The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-09

"Who Is your prisoner? Explain your
self. Mr. Sheriff." Brother Amos said with
dignity. you can scarcely mean melt
Is still more impossible you can mean
my friend Bradley, who is a philanthropio
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 eave there at
daylight this morning2" the sheriff de-
manded. another man stayed there too
"a travelling man, with packet of unset
diamonds worth $4,000 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
| at / ociock-at the diamonds were miss
ed. So was Bradley. Then 1t came out
| that he had been seen leaving early. We
! searched the house until sure the lost
stones were not there; then as the tray-
! cling man was sure he had been chloro-
| formed and as Bradleys room had opened
on the same porch"
81 seel A strong case of clrcumstantiaI
evidence" the man called Bradley said
| calmly, stepping from the buggy. Mr..
| Sheriff, l do not blame you in the least.
Your mistake is not merely naturalist is
inevitable. Now, IN Justice l ask TO be
| searched at once | am a total stranger.
| 1t had been arranged by letter that Broth
er 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.
| IL I have parted with, thrown away, or
| In any way disposed of anything"
"He certainly has not" Brother Amos
said. "Mr. Sheriff, r."
"Thank you" Bradley Interrupted
Now, II l took the diamonds, carried
them off, and have not parted with them,
! must have them still. Gentlemen, / im-
| plore you to look for them. II seems to
me can hardly breathe until the charge
| Is refuted"
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 eff you'd been an ostrich. And
! certain IL Is / find no sign of 'cm any,
| where about your clothes You saw en-
you know they were there, and real dia-
monds, wrapped in tin foil inside pocket
| case of metal. Now, If / should happen
to light on em while you're In these
| parts, will you help IDENTIFY EN-, to prove
| you bear no malice for this bunder"
| my dear sir, don't speak of It," Brad
ley murmured You forget the interest
| still have in the matter It would give
| me the greatest pleasure to see those un-
lucky 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
| gave him a creepy feeling, when, after he
had lighted the visitors 20 their cham
ber Bradley shook hands, and said: Dear
boy pray for me?" 1t was late--almosE
y oclock-still Billy could not sleep when
he was snug in bed. For an hour he
thrashed about, listening to the possum
hunters and wishing himself out with
them. His own dog Bose answered spas
medically the barkings from the woods
All at once. Billy heard low, sharp groWl,
then a violent yelp as though Bose had
been struck heavily. He flung up a win
dow, but could see nothing. Clouds lay
thick over the moon; in another hour 1t
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 a little hight.
Il wonder who can be drawing water
this time OF night" Billy said TO him.
; self--then as the noise kept up, he gave
a little excited whistle, leaped through the
window which opened on the roof of the
! low back porch. ran along II and drop
ped softly 20 the ground.
The water barrel sat always under this
big white oak twenty yards away. Brad
ley stood beside 1t, with his back TO the
house. He had taken out the Spite and
held his fingers In tho stream, trying TO
break up and deaden the sound of its fiow-
} ing.
not waste 1t so free" Bnly-Boy said,
} clutching him by both arms. Bradley
writhed about snarllng and tried to strike
p the boy with the sharp, cruel knife Billy
= sprang lightly aside, caught a slide stake
and dealt his enemy clob on the wrist
that made him drop the knife and groan-
, boy" he whispered hoarsely, Help me
, you must They are therein that BAR
, rel-the diamonds, you know. Help mo
get them out-you shah have half-thing
. how rich they will make you--and nobody
need know"
I'D know myself-thats enough-besides
I'd never help n 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
a moose Not for naught had he practiced
trying TO throw a lasso. IL was near
oast-so near a miss would have been dis
graceful--but next minute Mr.. Bradley
found the rope settling over his arms and
! being drawn tight, while Billy yelled lust
lily: Father! Motherl Brother Almost
Wake up and see what I've caught"
Phanthropist Bradley, It turned out.
! gang that had Swallowed the diamond
e salesman ever since he left the city. All
2 unwlttingly Brother Amos had been made
4 to serve their turn. lie had met one OF
the gang while working as a prison mis-
:, sonary, and had given the man his adj
Dress promising to help him when he cams
out. II you think after his adventure
, Billy was not something OF a hero. you
D had better ask his mother. She win tell
! you that he never hauled another barrel