The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-11-16

tHCdu tuc-it - SliA1 LuOlc po--Aoic 9oA
can mean my friend Bradley, who is a
phiIanthropic man of means travelling
with me to learn the needs Of my
work"
didn't he stay all night at the
Franklin house, in Clearview, and
leave there at daylight this morning ?"
the sheriff demanded. Another man
stayed there, too-a travelling man,
with a packet of unset diamonds worth
1000 He had them last night the
man you call Bradley knew he had
them, because he looked at some of
them, and even spoke of buying. This
was al | o'clock, at the diamonds
were missed. So was Bradley. Then
il came out that he had been seen leav-
ing so early. We searched the house
until sure the lost stones were not there:
then as the travelling man was sure he
had been chloroformed and as Brad
ley's room had opened on the same
porch"
Al see! 4 strong case of eircum-
stautial evidence" the man called
Bradley said calmly, stepping from the
buggy. "Mr. Sheriff, do not blame
you in the least Your mistake is not
merely natural-it is inevitable. Now,
in Justice, | ask to be searched at once.
/ am a total stranger. 1t had been ar
ranged by letter that brother Amos
should call for me at daylight. He
met me at the steps of the Franklin
hOuse-unless am mistaken anybody
will accept his word for truth. We
have been together ever since. Ask
him, please, if have parted with, or
thrown away, or in anyway disposed
of anything"
"He certainly has not" brother
Amos said, "Mr. Sheriff, I"
"Thank you," Brady interrupted.
''Now, if took the diamonds, carried
them off, aud have not parted with
them, must have them still. Gentle
man, impIore you to look for them.
It seems to me can hardly breathe
until the charge is refuted.n
Fifteen minutes later the sheriff was
saying humbly. beg your pardon,
Mr.. Bradley-as you say you couldn't
a-swallowed them stones-there were
too many, even if you'd been an ostrich.
And certain it is, / find no sign of 'em
anywhere about your clothes. You
saw 'em-you know they were there,
aud real diamonds, wrapped in tin foil
inside a pocket case of metal. Now,
if 1 should happen to light on 'em
while you're in these parts, will you
help IDENTIFY 'em, to prove you bear
no malice for the blunder ?p
my dear sir, don't speak Of it"
Bradley murmured "You forgot the
interest still have in the matter. Ii
would give me the greatest pleasure to
see those unlucky stones again in the
right hands"
Billy had never heard such stories as
Bradley told that night on the porch
after supper. Still, he did not like the
man.
1t was late-almost u o'clock-still
Billy could not sleep when he was snug
in bed. For an hour he thrashed about
listening to the 'possum hunters,
aud wishing himself out with them.
His own dog, Bose, answered spasmOd-
ically the barking from the woods.
All at once Billy heard low sharp
growl, then violent yelp, as though
Bose had been struck heavily. He
flung up a window, but could see moth
ing. Clouds lay thick over the moon !;
is another hour it would come on to
rain.
Again he heard Bose, this time a sort
Of growing whine, that was lost and
smothered in a curious rushing sound,
the noise Of gushing water falling from
little height.
"I wonder who can be drawing water
this time of night - Billy said to him
self-then, as the noise kept up, be
gave little excited whistle leaped
through the window which opened on
the roof OF the low back porch, ran
along it, and dropped softly to the
ground.
The water barrel set always under
the big white oak, twenty yards away.
Bradley stood besides it, with his back
to the house. He had taken out the
spile ard held his fingers in the stream,
trying to break up and deaden the
sound Of its flowing.
"If you bad to haul water I reckon
you'd not waste it so free" Billy boy
said, elutching him by both arms
Brady writhed about snarling and
tried to strike the boy with a sharp
knife. Billy sprang lightly aside,
caught a slide stake aud dealt his
enemy blow on the wrist that made
him drop the knife and groan.
"Boy r he whispered hoarseIy, ''help
me-you must. They are therein that
barrel-the diamonds, you know. Help
me get them out-you shall have half
think how rich they will make you
and nobody need know"
"Td know myself-that's enough
besides I'd never help a man mean
enough to kick Bose" Billy boy said.
In the dark he had managed to get
the rope lines with which he drove
and shaped them into the moose. Not
for naught had he practiced trying to
throw lasso. Ii was a near cast-so
near a miss would have been disgrace
| ful-but next minute Mr.. Bradley
found the rope settling over bis arms
aud being drawn tight, while Billy
| yelled Justify: Father! Mother
Brother Amos Wake up and see
what I've caughtr'
Philanthropist Bradley, it turned
out, was the head of gang that had
shadowed the diamond salesman ever
since he left the city. All unwittingly
brother Amos had been made to serve
their turn. II you think after his adj
venture Billy was not something OF
hero, you had better ask his mother
She will tell you that he never hauled
another barrel OF water-Martha Me
/ CulIough Williams in Boston Globe.
Cynical Dont's.