The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-09
CHAPTER XVIII.

| from Sacramento telling Sir Edmund
that Lola had taken the Great Hes
per, and intended 10 restore IL as soon
as the snow had melted and allowed
ns 10 reach the cavern in which IL was
concealed. In answering ihis letter lie
wrote:
After reading your good news, Ed
ith and ] went for stroll through
the park, where We encountered poor
Van Hoeck, whose wOe-begOne appear
ance appealed more 10 Edith's heart
and mine also. why she asked,
should we any longer treat him as
possible scOundrel now that the Braces
admit having taken the diamond We
turned back, overlook Van HOeck and
told him what had happened. The
poor wretch was overcome with emo
ton, not because OF the possible re-
cOvery OF the logt diamond (Of which
he entertaIns strong doubt. but IN
being once more treated az an honest
man"
Now, did Van HOeck deserve 10 be
treated as an honest manf That was
the question. j will give here Braces
account Of what OccurT In the woods,
ana as near as can in his own words.
when we parted company ia the
wood" he said, 81 hunted around for
| Israel, as was my intention, you viii
| remember. I found him Crawlin' Ike
"A varmint OF a reptile through the
ferns. / fetched him into a cOuyen-
| lent spot, ana says /, Israel ! ses,
| YOU air goin' TO prOphesy what has
| gone OF the Great Hcsper. It's not q
| hard job, If yOu give yer mind 90 II.
| 'Tain't nothin' near 30 hard ~ pro
| phesying what's gOn' 10 be
II had hold on him by the arm All
| OF q suddnt, be filings himself round,
! erapples on 10 me, and fore I'm aware
Of anythin', I'm on my Jack. and his
| two thumbs IS inter my windpipe. 1
never thought he'd got il inter him
! such strength and agility and III al
| low he would have stranglcd me het
| the Kid hadn't come up in the nick
aud frightened him by singing out for
| YOU. ] did not lose any time. ana when
| / had shown | was as strong rs him,
with little bit TO spare. ] got him 10
| pTOphcsy He wanted n piaguey lot
| Of pcrswadin' and he got II; but when
| he couldn't stand no more on II. he
| let on that IL was inside a rotten viii
| Ter alongside 4 pond IN the hOller. i
| didn't know no pond, but ] Letched
| sight OF the Kid snea kin of, end Jest
sneakcd after her, takin' Israel along,
| case he mighter made Il mistake IN his
| Biography. There was no walking fast
with Israel over the brambles. end !
| lost sight OF the Kid; bat il stood TO
| reason the hollcr was down hill, so
| down | went the wa" the kd had
| gone near as / could reckon, and there
was the pond ana the rotten willcr al
as he had prophcsied, nd there at the
| foot Of the willer was the empty case,
| hut nary diamond. | cooked my eye
| around, end once more | ketChcd sight
| of the Kid Bnenkin of. ! went for
her naturally, but might jest as well
| went for a tom-tit She got clean out
or sight about the same times j got
| outer wind. But Israel wouldn't give
up. and we hunted about for The Kid
| till we couldn't neither OF rs hunt any
more, then we sat down in commit
tee. and. after pretty warm discussion,
we came 10 the unanimous conclusion
that, fur the sake OF every one con
cClned, we had better get rid OF the
| leather case rnd say nOthin' about il.
/ laid il down that the Kd had not
| took the diamond for mere mischief.
| She knew, I'm her own pgeascr way,
| that the thing had a power in il TO
! bring happiness 10 the owner--llke a
| charm. She see that " clothed MS de
| cent and lodged MS comfortable. and
| that while IL separated you and her,
| IL brought you aud squirC's daughter
| together. And we laid it down mutual
| that the Kid had too much gumptiOn
TO pitch the thing away, but would hide
| IL somewhere where she could fetch It
bimeby. Now, hef we'd done other
ways what would have happened? Van
| lIoeck ud have declared il was all a
| lie, and the wild horses wouldn't err
! dragged the secret outer the kid.i The
only hope OF gettin' back the Hesper
was ter let her play her game and
watch her close
\ copy Of this statement ! sent TO
Sir Edward and added;
Either Van 1oeck is possessed OF
| supernatural clairvoyance or he must
have been I'm completely with the man
who took the diamond from me.
TO be Continued.
| MousN IA IOppannts