The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-23
ra,zr.,s. l,s, y Rsrry PAM
CHAPTER l.


- rm.sre Of advertisements, had
r--.Fa. fortune u not fame 70 the tainer
..-.-..s Tr due time the father had
4at ard the Chest Protector had been
-.F into a limited company, ani
c,.,rse yIsHrager bought himself lord
.-.....r1 house with some shooting at
p-kuart. He was a Master oi Arts al
r-r.-f q Justice o. the Peace member
- tas Carton. and a prospective mem
800 Parliament for R0ckport. lie was
sr excellent young man, wealthy. good
--.E.-g a grave politician. and yet good
-.-aaay. o thorough sportsman, and a
-.- az some reading and considerable
.s..e IEe was popular, and the only man
~. smoke OF "Hartleys Chest Protec-
-r-" lH connection with Charles Cor. to
srs.k rause accurately Charles ErnesD
va. Charles Ernest Nishnager himself
a. the moment az which this story
c..rs E.sauager had been for no less
dan four months IN love with Mrs. Deni-
rr N~s Dep!sOn was aged twenty, and
z.a-reaiy been a widow for year. Sne
H. longer wore mourning. and let II be
generally understood that Denison had
...kgI the practice. She and her soft
len mother, Mrs. CareW, were 10 stop
a.H Lady Haysion at ATbrOw, about
.u.-rr miles from Rockport, until the end
o. November. Then Mrs. Carew and her
daughter were 10 go &c Rockport, where
E.-.uager would be their host and his
sister their hostess until after Christmas.
E., on the 18th Of November Vishnager,
IN spite u the assurance OF the almanac
that November has only thirty days. felt
ta bad s,lI. too long 10 walt. SO he told
G.. sister that IL would b. a civil thing 10
r.a over and see old Lady Harston. He
would have luncheon there and come back
.l Tie afternoon.
Ellen EishHager. his sister. aged thirty
aye. neither plain nor beautiful. unmar-
EsI and Of a jaIIous tempera-
meul, asked him not 10 be OBJ
v.Ugs She was naturally a little sore
about the fact that when Charles married
Nrs DcuisOn-and the marriage seemed
Csrta.nty-she herself would no longer be
The hostess at ROckpOrt. And she liked
being the hostess and she liked RockpOrj.
Also she was quite fond enough Of her
brother 10 resent his coming under any
other feminine influence. She knew that
Ls must marty some day. and would have
eousdeTed anything else unreasonable;
bat when the day grew near she disliked
lt And the day Was drawing near now.
Besides. she had contempt for masculine
strategy. Why on earth could he not have
said. II am going over 10 see Mrs. Deni-
son because / cannot wait for her arrival
here within week" That was why she
said somewhat bitterly that he was not
20 be obvious. lie answered blandly that
ha did not know what she meant. Then
be- drove TO the station and took a con-
Veuient train, and walked from the other
station up TO ATbTOw.
There the men we're all out shooting.
except the brilliant Richard wilkins and
The women were unCOmmOnly glad TO see
Eishnager. wilkins was less pleased He
was the kind Of star that wants a firma-
ment to itself; and when he said bright
things To Nishnager. Nishnagcr always
replied that he did not understand him.
This was not entirely true, and il made
Wilkins angry.
After luncheon the two men were COM
PEELED 20 sit together for the space Of a
cigarette. Richard wilkins wore a dark
blue suit with peculiar buttons, L soft
black tie, Of the same shape and almost
The same size as a woman's sash patent
leather shoes with pointed toes, and socks
with adOrnments upon them. Also his
hair was rather lovely. Charles Ernest
E.~hnager wore brown boots, anl noisy
tweed suit and a red tie with a horseshoe
i'm in il, and his hair was of the same
length as the fleece of a tOOth-Drush. He
WIS clean shaven and could afford to be-
also he was eighteen inches taller than
wilkins. Ii was good of Vishnager TO ask
wilkins what his next book was 10 be. for
E!shnager liked the work Of wilkins so
u,tle that he was not even interested in
!t, But it w4s wrong or him when Wiki
ins described the book at some length TO
go of into d0Ze and wake with 4 start
because he had dropped mis- cigarette.
Wilkins went into fits of forced Laughter
over the incident-the kind Of laughter
that has absolutely nothing behind ii.
N!shnager apOl0giZed in about three
words and went straight TO Mrs. Denison.
To her he said that by all accounts WIKI
iUs was clever young chap, ana SHE re-
piled that In her opinion Mr.. wilkins was
all ape.
Vishnager thought that Eva Deniso IN
looked tired. She did, and she explained
IT, The fact was that she had done a
foolish thing She had allowed nar yanI-
~ TO get the better of her common sense
she said as much She had taken her
bank. and was carting them aboI. the
country. Consequently she never had
moments peace Had he read Of the
theft II the Duchess diamonds from the
Ualu the other day?
Yes. said Nishnager, Il saw 1t, and
she was careless with them. She left
tem .u the charge of a maid, who must
l..- been rather a fighty person. and !
tae maid let them go Out of her hands for
a. minute. n minutes always enough, |
yy- know
kGswg OF course, I know; l never |
,aDk % anything else!"
-N elL then. don't let your diam3lds go |
OUT of your own hands. Better sill. have |
Them Kept in the safe. except when you |
ase wearing them. There must De safe |
40. sort somewhere here.
There is an enormous safe, but then |
they keep the ordinary servants silver Ia |
l- ana consequently the butler has key. |
" course he IL the usually Old and faith |
'ui person, ana Lady Harston would /
trust him with untold gold, and all the /
Test Of %, but / don't feel that l know |
im we'll enough 10 give him my poor /
little diamonds"
The diamonds, by the way, had cost /
a. .y'r A. Eishuager very well knew.
It's quite true" she continued, that i |
hardly ever get any sleep at night, Every |
NE minutes / seem 10 wake and hear
5. .'r. once the wind blew rather roughly I
against nay window and thought 1t was
L man trying 10 get in. I'm wTetched. | /
wanted Go wear the diamonds Al your
lau-y so Christmas. and l wish had left
then aJ lhc hank now"
Look u--e" said Vishnager: you
can't su Uu like this You don't want 10
ear the diamonds again while you are
acre. ly youg"
Nu. certainly not"
We'll give then. 10 me, I've got a safe
A My dressing room. which would take
gsj burglars all their time There is
.} ole key 10 IL. and IL never leaves me
-Ehi OF day. Any attempt 10 open K at
sht rings AN electric alarm at my bed
-.-r ana 80 The same time switches on the
l-hi ] sleep With revolver handy. !
.Hr now, iS that good enough lOr your
GOOD enough It's much too good and
ahl II ypL would take my diamonds
a. h with YOU and keep them FOR me until
b.. come % RgckpOrt 1 should be too
much obliged to you"
f'HS4tIg l. gufT s+fFsp .-,rbFrrr O.,