Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-12

which he had been told she was wise
enough to keep it, or wore it so much
as once during the next three months,
she would pay for her presumption
with her life.
This was no idle threat, though she
chose to regard it as such, laughing in
the old servants face and declaring
that she would run the risk If the no.
ton seized her. But the notion did
not seem to seize her at once, and her
husband was beginning to take heart,
when he heard of the great ball about
to be given by the Ramsdells and rea-
lized that If she were going to be
tempted to wear the diamond at all, it
would be at this brilliant function
given in honor of the one man he had
most cause to fear in the whole world.
Sears, seeing the emotion he was
under, watched him closely. They
had both been on the point of starting
for New Mexico to visit a mine in
which Mr.. Fairbrother was interested,
and he waited with inconceivable anx-
iety to see if his master would change
his plans. 1t was while he was in
this condition of mind that he was
seen to shake his fist at Mrs. Fair
brothers passing figure; a menace
naturally interpreted as directed
against her, but which, if we know the
man, was rather the expression of his
anger against the husband who could
rebuke and threaten SO beautiful
creature. Meanwhile, Mr.. Fair
brothers preparations went on and,
three weeks before the ball, they
started. Mr.. Fairbrother had business
in Chicago and business in Denver. 1t
was two weeks and more before he
reached La Junta. Sears counted the
days. At La Junta they had long
conversation; or rather Mr.. Fair
brother talked and Sears listened.
The sum Of what he said was this: He
had made UP his mind to have back
his diamond. He was going to New
Yok to get 1t. He was going alone,
and as he wished no one to know that
he had gone or that his plans had
been in any way interrupted, the
other was to continue on to Ell Moro,
and, passing himself off as Fair
brother, hire room at the hotel and
shut himself up in it for ten days on
any plea his ingenuity might suggest.
If at the end of that time Fairbrother
should rejoin him, well and good.
They would go on together to Santa
Fe. But if for any reason the former
should delay his return, then Sears
was to exercise his own Judgment as
to the length of time he should retain
his borrowed personality; also as to
the advisability of pushing on to the
mine and entering on the work there,
as had been planned between them.
Sears knew what all this meant. He
understood what was in his masters
mind, as we'll as If he had been taken
into his full confidence, and openly &C.
cepted his part of the business with
seeming alacrity, even to the point of
supplying Fairbrother with suitable
references as to the ability Of one
James Wellgood to fill walters place
at fashionable functions. 1t was not
the first he had given him. Seventeen
years before he had written the same,
minus the last phrase. That was when
ne was the master and Fairbrother
the man. But he did not mean to play
the part laid out for him, for all his
apparent acquiescence. He began by
following the others instructions. He
exchanged clothes with him and other
necessaries, and took the train for La
Junta at Or near the time that Fair
brother started east. But once at Ell
Moro-once registered there as Abner
Fairbrother from New York-he took d
different course from the one laid out
for him,-a course which finally
brought him into his masters wake
and landed him at the same hour in
New York.
This is what he did. Instead of
shutting himself up in his room he
expressed an immediate desire to visit
some neighboring mines, and, procur
ing a good horse, started off at the
first available moment. He rode north,
lost himself in the mountains. and
wandered till he found a guide Yntelli-
gent enough to lend himself to his
plans. To this guide he confided his
horse for the few days he intended to
be gone, paying him well and promis-
ing him additional money If, during
his absence. he succeeded in circulat-
ing the report that he, Abner Fair
brother, had gone deep into the noun
tains, bound for such and such
camp.
Having thus provided an abili, not
only for himself, but for his master,
too, in case he should need it, he took
the direct road to the nearest railway
station, and started on his long ride
east. He did not expect to overtake
the man he had been personating, but
fortune was kinder than is usual In
such cases, and, owing to a DELAY
caused by some accident to a freight
train, he arrived in Chicago within
couple of hours Of Mr.. Fairbrother.
and started out of that city on the
same train. But not on the same car.
Sears had caught a glimpse of Fair
brother on the platform, and was
careful to keep out of his sight. This
was easy enough. He bought a com.
partment in the sleeper and stayed in
it till they arrived at the Grand Cen
trail Station. Then he hastened out
and, fortune favoring him with an
other glimpse of the man in whose