Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-08-21

like IniS.
Kate knows. l told her before
dinner. We shall find her waiting
patiently for us in the drawing-room,
| expect"
As D~ebonnaire prepared to go to
rest, her thoughts were full of hap
piness and gratitude. What had she
done to be so fortunate!
A short month ago she was living
almost in penury, supporting an in
valid mother by giving daily lessons
in town. One day when she was
crossing the street, the collision of
two hansoms, with the overturning
of one, nearly brought about the end
of her existence. Gen. Calnard
sprang to save her from a dangerous
fall-and a new era in her life had
begun.
A crowd rapidly gathering, a few
words hurriedly exchanged, and the
next minute she had found herself
seated in his brougham beside him
driving away towards her home.
Three weeks later she was engaged
to him, and the good folks in Broad
shire were amazed to hear that the
most eligible bachelor in the county
was going to marry a penniless
girl.
That night, long after every one at
Gen. Calnard's country home had
retired to rest. Debonnaire sat by
her open window, gazing out over
the fair domain of which she was to
be the mistress so soon. The vague
outlines of park and meadow land
were dimly perceptible, and there was
something intoxicating about the
surrounding stiffness and soft, fra
grant air.
At first she felt too excited to
wish to sleep, but at last the peace
full influence calmed her mind, and
she turned away from the contem-
plation of future possibilities and
went to bed. She swept back her
auburn tresses with both hands as
she lay down, whispering with a little
laugh: GLORIOUS hair! | love it,"
Her slumbers were not sound;
chaotic dreams disturbed them, and
eventually n more vivid than the
rest seemed likely to arouse her dor
mant consciousness.
She thought she saw a curious.
blurred shape of some sort moving
across the room and slowly APP
nTnnahinu hap. Ay ~ 1,nv, rnn,,,
and nearer a nameless sensation of
horror crept over her, but she could
not move. Suddenly an icy finger
was placed on her forehead, and the
finger murmured something like:
Listen, | come as the messenger of
Death"
With a violent start she awoke to
find that some one was bending over
her, and that a revolver was pressed
against her head.
Hist" said a hoarse voice to her
ear. eff yer speak one word, you'll
never speak another"
D~ebonnaire lay quaking and star
ing, but she did not utter a sound.
81 wants them diamonds, and !
means to have 'em. You can git up
and hand ZEN over, Jest as soon as
yer like. But don't yer scream, or
I'll shoot yer, as sure as eggs is
eggs"
D~ebonnaire had plenty of pluck,
but her teeth chartered like casta-
nets while she rolled to the other
side of the bed, and, stepping out of
it, caught up her dressing gown and
flung it over her.
Between her trembling lips she
muttered, "The diamonds are not
here. I have not got them, so I
cannot give them to you.''
"Oh, yes, a likely tale. I'll take
yer keys if yer's no objection, and
run my eye through yer trunks, etc"
She handed him a bunch of KEYS.
and he coolly struck a match and lit
a candle; instinctively she shrank
back from the sight of his villainous
looking face, and watched him while.
with the experiences evidently
learned by long experience, he dived
into her box and searched through
her wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
His ordinations of disgust at
finding so little pilfer made Debon-
naire shudder and shake afresh.
He came towards her with a threat
ening gesture, suddenly Selling her
hair, which still hung loosely over
her shoulders.
Look here, | mean to have them
dazzlers; just yer make no mistake
about that. Where has the gent put
'em, after yer was a%-sportin' of 'em
downstairs? You show me round,
and hurry up about it,"
Then the wretch had been watch
ing them in the library? Probably
he had been hidden somewhere in the
room all the while.
II cannot tell you anything about
them, nor can | show you the way,
for I don't know it myself. I only
came to this house for the first
time this morning"
He pondered for a moment, then
said less roughly:
Il don't want to hurt yer, missile,
but yer must keep a quiet tongue
in yer head while | makes my tow'r
round the premises. But l shan't
give you the run of the house till my
jobs finished, | promise yer"
He twisted her hair up tightly,
tied it into a knot, and, drawing her
close to the chest of drawers, he
pulled her head down to the level
OF n that stood open, flung the
knotted hair into it, and with a dex-
ferrous movement closed the drawer,
locked it, and put the key into his
pocket.