The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-09-30

|
out Of ourselves, and maxim pleasant
! Joke out Of our bad luck. Asst the Kid
down there who was her best friend In
that trouble. She'll tell you it was
Gentleman Thorne, not her father. She
had bit OF a fever-it was him made
up bed for her, built screen 10 keep
the sun OF, walked fifteen mile in the
night TO get things from the store, set
up night after night 10 give her water,
end used for 10 sing out about the
sleepin' beauty and Cineralla, while
be was peggin' away at the burned
stones. / will allow, miss, i were
| ashamed 10 let him see ] was losln'
heart and when felt like blasphemin'
at things in genial, / used 10 take a
short walk and let of all ny syearln'
where he couldn't hear me. Well, 1T
| did look as If we had hooked on to the
| everlastin' fish.kittle. Then Israel
| funked n second time. we hev still a
few pounds left he says to Gentleman
| Thorne. Let's throw up the cards,
which they might hev done without
going from our written word, they two
fOrmin' q majority. But Gentleman
ThOrne wouldn't agree 10 IL. 1t
wouldn't be fair 10 the Judge, he said,
ana then he promised that if we failed
i'm the end he'd stick by Israel, and
keep him like his own flesh and blood
until he found the means OF keeping
hisself, which was more than I'd hev
promised him, will allow. Well. we
played on till the last cent was spent
in stores, and the stores had got down
TO half q tin Of beef and 2 screw OF
shag. and then lighted on two carat
stone. The very next day Gentleman
ThOrne found the Great Hesper We
couldn't allow il was real, yet we sort
or thought it was. Anyhow, we didn't
sleep till we got 20 Natal and had il
tested. We sold the littler stone and
scraped enough together to pay our
passage TO Southampton by the next
boat. In committee we agreed to 20
TO a bank and raise money on the dla-
mOnd as soon's we landed, but no one
wouldn't take us on, end IL the police
hadn't put rs on this track, I'm
stumped If / know what partlc'ler 'ole
we should hev been stickin' in at the
present moment"
During this recital, which have alb.
breviated considerably, Van lIoeck,
who despised the Judge and abominat-
cd all he said, sat with his eyes close
~ shut. his nostrils pinched, ana his
black brows creased together. so that
they almost met. Miss Lascellcs lis
tened with intense interest, her pretty
lips just parted, and l thought She
looked more kindly upon me for the
glowing eulogium-of which | have
omitted q great part-paid TO me by
Brace.
The Kid changed her position, seem
ing to catch some Of her fathers en-
thusiasm, and sitting upon her heels
with her hands Clasped before her,
turned her flashing eyes sometimes
upon me, but more often upon Miss
Lascelles, as if TO catch the effect Of
this narrative.
zone thing is obvious" said Sir Ed
mund cheerfully; you won't want to
leave me tonight"
"Neery one Of us, sir, you bet" re-
piled the Judge, while Van lIoeck
and l expressed the same sentiments
in other words.
The baronet spoke in n low tone TO
his daughter. who rose and left the
room.
"The next thing to consider is" he
then said, how can be of service TO
you in this affair. TO purchase your
treasure is, of course, altogether out
OF the question. But l should like 10
buy a small-a very, very small-share
in il, paying down n certain sum for
your present convenience, and taking
il back when the diamond Is ultimate
ly disposed Of. with reasonable per
cent0ge upon the outlay. l make this
suggestion as matter OF business,
that you may feel yourselves free from
any restraint in accepting the offer
1t took us but few minutes to agree
20 this proposal.
"ln that case" he proceeded, 81
should wish TO have n voice in the
management of this business, and the
first suggestion should make is, that
the finest artist in work OF this Kind
be engaged 10 cut the diamond under
this roof. and that during the opera.
ton you should take up your residence
here. This precaution is necessary
for the safe keeping Of the treasure,
and for our own security"
This arrangement was too obviously
advantageous TO us 10 require argu-
ment; we consulted together, anu
quickly agreed 10 accept the condition.
Sir Edmund then read the agreement
through again. and then said:
I'VE must consult lawyer with re-
gard TO a legal form of agreement.
| Here there is kind Of tontine ar
rams ,ment 10y which one would re-
ceive an enormous advar' GO by the
| death Of his partners. IL is an uncom.
| Portable clause and 7 do OF see the
! necessity of its existence. now that
the circumstances which called for its
being made are changed. A lawyer
may proyice for our security without
exposing US 10 ugly possibilities. That.
however, can be settled later on.
There is no hurry. IL will be time
enough 10 make the legal arrange.
nent when We have ascertained the
value of the property 10 be arranged.
and that we cannot know before the
stone is cut. We VII question the
best firms in London with regard 10
4 a ta ,tI s,l