Hide these bot
ties. -
He smiled and smoothed the blankets
above me.
Everything shall be as presentable
as possible, sir, - he said.
AS presentable as possible? That note
of exception must mean me- Never
mind, Mary was coming, Mary loved
me too well to take offense at my
changed appearance.
'sGeorge," said, 'the world is still
outside there, Isuppose. Read the news
paper.
He read to me for half an hour OF
more, read the news just as it came tc
hand-telegraph, local, political. Foi
a time his voice has simply lulling
effect Then began to take notice Of
the substance of what he read. When ]
had heard all / wanted, l babe him
stop and let the substance of his read
ing filter through my brain. AS / strove
to recall it all there was an item that
seemed to hold my fancy in peculiar
way. TWAS a telegram which told that
a nizam of far Hindustan had been rob.
bed of an almost priceless diamond
which it was understood he meant tC
present to Queen Victoria at the time
of the coming jubilee. This story. say,
seemed to fascinate me-the diamond
of the nizam, filched from its oriental
owner, cleaning mayhap from the
dusky corner of some squalid hut wher
it should be eclipsing the jewels of 6
queen. And Mary was coming. What 6
gift for Mary that diamond would be-
Mary, my queenl There was strange
humming in my head, but out of it al
came one clear thought would gel
that diamond and give it to Mary.
When l had determined ON this, seem
ed to grow cool and calculating. real
lied how helpless was physically, but
my will power, thank God, was still
left me. I would concentrate my minc
on the thief. 1 would will him to come
to me.
! had read somewhere that the SOU
in body purified by the fire Of disease
rises above the restrictions of common
clay. Was not my soul so purified?
fixed my thought upon the nizam g dia-
mond.
Red clouds rolling rapidly; out OF
them touch of blue sky, whirl of vel
low dust, a sun that beat down fiercely
from midheaven; the walls of a city, 6
city with queer minarets and towers,
and strange palaces; city with huge
gateway through which passed in anc
out motley array of strange garbeC
people; bullocks and carts, and then {
numbering elephant, and red coated sol
diers, and white turbaned men with
brown faces. And the air was hot anC
dry, and strange odor came to my nos
trils
Then in corner by the huge portals
noted crouohing figure-a turbaneC
native with strange rings in his earl
and an eye that cleaned with start
ling whiteness. And on him my
thought conferred. Then he arose from
his bent position and skunk forth Al
he passed amid the snarling dogs tina
fought and yelped beyond the city
walls noticed that in the folds of his
garments he held long, keen knife
Ever and anon he looked over his shoul
der as he slouched along. And the SUI
glared, and the desert spread before
him, and the dust arose in yellow puffs
Then came two native soldiers riding
on weary horses, and they cried out a
sight of the footman. And when they
dismounted to seize him the knife
flashed, and one soldier lay silent at hi
feet, and the other fled across the CLEAN
ing desert, and the knife was red.
There were clouds and confused
scenes, and out from them all the maj
with the red knife pressed on, in hi
eyes strange light, CLEAN, half ter
ror, half desperation, the look of
haunted man, whose fate impels hin
forward. Then another city, city o
whitewashed walls and many huts ant
few palaces and stretches of the sea ant
/ the masts of shipB
The swish of waves, and the roaring
of the wind, and the rattle of cordage
and in the midst of the ship the BROW
faced man calmly Indifferent to tn
tempest.
More clouds and long blanks of cha
otto nothingness. My eyes find them
selves gazing at the wall of my room
and presently it opens and through
steps the man who crouched by the cit
gates. Step by step he comes to my bed
side, and his eye glistens and his knit
is red, and my eye never leaves his.
Then he pauses and bends low wit
| his arms Outstretched.
"Sahib, he murmurs, and his voic
is singularly low and gentle, II al
here. -
''The diamondl" l hoarsely murmul
He removes his turban and slowl
unwinds its many folds. As he does s
the room seems filled with the rustic G
garments, and a strange. sweet perfum
comes to me. There are whispers, toe
and sound like stifed sob.
Slowly the stranger unfolds his tut
ban, and suddenly out of it leaps
great white pebble. He lifts it befo1
me betwixt his lean brown thumb an
forefinger, and know that in his othe
hand he holds the red knife
1.-THE diamond of the nizam, sahib,
he murmurs.
As he speaks a sudden ray of SUI
light falls upon the white pebble and
mighty glory seems to fill the room.
My eyelids drop before that glare.
see the brown face of the Indian ben
lower. ] see his fingers clutchipg at b