The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-06-04

hurried proceedings of the past half-hour
it was that the convict had had the oppor-
tunity of seizing the jewels; yet that he
had made good use of some momentary
chance was only too plain.
A trembling examination of the other
cases showed that magnificent bracelet
had also disappeared but that the rest of
the collection was safe.
Scarcely able to walk, the baronet made
all safe and tottered upstairs.
Order the phaeton round at once, " said
he to the first servant he met, and then,
as he paced up and down the hall, he de-
bated the chances of his ever recovering
the property.
He knew well enough that, if the rascal
were to take the jewels back to Portland
with him, the search he would undergo
would discover the stolen property; but his
fear was that the man, whom the warder
had described as willy old thief, would
find some means of getting rid of them on
the way. If they were to be flung into
ditch or into the sea, what was his chance
| VI CNSl sScil3 tHtu AGAIN
The minutes seemed hours as he drove
along in the darkness toward the prison,
and when he leaped to the ground and ad
dressed the warder who opened the door,
| his voice was cracked and broken as he
stammered out
IL want to see the warder who
brought the escaped prisoner back. "
The man stared at him intently.
''What escaped prisoner, sir? There
has been no escape of prisoner.
''Oh, yes, there has, said Jasper, i'm
patiently. II tell you he was caught in
my Peterscourt, not an hour ago. -
The warder looked at him, recognized
one of the magnates of the neighborhood,
and begged him to step inside the lodge.
Sir Jasper, with terrible sinking of the
heart, accepted the invitation, gave
minute account of what had taken place,
and was shocked to see more and .e
dubious look come over the warder' face.
When he paused, the man said
Il m very much afraid, Sir Jasper, that
| you stand poor chance of seeing your
Jewels again. You We been the victim of
a very artful robbery, and, by your de-
scription of the men, | should think it was
the work of Netherby aud Fletcher. If
it is them, and they $ pulled off big thing
like that, should think they'll be out of
the country before tomorrow morning
They We evidently laid their plans very
well down to having the cart in waiting
to carry them off I'm very sorry for you,
Sir Jasper, but you better drive to the
nearest police station and lodge your com
plant at once It's your only chance, and
I'm afraid it a very poor one.
And 50 poor Sir Jasper found.
Not only were the police convinced that
he had been robbed, and that he stood a
bad chance Of recovering his property, but
il even seemed to him that they took a
misguided pleasure in hearing every detail
Of the affair at great length, in order to
express something very like admiration of
the means by which the two artful scoun-
drels had possessed themselves OF the
Jewels
.'Then-then it must have been the one
: hhak pTtttUucu 10 Dt q WdiuOi thab to0A
the things stammered he, white with
rage.
That it, sir, said the officer, cheer
fully. while you were on the floor
struggling with the convict mean the
one dressed ike convict, why, the tall
chap was helping himself 7
Sir Jasper groaned.
He never seemed to look at me or the
safe either!'' sighed he. ''He's the most
artful rogue ever heard of, and I'd give
the world to see him in the dock.
/ Sir Jasper did have that pleasure some
six months later, when Netherby and
Fletcher, after having expatriated them
selves for time, rashly returned to their
native land.
The baronet had the satisfaction of see
ing them, forlorn and detected, receive a
sentence of some years Of penal servitude.
But neither he nor Lady Peters ever saw
the jewels again.