Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-10-10
CHAPTER XVIII.

l hau written 1eW nufrleu ilueH
from Sacramento telling Sir Edmund
that Lola had taken the Great lies.
per, and intended to restore it as soon
as the snow had melted and allowed
us to reach the cavern in which it was
concealed. In answering this letter he
wrote:
after reading your good news, Ed
ith and | went for stroll through
the park. where we encountered poor
Van Hoeck. whose woe-begone appear
ancc appealed more to Edth's heart
and mine also. why she asked,
should we any longer treat him as
possible scoundrel now that the Braces
admit having taken the diamond? We
turned back. overlook Van Hoeck and
told him what had happened. The
Door wretch was overcome with emo
ton, not because Of the possible re-
covery of the lost diamond (of which
he cntcrtaAls strong doubt, but IN
being once more treated as an honest
man.
Now. did Van Iocck deserve to be
treated as an honest man? That was
the question. will give here Braces
account of what Occurl / in the woods,
and as near as can in his own words.
"When we parted company in the
wood" he said, Il hunted around for
Israel, as was my intention, you VIII
remember. | found him crawlin' like
a varmint of reptile through the
ferns. fetched him into a conven-
lent spot. and says i, Israel l ses,
YOU air gOin' to prophcSy what has
gone of the Great HcSpcr. It's not
hard lob, if YOU give yer mind to it.
'ran't nothin' near 50 hard as pro-
phpSying what's goin' to be-
Il had hold on him hy the arm. All
of a suddint. he filings himself round,
grapplcS on to me, and fore I'm aware
of anythin', I'm on my back, and his
two thumbs is inter my windpipe.
never thought he'd got it inter him
such strength and agility-and I'll al
low he would have Stranglcd me h"f
the Kid hadn't come up i'll the nick
and frightened him by singing out for
you. did not lose any time, and when
| had shown | was as strong as him,
with a little bit to spare, | got him to
prophesy. He wanted a plaSucy lot
of perswadin', and he got it; but when
| he couldn't stand no more on 1t, he
| let Oh that it was inside rotten Will
| Ter alongside Il pond in the holler. l
| didn't know no pond, but | kctched
sight of the Kid sneakin' off, end jest
| sneaked after her, takin' Israel along,
case he mighter made mistake in ms
| Biography. There was 10 walking fast
! with Israel over tho bram'lcS. end |
| lost sight of the Kid; but it stood to
| reason the hOller was down hill, so
| down | went the wa the Kid had
gone, near as | could reckon. and there
was the pond and the rotten willcr all
| as he had prophcSicd, nd there at the
| foot of the wiler was the empty case.
but nary diamond. | cooked my eye
| around, end once more | kctched sight
| of the Kid sncakin' Off. | went for
her naturally, but might jest as well
! went for tom-tit. She got clean out.
or sight about the same times l got
outer wind. But Israel wouldn't give
! up, and we hunted about for the Kid
till we couldn't neither Of us hunt any
! more; then we sat down in commit
| tee, and, after pretty warm discussion,
we came to the unanimous conclusion
f,rr lsn M
cerned, we had better get rid of the
! leather case end say nothln' about it.
| laid it down that the Kid had not
took the diamond for mere mischief.
She knew, in her own grcaser way,
that the thing had power in 1t to
bring happiness to the owncr-like a
charm. She see that it clothed us de-
cent and lodged us comfortable, and
that while it separated you and her,
it brought you and squire's daughter
together. And we laid it down mutual
that the Kid had too much gumption
to pitch the thing away, but would hide
it somewhere where she could fetch 1t
bimcby. Now. hcf we'd done other.
ways what would have happened? Van
Hoeck I'D have declared it was all a
lie. and the wild horses wouldn't er
dragged the secret outer the Kid. The
only hope of gettin' back the IIesper
was ter let her play her game and
watch her close"
\ copy Of this statement 1 sent 10
Sir Edward, and ] added:
Either Van IIOcck is possessed Of
supernatural clairroyancc, or lie must
have been in completely With the man
who took The diamond from me
TO be Continued.
e