Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-13

submitted for inspection would prob
ably cut into ten or twelve carats o
fine luster. To speak therefore Of al
abundance Of larger and finer stone
was a simple absurdity. The De Beer
company alone could use such fgur
Of speech, and even then only at isolat
ed dates in its history.
The boy, with his eyes steadfastl!
fixed on the mans face and yet with I
distant expression IN them that pait
slight heed to the waves Of emotion
exhibited by the heavy cheeks ant
pursed up mouth, awaited some fina
utterance OH the part Of his questloner
Surely he had said sufficient to MAKE
this man keen;y alive to the CONNER
cial value of the business" he offered
Under the conditions lsaacstein coult
hot refuse to give him sufficient none!
to meet his immediate wants.
The man. seemingly ut loss TO
words, bent AGAIN over the stone. III
was scrutinizing 1t closely when
heavy tread crossed the outer show
room and the door was fung open.
81 have sent for you, constable. t.
take this boy into custody" he criet
excitedly. "He came here ten minutes
ago and offered for sale very valu
able diamond so rare and worth 81
much that he must have stolen it."
Philip, too, sprang up.
ut Is q lier he shouted. How dar'
you say such thing when have tolt
you that 1t Is mine!"
The policeman collared him by th'
shoulder.
STEADY, my young spark" he said
"Mr. Isaacstein knows what he Il
about, and l don't suppose he is yer!
far wrong this time. Do you know
the boy. sir?" he went on.
Isaacstein gave voluble and accu
rate summary Of Philips statements
Each moment the policeman's grip be
came firmer. Evidently the boy wa!
the mere agent of gang Of thieves
though It was beyond comprehension
that any one short Of an idiot should
choose an emissary with broken boot:
and ragged clothing in order to effec
a deal with the leading house in Hat
ton Garden.
Philip listened to the recital in dumb
agony. His face was deathly pale, ant
his eyes glowed with the rage ant
shame that filled his soul. So the mar
had been playing with him, merely
foollng him until some secret signal by
an electric bell had sent a messenger
flying for thes police. His dream o.
wealth would END in the Jail, his fairy
oasis would beAa felon's cell. Very
well, be 1t so. II he could help 1t, no
all the policemen In London should
rend his secret from him. With sud
den glow OF fiery satisfaction he re
membered that his clothing contained
no clew to his address. and he had no
given his name at either Ludgate Hi
or Hatton Garden. How long coult
they keep him prisoner? Woult
others find his meteor and rob him Of
his mothers gift? In less THAI fort
night men would come to tear dowr
the buildings in Johnson's News. Well
II mattered not. The courage OF de
spair which nerved him the previous
night came to his aid again. He woult
defy them all, careless Of consequence
The policeman was saying:
ats a queer affair, sir. Did he real
ly say he had lots more Of 'em"
"Yes. yes. Do you think l am 70
mancing? Perhaps they are in his pos
session nOw."
Have you any more Of these stones
boy|
Philip, with lips tensely set, was des
perately cool again. He moved hl'
arm. and the constable's grasp tight
ened.
"You are hurting me-" said the boy
~ merely wish to put my hand In m!
pocket. Are you afraid Of me that yo'
hold me so fast?'
The policeman, like the rest. did no
fail to notice Philips dicton. Th'
scornful superiority Of his words. th'
challenge of the final question, TOOL
him aback. He relaxed his grip an'
grinned confusedly.
Philip instantly produced his pape
Of diamonds and opened it widely 81
that all the stones could be seen. Ill
handed the parcel to the policeman.
take good care Of them, constable
he said. Judging from results, the!
would not be safe in that man.
hands"
Rut Isaacstein did not hear the In
sult. When he saw the collection IN
nearly lost his senses. What had N
done? Was he or the boy mad! Veins
stood out on his forehead, and he wab
bled SO fearfully that he clutched TIT
desk for support. A scarecrow or
boy wandering about London witt
thousands Of pounds worth OF dia
monds in his pocket wrapped up In
piece of newspaper like 80 man.
sweets! There were not any meteori
diamonds of such value In all the mu
seums and private collections In tn
world. He began to perspire. Evel
the policeman was astounded, quite a
much at being called constable" b.
Philip as by the mean appearance o
articles presumably Of great value.
"This Is n rum 90. What do yo'
make Of II, Mr.. Isaacstein" he said.
The query restored Isaacstein's wits
After all, here was the law speaking
1t would have been the widest foil.
for a man Of his position to dabble II
this mysterious transaction.
With n great effort he forced himsel
to speak.
"Lock him up instantly. This matte
must be fully inquired into. And d
be careful of that parcel. constable
Where do you take him? To the Bride
well station? I will follow you In
cab in five minutes"
SO Philip. handcuffed. was marche'
down the stairs past the gratified offic
boy and out into the street.
As for Isaacstein, he required bran
dy, and not little, before he felt abl
to follow.
CHAPTER V.
I'm after years Philip never forgo
the shame Of that march throug
| the staring streets. The everlast
tur tdIarc NJ 7 np1on'o hugipSt thOI