The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-07-17
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE BLUE STONE: RING

! THE BLUE STONE: RING.
Hendricks still occupied the little
house at the end of the long garden,
| though he did not take as much COM
| fort or feel so secure since the ap-
pearance of the coupe at the end of
the street, and the mysterious
meeting of Jebbs and the stranger
After debating the subject over
night, he could not make up his
pened, why he must try and find the
] way out of the difficulty as best he
might. -.
| He knew that the Ellisons had re-
turned to town, and on several oc-
casions he had. attempted to get
| word to Grace, but the opportunity
did not offer. He was =, delighted
when he learned through the papers
that "a man had been arrested as a
| suspect in connection with the crime,
and he felt sure that the young man
would be acquitted. For the present
he could let matters in that direction
| take their course. The work that he
had cut out to do was. quite as inn
| portant, to revenge himself. on the
man who had been the direct cause
of his years of misery. He had
Enursed the hope of bringing that
man to justice for many seasons, and
| now it seemed the. victory was at
hand.
AS the days went by, and there
| were no signs of Jebbs, he. became
more and more uneasy. He began to
think that this. strange man was
treacherous, and had. perhaps, gone
over to the enemy. Certainly he did
not appear to be a person who was
above selling out.
His surprise was therefore great,
when, returning one night. he saw
faint light shining through the shut
tiers of the room on the upper floor
where he generally Slept.
| . Prepared for anything, he enter
ed the house quietly and climbed the
stairs to his room; threw open the
door-and found-none other than
Jebbs coolly seated at the table, dis
eussing bread and cheese, stopping
now and then to lift a can to- his
lips. He did not seem to be at all
alarmed when the owner of the place
entered, nor did he act like man
who fears that his knavery has
been found out. -
How did you get in?" asked Hen
bricks, for he had since that event
full night taken great precautions
about barring the doors and win
l. dows of the little house. 1t hurt him
to think that this fellow was able to
enter place he had thought so Sc
cure.
'Well, wanted to get in, and when
I feel that way, nuthin' can stop me-
said Jebbs, with his mouth full I'D
like to see the bolts and bars that
could keep yours truly out when he
wanted to git on the other side of a
door" -
swell, you incident try it again."
grumbled the other. IS You may
have an unpleasant surprise the
/ next time, so 1 warn you"
''Why so crusty, old man. Spec 1
was goin' to set down in the garden,
git pneumony waitin' for ye,. when
all / had to- do was to let myself in.
Not on your life.: And he returned
with fresh energy to his very frugal
meal.
Hendricks, who had thrown him
self YEARLY down in a chair, was re-
garding his. visitor with such a ma
levolent look that even the Careless
Jebbs grew-uneasy, and stopped the
mechanical movements of his jaws
for few minutes to say:
''Whatcher eying me so fierce like
and when had good news to tell
ye," adopting an injured tone.
"When you left me the other night
you met man who came in coupe,
you talked to him for time on the
carriage together"
Jebbs seemed at first startled by
this sudden charge flung at him, but
it was only a moment before he re-
covered his equanimity.
$50 it was that worried you, Ell 2"
"Yes, it looked like too much
| double-dealing."
"Well, s'help me. never see that
party fore in my life, an 1 was
s'prised as you'd be when he tackled
me on the corner. He knew me,
thought with grimace.
How did he know you?"
''Well, sir, he had it all down fine
how 1 was mixed up in little affair
some time ago-somethin' that would
surely have landed me if they could
ha' got the proofs. He could ha' got
eueugh-he showed me that in a