Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-03-31

laugh, ignoTing her nsu"i sfhhs !"
Overton.
For answer he offered her the fiat.
morocco-coyered box, content with the
welcome IN her eyes.
She dropped TO the rug before the nre
and struggled with the clasp. nope
they caught the horrid thief, she ran
on. 1T was an awful thlng 70 stea'
| this. of ali things.
From the description given by the
p~awnbroker,7 answered Overton, the
police think he must have been a man
who was Il passenger on one OF last
Saturdays steamers to Europe. rms
was merely one Of his minor thefts, YOU
know
> w~nhroker. eachoed Felicia. By
ron Overton, you don't mean 20 tell me
that Observation-Disclosures Aldens
pearls were %pownedi TX.
Does seem irreverent. doesn't it,"
laughed Overton. He did not care
where they had been so that they were
found. Felicia had insisted upon post
ponins ier marriage to him until the
heirloom was restored.
FITS worse than ~irreverent, she de-
ciared Ills. Ooooh,-"
what's the natter demanded
0terton. rushing TO the huddled little
figure on the rug. He knelt beside her,
hui ii was some time before he caught,
In the Intervals between sobs, that
three OF the gems We're missing.
That's all right" he said, soothing
ly. '.No one will eve miss them Why,
you've enough here now for two neck
laces."
Felicia sat UP .very suddenly, the
tears forgotten.
haven't you a Bit of sentiment about
you? Don't you know the story Of the
pearls2 There have been just 100 OF
them ever since 1900. Great-great-
grandpa Alden gave them TO his bride
! on her wedding day. to remind her that
IL was the hundredth year
"Gee.f whispered Overton, almost
under his breath. why didn't he wait
a year and only have to give her one?
Byron gasped Felicia, with a
shocked expression. II told you that
you were utterly without sentiment.
Would you wait a year for me-, just 20
save the cost of ninety-nine pearls?"
Overton looked at the solitaire spark
ling ON the girls finger and remem-
bered what an effort it had required TO
purchase il. but he made dutiful pro-
test that she was worth her weight in
pearls. for which pretty speech he was
properly rewarded.
you see.' Felicia continued. ever
since then all the brides IN our family
have worn them and ! couldn't think
of getting married without them
sort Of private superstition sug-
gesIed Overton.
Indeed, it's not" SHE faced him
earnestly. You remember Elaine called
IL q superstition and did not wear them.
and her husband was killed in a rail-
road wreck while they were on their
honeymoon"
Ought to have the pearls indicted for
z $40 -, stsrgLIT4ex.e - f.M era,rraGfA1
h shook her head gravely. ITS
ho laughing matter. Unless the whole
necklace IS found / cannot marry you
Don't you think he urged. that
j ninety-seNen hundreths of luck and q
/ strong constitution Nigh carry me
through
No" she answered decidedly, Il love
you too we'll TO marry YOU with three
of the pearls gone,
Suppose ] cannot find them?" he
suggested.
you found these. 1t must be lots
easier to md the other three
You promised" he reminded her.
that II l found the necklace you would
marry me,
And you said yourself that there are
only n~inety-seven hundredths of the
necklace here
Then he declared. II shall expect
tc be 81 per cent married.
Felicia spfang up and drew herself
ia the fuli dignity OF her five. feet
four. MIR. O~verton." she said, stifily,
since you persist in ~rfdiculing every
thing I say, / must decline to continue
the conversation. III YOU are willing
10 recover the entire necklace you may
take this 10 match them with. IL you
are nnNliing, never want to see you
again.
She thrust the box into his
oufstretrhed hand and hurried from
the room. To her his was a very real
trouble, and overton's levity distressed
her.
Ten minutes later Ovarian WAS xfrin-
ing down the street. his hand clasped
over the bulky case in his overcoat
/ pocket. Something must be done. He
realized that. but the search had all
ready been expensive, and In spite Of
his excellent family connections. recent
reverses had left him in poor shape 10
conduct d quest. He wondered what he
could do. One thing was certain--he
would not give up Felicia.
The club offered one suggestion. He
might deposit the case in the safe over
night. III would be better than carry
Ing them home. He turned ia at the
familiar portal.
There was only one letter In the rack
for him, d strang foreign looking en-
rel0pe. directed In an unfamiliar hand.
He thrust IL into his pocket and directed
his steps toward the cafe. He felt
that thoughts would come quicker after
lie hnd refreshed himself.
With the ice blinking IN the glass
before him. he pulled ont the letter,
Sitting the nap with the spoon from
his glass he pulled out the Enclosure.
In a momen the spoon which he had
~unconsciously retained fell with a
chatter upon the table. The room swan
before his eyes,
III formal, legal phraseoiogy II in
formed him that his mothers brother.
an almost forgotten black sheep. had
died Interstate In Australia. AS Over
ton was without immediate kin, the en-
4 tire fortune was his.
we have been appointed administers
tors the letter concluded. and Will
pay over 10 YOU such residue OF the es-
tate as shall remain after the OUT.
standing accounts have been satisfied
Such residue will probably be I'm the
vicinity OF E4S0.00o pounds. Meanwhile
you are AT liberty to draw upon us foi
such reasonable sums as you may
need
Overton let out i whoop that causes
the waiter 10 regard him with deep sus
pioion.
of course. ne WAS sorry 10 hear OF hi.
unClc's death, but he had never seer
him and had heard little more. This
/ 4Ic@ uprcffscst IN his fsstr4 was tina
hore was the means for prosecuting hi
search.
III the smoking room ne found
Jimmy Orcuft. who readily wrote hin
4 check FOR $500, which ne casned a th'