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

| identity could be discovered. He loved
life even without the charm cast over
it by this woman. Its struggles and
Its hardebought Injuries fascinated
him. If Mr.. Grey suspected him, why,
Mr. Grey was English, and he a re-
sourceful American. If 1t came to an
issue, the subtle American would win
| IL Mr.. Grey were not able to point to
the flaw which marked this diamond
as his own. And this, Fairbrother had
provided against, and would succeed
in if he could hold his passions in
check and be ready with all his wit
when matters reached climax.
Such were the thoughts and such
the plans Of the quiet, attentive man
who, with his tray laden with coffee
and ices, came and went an unnoticed
unit among twenty other units SIM
ilarly quiet and similarly attentive.
| He waited on lady after lady, and
| when, on the reissuing of Mr.. Durand
from the alcove, he passed in there
| with his tray and his two cups Of
coffee, nobody needed and nobody re-
| membered.
1t was all over In a minute, and he
came out, still unnoted, and went to
the supper-room for more cups of
coffee. But that minute had set its
seal on his heart for ever. She was
sitting there alone with her side to
the entrance, so that he had to pass
around in order to face her. Her ele-
gance and certain air she had of re-
moteness from the scene Of which she
was the glowing center when she
smiled, awed him and made his hand
| loosen little on the slender stiletto
he held close against the bottom of
the tray. But such resolution does
not easily yield, and his fingers soon
frightened again, this time with dead
ly grip.
He had expected to meet the flash
of the diamond as he bent over her,
and dreaded doing so for fear 1t would
attract his eye from her face and SO
cost him the sight Of that startled
| recognition which would give the de-
sired point to his revenge. But the
tray, as he held 1t, shielded her breast
from view, and when he lowered it to
strike his blow, he thought of nothing
but aiming so truly as to need no Sec
ond blow. He had had his experience
In those old years in mining camp,
| and he did not fear failure in this.
| What he did fear was her utterance of
some cry,-possibly his name. But
she was stunned with horror, and did
not shriek,-horror Of him whose eyes
she met with her CLASSY and staring
ones as he slowly drew forth the
weapon.
Why he drew it forth instead Of
| leaving it in her breast he could not
say. Possibly because it gave him his
moment of gloating revenge. When
in another instant, her hands flew up,
and the tray tipped, and the china
fell, the revulsion came, and his eyes
opened to two facts: the instrument
Of death was still in his grasp, and
the diamond, on whose possession he
counted, was gone from his wife's
breast.
1t was horrible moment. Voices
could be heard approaching the al
ve,-laughing voices that in an In
slant would take on the note of hor-
ror. And the music,-ah! how low it
had sunk, as if to give place to the
dying murmur he now heard issuing
from her lips. But he was a man Of
iron. Thrusting the stiletto into the
first place that offered, he drew the
curtains over the staring windows,
then slid out with his tray, calm
speckless and attentive as ever, dead
to thought, dead to feeling, but aware.
quite aware in the secret depths of his
being that something besides his wife
had been killed that night, and that
sleep and peace of mind and all pleas
ure in the past were gone for ever.
1t was not he saw enter the alcove
and come out with news of the crime.
He left this role to one whose anteced-
ents would better bear investigation.
His part was to play, with just the
proper display of horror and curiosity,
the ordinary mental brought face to
face with a cine in high life. He
could do this. He could even sustain
his share in the gossip, and for this
purpose kept near the other walters.
The absence of the diamond was all
that troubled him. That brought him
at times to the. point Of vertigo. Had
Mr. Grey recognized and claimed it?
II so, he, Abner Fairbrother, must re-
main James Welltgood, the waiter, in.
definitely. This would require more
belief in his star than ever he had had
yet. But as the moments passed, and
no contradiction was given to the uni.
versally-received impression that the
same hand which had struck the blow
had taken the diamond, even this
cause of anxiety left his breast and he
| faced people with more and more
courage till the moment when he sud
denly heard that the diamond had
been found in the possession of man
perfectly strange to him, and saw the
inspector pass it over into the hands
of Mr.. Grey.
Instantly he realized that the crisis
| of his fate was in him. If Mr.. Grey
were given time to identify this stone
he, Abner Fairbrother, was lost and
the diamond as we'll. Could be pre.
vent this? There was but one way
| and that way he took. Making use OF
his ventriloquial powers-he had spent
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