Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-09-04
. COPYRIGHT. 1909. BY EDWARD j. GLOBE
Author of "winss of the Morning. 1.-THE pillar Of
Aeht," Etc.

st am very much obliged to YOU for
the highly interesting information you
have given" he said. ''One more
question. The inevitably corollary of
your evidence is that the boy now in
the dock has either found meteor or
a meteoric deposit Can you say If 1t
is matter Of recent occurrence|
Judging by the appearance of the
accompanying scraps of iron ore. l
should say that they have been quite
recently in state of fiuX from heat.
The silicates seem to be almost elimi-
mated"
The magistrate was unquestionably
puzzled. Queer incidents happen in
police courts daily, and the most UNI
expected scientific and technical points
are elucidated in the effort to secure
an accurate comprehension of matters
in dispute. But never during his long
tenancy OF the court had he been called
on to deal with case of this nature.
He smiled in his perplexity.
I'VE all remember the copybooll
maxim, Let justice be done though
the heavens fall" he said, but here
it is clearly shown that the ideal is not
easily reached
OF course every one laughed, and the
reporters piled pen and pencil with re-
newed activity. Here was n sensation
with a vengeance-worth all the dis
play it demanded in the evening pa
pers. Headlines would whoop through
quarter of column, and Philips
meteor again run through space.
The boy himself. was apparently the
most disinterested person present.
While listening to Isaacstein, he again
experienced the odd sensation of aloof-
ness, of lofty domination, amid a COM
monplace and Insignificant environ
ment The man was clever of course,
but his cleverness was that of the text.
book, a dry record of fact which need.
ed genius to illuminate the printed
page. And these lawyers, reporters, po
licemen, with the vacuous background
of loungers, the friends and bottle hold
ers of thieves and drunkards-the mag
istrate, even, remote in his dignity and
sense of power-what We're they tt
him?-of no greater import than the
paving stones of the streets to the pull
satlng life of London as it passed.
The magistrate glanced at Isaacsteil
and stroked his chin. Isaacstein gaZct
intently at the packet of diamonds an(
rubbed his sinuous nose. There was :
deep silence in court, broken only b!
the occasional shuttle of feet among the
audience Mt the back-a shuttle whicl
stopped instantly when the steel,
glance of a policeman darted in tina
direction.
At last the magistrate seemed t,
make up his mind to definite cours,
of action.
"There is only one person present,
he said, "who can throw light on thi.
extraordinary case, and that is the boy
himself"
He looked at Philip, and all eyes
quickly turned toward the thin, ragged
figure standing upright against the raj
that shut him off from the we'll of tho
court. The professional people presen
noted that the magistrate did not al
lude to the strange looking youth az
'.the prisoner"
What was going to happen? Wa:
this destitute urchin going to leave the
court with diamonds in his poke
worth $4,000? Oddly enough, no one
paid heed to Philips boast that h,
owned far more than that amount.
was not he, but his packet Of diamonds
that evoked wonder. And had no
Isaacstein, the great merchant and eX
pert, appraised them openly! Was
possible that those dirty white peh
bles could be endowed with such poten
TALLY! Fifty thousand pounds! Their
We're men in the room, and not confir
ed to the unwashed, whose palate
dried and tongues swelled at the nc
tfon