The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-10-19
THE DIAMOND RIVER
DAVID MURRAY
CHAPTER xvn.-(Continued.,
~ DAVID MURRAY

CHAPTER XvII.-(Continued)
indeed, SIR? said Monboddo. Then
he laughed a senile laugh and winked
bot heyes together. "You were not the
only one," he said, looking mighty fool
ish, but as if ne thought he were looking
mighty wise.
Indeed, SIR said the stranger.
Before we have finished a converse
ton which promises to be interestin',"
said Monboddo, you must favor me with
your name"
IL beg your pardon" said the stranger,
for Monboddo had chosen to be incompre-
hensible The doctor repeated his re-
quest, and the stranger bowed, and said:
Smith, sir-plain Smith,"
''Plainsmith? ?" said the doctor. thank
you. My names Bonborrow. Tom Mon
knows me. Look here. Plainsmith. If
you knew our deceased friend intimately,
you know how fond he was Of little
game of chess, eh?''
This was said with an infinite look of
fatuous cunning. The listenefs heart
fairly rocked within him, and Monbod-
dos demonstrating eye saw how the
question had hit him.
Now, look here" said the doctor,
"when 1 trust a man. / trust him. When
1 don't, 1 don't. Now. 1 trust you,
Plainsmith. There has beer something
queer about our deceased friend ever
since he returned to England. There
have been people after him-dangerous
people,"
The stranger leaned forward to listen.
and the willy Monboddo made his speech
at times scarcely understandable, the bet
ter to assure himself of the others eager
ness.
Now" with a flourish that almost
lurched him from his chair what did
those people want? What does this Jeth-
roe Jones want? What does Harvey
Jethroe want? Harvey Jethroe's got
million, hasn't he? Isn't million good
enough for anybody? Now they're both
bowling about-what dye think? Come,
what dye think"
''Why. 1 suppose" said plain Mr..
Smith, sits something they attach a
value to, if they're making a noise about
it."
YES" returned Monboddo, with sud-
den apparent want of interest in the
whole business. II suppose it is"
"Here," said his friend. arousing him
with the crook of the walking stick.
Don't you go off to sleep just as you're
getting to be such capital company.
Seemed cut up, did they?" said Mr..
Smith. ANY notion what they'd lost"
That's tellings," returned Monboddo
But / know where something is, ard if
anybody knew the use of it, I'd pay to
be taught. You bet I should make a
scholar
''why?' asked M. Smith. whats it
worth?'
WORTH cried Monboddo. Harvey
Jethroe wasn't a liar. He said it was
worth millions and millions-hundreds of
millions. Here's Jethroe Jones has got
wind of it. 1 don't know how. He says
the same Here's Harvey Jethroe. heir
to his uncle's million, and he's weeping
mad, because" Monboddo paused
In full harangue. "Ha, hal You thought
j was going to let the cat out of the bag
that time. didn't you? Well, something's
lost. That's enough for you and me-
isn't it? They're a mean-spirited pair,
or they'd offer a reward. Why. ten thou
sand dollars wouldn't be anything to
them. It'd be a lot to me-"
sYou know where to look for it, Ell =
said Mr. Smith. "Ah. you're cunning
fellow, you are. and no mistake. You
don't let anybody walk around you, do
you?"
NO. sir" rturned Monboddo, with a
superb gravity, Il do not"
Your jolly good health" said Mr..
Smith 81 hope 1 can appreciate gen.
tleman when / meet one, and l meet one
here. A bright and shining ornament,
sir
WELL said Monboddo, "I'll trust you.
No. 1 won't
The appreciation of Mr.. Monboddo's
gentility glared as if he could have
wrung his friends neck with pleasure,
but he controlled himself.
well. DOCTOR" he contrived to say,
18th some pretense of suavity, Il hap
pen to know what poor old Jethroe's
wishes were You mentioned a game just
now. If what you know about has got
anything to do with a game. / might
tell you what to do with it. 1 might
even like to buy it."
Hundred millions worth" said Mon
boddo, nodding like sleepy owl. Heap
O. money, that"
do you know what to do with what
you've got? Look here. don't you go to
sleep, you know, just as you're getting so
interestin' Do you know what to do
with itY
"Sell it. Jethroe," said Monboddo-
"Jethroe junior. He was crying about
it last night. Blush for him. Crying
like a child"
POOH said Mr.. Smith, che won't
give you anything like value for it. You
trade with me now. You let me know
what it is, and I'll do trade with you"
"All right" said Monboddo, Ell show
you. You wait here"
He walked from the room with a
slightly unsteady gait, but once out of
view he became very much more sober
than he commonly was at that hour Of
the day. He visited his bedroom and re-
turned, carrying a revolver and the
satchel Jethroe had given him the day
before, with the labors of the skilled lith-
ographic artist within it.
CHAPTER XVIII.
During Monboddo's absence, brief as
II was, plain Mr.. Smith was in a hum
dred different frames Of mind, and bent
upon as many varying forms of action
n Il