Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-12-20
CONTINUED


Greys collection. Under ordinary con-
ditiOnS he was an honest man. He
priced his good name and would not
willingly risk 1t, but he had little real
conscience, and once his passions were
aroused nothing short of the object
desired would content him. At once
forceful and SUBTLE he had at his COM
mand infinite resources which his wan
dering and eventful life had height
ened almost to the point of genius
He saw this stone and at once felt an
inordlnate desire to possess it. He
had coveted other mems treasures be-
fore, but not as he coveted this What
had been longing in other cases was
mania in this. There was woman in
America whom he loved She was
beautiful and she was splendor loving.
To see her with this glory on her
breast would be worth almost any risk
which his Imagination could picture at
the moment Before the diamond had
left his hand he had made up his mind
to have 1t for his own. He knew that
it could not he bought. so he set about
obtaining it by an act he did not hest
tate to acknowledge to himself as Grim
inal. But he lid not act without precau-
ton. Having keen eye and IA proper
sense of size and color. he carried
away from his first view of it Il true
image Of the stone. and when he was
next admitted to Mr.. Grey's cabinet
room he had provided the means for
deceiving thu owner. whose character
he had sounded.
lie III ut have failed in his daring
attempt if he had not been favored by
n circumstance no one could have fore
seen. \ daughter of the house. Cecilia
by name, lay critically i'll at the time,
AMI NJ Gray'S attention was more or
less distracted Still the proba biities
are that he would have noticed some
thing ami>s with the stone when he
came to restore it to its place if just as
he took il in his hand there had not
risen IN the air outside weird and
wailing cry which ut once seized upon
the Imagination of the dozen gentle
men present. and so nearly Frustrated
their host that he thrust the box he
held unopened into the safe and fell
upon his lsnees. totally unnerved him.
crying:
THE banshcel The banshee. My
daughter will der'
Another hand than his locked the
safe and dropped the key into the dis
tracted fathers pocket.
Thus Il superhuman daring cOnjoined
with special Intervention of fate had
made the enterprise a successful one,
and Farbrother. believing more than
ever in his star carried this invaluable
jewel back with him to New York.
The stiletto-well. the taking of that
was a folly for which he had never
ceased to blush. He had not stolen It.
He would not steal so inconsiderable
an object. He had merely put 1t In his
pocket when he saw it forgotten, pass
ed over, given to him, as it were. That
the risk, contrary to that involved in
the taking of the diamond. was far in
excess of the qualification obtained he
realized almost Immediately; but, hav-
ing made the break and acquired the
curio. he spared himself all further
thought of the consequences and pres
York, none the worse to all appear
ances, for these escapades from virtue
and his usual course of fair and open
dealing
But he was soon the worse from
jealousy of the wife which his new
possession had possibly won ;or him.
She had answered all bis expectations
=.
nent of his wealth, and for a year
nay. for two-he had been perfectly
happy. Indeed, he had been more
than that He had been triumphant,
especially on that memorable evening
when, after Il cautious delay of months.
he had dared to pin that unapproach-
able sparker to her breast and present
her thus bedecked to the smart set
her whom his talents, and especially
his far reaching business talents, had
made his own.
Recalling tn ola days of barter and
sale across the pine counter in Colo
RADIO, he felt that his star rode high
and for time WAS satisfied with his
wife's magniticence and the prestige
she gave his establishment. But pride
is not all, even to Il man of his daring
ambition. Gradually he began to real
ize-first, that she was Indifferent to
him; next, that she despised him and,
lastly, that she hated him. She had
dozens at her feet, any of whom was
more agreeable to her than her own
husband, and, though he could not put
his finger on any definite fault, he soon
wearied of beauty that only glowed
for others and made up his mind to
part with her rather than let his heart
be eaten out by. indispensable longing
for what his own good sense told him
would never be his.
Yet being naturally generous. he
was satisfied with II separation, and,
finding it impossible to think of her as