Rock Island Argus., 1906-02-08
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE SAPPHIRE.

but girl, | was provided for by
an aunt, who proposed to give me al
education whereby ! might earn iiv-
ing. She died when l was half through
college, and | was obliged to work my
way for the last two years there.
was bright enough to lead my class
from start to finish and OH being grad
uated had no difficulty i'll finding Il
teachers position.
Ambitious and determined TO make
teaching a stepping stone to the acqui-
sition of wealth through the opportuni-
ties it might offer. accepted posi-
tion of governess to the children of IA
retired multimillionaire, MIR. Mortimer.
He spent his time at his home in the
country on AN estate of many thousand
acres. His older boys were being fitted
for college by a tutor. Edmund Win
ston, young, handsome. intellectual.
Mr.. Mortimer had also placed Winston
in charge of any valua bles there might
be in the house, intruSting him with the
combination to the vault that had been
built for their safe keeping. | was
rather surprised at this, for Winston,
though thoroughly honest, seemed TO
me TO lack that shrcwdness necessary
to such guardianship.
One day Winston was carrying Il
gem TO the safe and, meeting me in the
hall, showed il TO me. 1t was Il very
large sapphire. l asked him its value,
and he told me it would be Il fortune
TO any but Il millionaire. | was not, as
some women would have been, attract
ed by its beauty, but its value made
mo a 10 In
have wondered that |, blessed with an
education, should have yielded to Il dis
honest craving. 1t was the conquest of
II problem that moved me. / longed to
overcome matter with mind. The
sapphire was protected by steel that L
could not break through. 1t was for me
10 enter the safe by mental process. In
other words, the door must be opened
for me. In place of drills and dyna-
mite l must use whatever power of in
fiuence L possessed for this purpose.
Winston must be my instrument.
1t was not long before l felt that
had inspired the tutor with sufficient
confidence in my honesty To trust me in
case of necessity. Though | tried in
every way to fascinate him, felt that
had failed, not because he saw
through my design, but because 1 had
no heart to warm his own and was
driven to attract him through the in
tellect. which is cold as the steel bolts
that protected the sapphire. Neverthe
less it was a weakness induced by this
very intellect that l relied upon a pre-
occupation upon higher things than
an inorganic substance.
One day it was announced that an
older daughter of Mr.. Mortimer by
former wife was coming home from
and her father was to go to
meet her ON the arrival of the steamer.
l laid a plan to possess my sapphire.
[ wrote Winston in n disguised hand
a note purporting to come from law
yer who pretended to have found Il
piece of real estate that had |
belonged to Winston's ancestors, the |
title of which had reverted to him. The |
lawyer must see him at once and be |
to attend to the matter |
Or the opportunity would be lost. l |
fixed the day of meeting the same as |
the expected arrival of the steamer.
On the morning of Mr.. Mortimcr's |
departure Winston came to me and told |
NE that he, too. must be absent for a
couple of days. l suggested that if Mr..
Mortimer, who expected that his Gus
-Odian would never leave his post,
should wish for anything In the vault
Turing the time they We're both absent |
Winston would be blamed. After some
Elaboration he decided to leave the
combination with me. At first 1 de-
lined to accept the responsibility, but
oon consented. l promised him that in
'aSe the safe must he opened l would
let for him.
OF course l must be known as the
hief. There was no hope Of escape
rom that. My plan was to disguise
myself so that no one would know
ne and go to some far eastern coun-
ry with my possession. In the even
nS just before the lamps We're light !
d L went to the vault, opened the door, :
ound the sapphire-I wouldn't take :
nything more bulky-closed the vault /:
nd went to my room. There 1 made =.
p as woman Cf fifty. Placing my .
and on the doorknob to leave, L felt
ny finger tips tingleswith horror. 1t
Tas locked.
Darling to an anteroom, 1 found the !
oor leading from il into the hall also !
'cked. Then 1 knew 1 was prisoner
If could only get rid of the sapphire /;
could not be convicted of the theft I
t least SO 1 supposed. l went to the ,
'indow and saw man on guard. l ;
my ingenuity to find a way .
, part with the stone, but there was
0 way.
The next afternoon my door was
Dened, and girl of twenty came in. s
be was the returned daughter, Helen
Iortimer. She had the appearance of {
lie to the manner born and looked at Z
e with kindly eyes. What she said I;
} me L could no more repeat as she 3:
'oke 1t than could give its effect. J:
inded her the sapphire, which was ::
n property, and told her that I was :.
'epared to expiate my crime. $
"It is I'm my power" she said, "to e
~ many things that I do not want, e