The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-03-19
siderably larger than the rest-was
worth Thousands


prisoner, gentleman who had been
sent out for being in some Irish rising
OF sorts-and showed him the string,
asking him at the same time to try
and find where the donor had gone to,
SO that he might be informed of the
value of his discovery. Then he went
OF to bed, leaving the pearls in a dis
patch box on the table, and forgetting
to lock 1t, In his usual absent way.
In the night tremendous storm came
down, and swept through the house in
hurricane, carrying everything into
the verandas. The clerk Connolly
came rushing in, shut the windows and
doors, and picked up the scattered
books and papers. assisted by the but
Ter, another time-expired man. Thc
dispatch box was found lying on the
floor, its contents blown away and the
pearls gone. Pelham insisted that
they must he somewhere near and
made the men spend the rest of the
night searching with him through the
room, but with no result Both men
were naturally rather frightened; there
had been a number of small robberies,
and the Governor, a rigid old martinez,
was determined to put crime down
with heavy hand.
'sHe was very fond of the cat. The
cat,' he used to declare, SIS worth a
regiment in keeping order N a half.
criminal community like this Pelham
was opposed to it with all his might,
and the two were constantly at log
gerheads. The Governor got wind of
the disappearance of the necklace, and
instantly sent guard aud shut up
both Pelham's men in BOggo, saying
he would give them five dozen apiece
unless they owned up to the pearls.
Connolly was a delicate little chap
and he almost died at the thought Of it.
The other chap confessed on the spot;
said he had been standing at the door
and seen Connolly take out the string
and put it in his pocket, statement
which the Judge declared was a lie,
and one encouraged by the Governors
use of such brutal form of punish
ment- He didn't blame the butler, but
he stuck to it. Connolly couldn't have
taken the pearls or he would have seen
him. Meantime, there was row royal
between the Inv and the administra-
ton, and the pearls kept out of sight
Miss Pelham went to the Governor
and begged him to give Connolly
weeks respite before he was brought
up for sentence. And in that time
she fairly turned the yellow stone
house inside out, and still no sign OF
the necklace. She was sitting ON the
veranda one night with the Judge, talk
ing and wondering.
az cannot imagine said she, where
they can have got to-
"'Pd give Il hundred pounds to
KNOW replied Pelham, gloomily; poor
little Connolly won't last three months
if he goes back to the quarries'
"'Pve looked everywhere said Miss
Pelham, and she looked up at the gular.
He was sitting demurely on his stand,
and winl1ing his red-rimmed eyes as
if he knew all about it.
no! no! hov he chuckled; look un-
der the table,
''She sat looking up at him in amaze
ment, while he kept repeating, Look
under the table,
t'She got up. 4 WILL she said; 'ev-
cry table in the house
''Now, she had removed everything
out of the dining room where the dis
patch box had been left, and the car
nfc,h Od foIy 10 Z
been laid with very green wood, and
when the covering was removed the
boards were found to have shrunk.
It was sunset, and the light came in
level with the house, which, like most
houses, was raised little on piles to
Keep out the white ants. She walked
across, looking down, and suddenly she
cried out and the Judge rushed to her
side 'Lookv she gasped, pointing
downward. He put on his spectacles
and looked, and there between the
cracks they could see the string Of
pearls lying on the black soil beneath
the floor.
Connolly was returned to the Judge,
Of course, but it was still a mystery
how the pearls got there, and for a
long time no one found out Then one
night while they were all at supper
q great storm came down, and the
wind tore through the French win
dows and carried, among other things,
silver goblet off the table It was
rolled along the floor. out of the win
dow and across the veranda and
dropped on the top step. Then the
blast veered and the goblet was blown
through the steps and right under the
house.
SThe guIar screamed as it rolled, and
Pelham stood gazing as one enlight-
ened. That's the very way the pearls
went he said to his sister, and not
one of us had the sense to think of, ii
but my wise old GUAR Ladies'
Field
A disappearing Island.
One of the curiosities of Southern
England is the disappearing island OF
naryypufWafar Lake IT ricnc In tho