Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-02-24

the incident would NOD excite more
than q faint. passing sentiment OK in-
terest or pity in the breast or any hu-
man being. She was no more 10 tnc
persons with whom h came into uai-
ly contact than the postman or tue
miIkman. Ii seemed TO her, SMUT OUT
as she was from all family life, as II
there was no room in the breasts OF
those four millions for the commonest
human affections.
or course she was mistaken; Dut
from her point Of view b couid Only
see one spring OF action at work IN
whatever direction she turned her
eyes--the desire of getting money U
OF other people. She felt that she
would he choked, morally speaking, III
she lived much longer in that unnedithy
atmosphere; and she tried very haru
10 get a situation, but in vain. No
body wanted a girl who had only d
ordinary accomplishments. who had
been educated in a country school anu
who had no certificates. b schoils-
tic agencies ON which she spent some
of her little stock of money, turned u
TO he little better than established
swindles. 1t was well for her that she
had Miss Upton's legacy, small as IL
was: il she had not had 1t TO fail Dack
upon. she must have starved.
The only "kenneS face she saw
through those dreary weeks was ore
she would rather not have seen at all
that of Mr.. Eugene Clovis. He came
to see her several times; and once or
twice he brought his friend, Mr..
Il f..h xrfrI. him fHhnN 1II nAf MAKE
any ~pretense about their object-they
wanted to know what she had done
with the bag of diamonds her father
had intrusted TO her care.
Frequent and careful questioning d
convinced Clovis that his friend had
II o committed a burglary on his w
account; and, indeed, il was next TO
impossible that he should have done so.
He was an old man, incapable OF much
exertion: and the job was n that
none but a strong man could have un-
dertaken on such a night. Ursula u
have the stones: and the two men
agreed that she was hidirg them some
where. knowing, perhaps, that they lid
not really belong TO her father. and
preferring TO let the memory OF his
tragic death be forgotten before b
tried to turn them into money.
As for her protestations that she
knew nothing about the diamonds,
Clovis and the Jew entirely disbe-
lieved her. They did not believe in the
virtue of any mar or woman, IL tempt
eG by a hundred thousand pounds
worth of u~ntraceable diamonds.
Clovis accounted for Kisch's pres
ence on these occasions by saying that
the diamond merchant had an interest
in the jewels. Without saying any
thing definite. he gave her TO under
stand that they had been purchased oil
a joint speculation of her father and
Kisch. The two men were SO persist
Ell that Ursula was forced to tell them
that they must leave her alone for the
future. They took the hint. and
showed themselves no more in her lit
tie sitting room.
Ii was about a fortnight after their
last visit that Ursula noticed in the
Morning Post an advertisement for u
lady to I'LL the post OF companion to an
elderly lady. She knew very well that
for such a position there would be
scores, perhaps hundreds Of applicants;
but she thought that, small as her
chance of being selected was, she
would not miss it.
She answered the advertisement, and
was overjoyed when she got a favora-
BILE reply. The advertiser was a Mr..
Herbert. He gave an address in the
City: and he said that if Miss Joyce's
references were satisfactory, he would
send for her to see his wife. He would
send his carriage, he said; and he ad-
vised her TO bring her trunks, 81 that
she might take up her residence at
tEce in her new home, If Mrs. Herbert
was satisfied with her.
On the day fixed Ursula was ready,
her bill paid, and her one modest trunk
packed, an hour before the time, )
o'clock, ut which the carriage was to
call for her. 1t came at last, a dark
colored. single brougham. drawn by a
powerful bay horse; and as Ursula
descended the wax-cloth covered stairs
of the shabby lodging house, she
breathed a prayer that she might never
have to climb those stairs again. Poor
girl. Little did she dream that before
three hours had gone by she would
look back with the wild lodgings OF
despair to that airless, dreaGy room in
which she had spent so many lonely
hours.