Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-12-28
Traced Through a Paper
IXTHITWORTH, may I borrow
w this?" queried Sherman, pick
BY John J. Armstrong.
~~>~~~~~-


w this?" queried Sherman, pick
ing up the current number of a certain
popular weekly journal from my lit
tered table.
"With pleasure" I returned, readily.
II commend you on your discrimina-
ton. For enjoyably passing away a
leisure space, the paper you have Sc
cured is all that could be wished.
You'll return it, won't your"
Certainly he replied; and for a
moment there was silence between us,
the while I regarded him wonderingly.
Concerning that little matter be-
tween u.s. he drawled, with his nasal
Yankee twang-and I couldn't help
but notice the supercilious curl on his
thin lips-'it's thoroughly understood.
Ell? The lady to the man who can win
her?"
Ny answer was an acquiescent in
clination of the head. .. -.'
"Ah, WE'LL" he went on, sneeringly,
II guess you'll survive the disappoint-
ment, sonny. I'm off to see her now"
laughed provokingly, for though
the betrothal ring had not been OBJ
tanned by me, May and myself, I i'm
Agined, thoroughly understood each
other.
Sherman turned at the door, an ugly
scowl on his swarthy face, and request
ed to know the cause of my hilarity:
but, with an expressive shrug, signi-
fed that explanation was unnecessary.
Crushing the paper savagely in his
hand, he departed. We were fellow
curators, Abe Sherman and I, in the
B. art gallery, and our duty consist
ed in safeguarding the various treas
ures which were daily exhibited to the
public.
At the time tell of we curators were
smarting under sense of stigma, for,
despite all precaution, about three
weeks previously some costly speci-
mems of uncut gems belonging to the
permanent collection had unaccount-
ably disappeared from their case. The
Z affair savored of the miraculous, for,
though the stones had vanished, the
case had been left absolutely intact.
Stung with the taunts of negligence.
all had protested that their vigilance
had never been relaxed and that the
theft could not possibly have been COM
mitted in their respective duties.
After the stir had quoted some
what, and the vituperative energy of
the local newspaper correspondents
had been duly worked off, the affair
looked like being relegated to the long
list of unsolyable mysteries. But the
stigma was not SO readily effaceable,
and, as for myself, confess it certainly
ranked, filling me with a determine
ton to keep myself fully alive in the
future. Sherman was the latest addi-
ton to the guardian staff. From the
very first day he had entered the gal
lery-two months previously-he had
performed his duties in an exemplary
manner that left no room for complaint.
His credentials from the other side had
been exceptional and the chief was con-
WINGED of his integrity.
Not SO myself, however, for, some
days after the robbery, had been
somewhat astonished, when we had
been on duty together, to observe what
seemed to me like prearranged signal
pass between him and a suspicious
looking visitor whom I had been keep
ing under close observation. Probably
it signifed nothing. was mistrustful,
for was he not my rival? And yet
The very morning after the CONVEX
sation between us set forth at the COM
mencement of this relation, however,
the whole place was thrown into con-
sternation by the startling announce
ment made by Jukes, the guardian on
duty, that the Rajah's sword-hilt had
disappeared during the night.
This curio-a costly specimen of in
erusted jewel work-had been spirited
away in like mysterious manner
Excitedly, we clustered round the case
which, as far as the eye could discern
WAS intact, and hoarsely whispered
eonjectures as to the perpetrator flew
from lip to lip the while we waited the
arrival of the chief and the local de.
tectives.
Its gang for fiver!" was the die
tum of the officer, as he rapidly CLEANED
the facts. "Who was on duty last night
In this room?''
II was SO, officer!" Sherman ex
claimed, promptly.
"Did you note anything suspicious? p
Nothing" he returned, emphatic
ally. Between four and six the plac,
was practically deserted, but I wa
right here all the time, and, after thu
late affair, 1 tell you fly couldn't hav,
annexed spark of dust without M
spotting him. It beats mel"
'Umph!" exclaimed the officer, scan
ming the case closely through his leni