The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-05-02

-FOUR sturdy grooms were seIecte:
for the task. and they were subjected
to a scrutiny that would have suficed
for count Of cash in the United States
treasury. yet they were driven at good
speed. so that the coal vanished rap
idly into the cellar. Kelvin was too
thrifty to put 1t anywhere except in
the bin.
It was warm day. and the flying
coal dust stuck like glue. Kelvin.
whose head was In every basket. grew
blacker as the moments sped away.
Precipitation rolled down from under
his hat and striped his broad face gro
tesquely and in ever changing patterns.
Occasionally. as If dissatisfied with his
war paint. he would obliterate the de-
sign with wild sweep of his hand
kerchief. and a new and fiei Ger decora.
ton would take its place.
| l could have spent a NEST enjoyable
hour but for my anxiety on my boys
account. AS the work progressed gloom
| settled darker upon Donald's face than
| coal dust upon kelvin's. From time
| to time our host would glare at DON
aid like some black cannibal of the
south seas. and my boy would respond
with q glance of mournful resignation.
| At length there remained but very
little coal scattered uEon the ground.
One of the grooms carefully swept it
into heap. Kelvin, who had been
scrutinizing it, bending forward with
his grimy hands upon the knees of his
gray flannel trousers, slowly straight
ened up.
"Well," said he in q voice thick with
coal dust. what do you say now?"
He favored Donald with grin that
had a peculiar, striped appearance.
Donald's hat was on the ground, and
he had rumpled his hair into a strange
ly tangled mass. He was biting his
lips nervously.
ut occurs to me, SIR" said he. that
a diamond is pure carbon crystalliZed
and that coal is chemically the same
substance in slightly different iorm.
1t is possible that l may have been de-
ceived by this coincidence. So
Kelvin uttered a low. hoarse roar,
and | think he would have followed it
with some remark that might have in.
terrupted the social harmony between
our households. but at this moment De,
tective Graves Reedy touched him on
the arm.
Its all right" said he Don't
move; don't say word: just watt
He turned and ran toward the house
with surprising agility. He cleared the
steps leading to i side entrance with q
single bound and vanished from oul
sight. We remained silent. budding
together like startled children anC
staring toward the house.
1t must have been less than u minute
yet it seemed much longer to us as we
stood there bewiidered. Then there
came a sharp and loud sound which
drew our eyes toward Il window in the
, peak of a gable. Donald turned sud
denly and leaned heavily upon m!
shoulder. and | heard him gr0an. Blu
before could frame Il question there
came the voice of Iteedy from the ga
BILE window.
, 1--WE got him. he cried. thrustin:
out his head. Nobody hurt! He miss
ed me!'
THAT'S Cobb's room." said Kelvin il
a most peculiar voice.
Really the old fellow was nearl,
strangled by his amaZempnt. as he aft
erward confessed. He bad compre
hended the situation much more quick
ly than | had been able to Go. and b.
knew that Reedy had arrested Cobb
> the butler. upon evidence which tn
detective believed to be absolutely con
. elusive. Indeed the pistol shot nigh
be regarded as settling all question
T about the servants guilt.
+ We all began to talk at once, and n
, one had heard any remarks except hi
p own when keedy appeared at the dco
. leading his prisoner. handcuffed. Cob
was TALL dark man of Il very pecula
. build, having the longest body for hi
height that ever l saw on Il human be
q ing Not only were his legs short, bu
, his shoulders were aDnormally high, S
that, viewed from behind. with a rea
- sonably long coat on. he seemed to b
I sunk in the ground up to his knees.
8 I had marked him by the main er
trance when we arrived and later uI
on the outskirts of the group aroun
the coal heap. later still upon tn
threshold of the door through whic
. Reedy had pursued him.
,, give had my eye on this Teller" sal
the detective. 81 seen him gettin
more and more worried as that Coz
got thinner on the ground. and finali
l seen him make a break; then l kneN
where we stood. l found him in hi
t R7 ---Ss~Tl -