Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-05-12
TffffH TffffH MAN
OUTSIDE
Bv CLARENCE BoUTELLE.
CHAPTER XVI.
Picked Up-ln London.
Bv CLARENCE BoUTELLE

Safely at sea SIle lIoIiSlSiiSN NA-N
ey and diamonds from Mr.. Lyman
valise to her own. She knew the pos
session Of that old valise was only
little thing-an unimportant thlng-out
she knew that little things were some
times liable to develop and grow into
great ones. She did not mean to let
this relic of Samuel Lyman's life be
fraught with danger to hers.
When the valise was empty, she hll-
ed 1t again She put in various articles
which were almost valueless, and very
heavy. She cut small holes in the
sides of the valise, SO that the water
might enter freely: she was careful that
the holes should be so small that the
articles used to weight ii could not es-
cane through them; she was not going
to run the risk of having that valise
found floating anywhere on the broad
Atlantic. Think how strongly she
built for safety; think Of the walls or
caution and cunning she erected against
danger and suspicion; that of her art
and her skill! Wonderful! Wonder
full!
And yet-think of the trivial chances
against which she provided: Suppose
Lyman's valise found and identihed'
who could say that she had ever had
II in her possession? Suppose 1t prov
ed that she had had it in her posses
sion. who could guess that it had con-
tanned the money from the Boomville
Bank. or that her ownership OF 1t be-
gan in force, and on the night when
Samuel Lyman walked the fiery pain
of torture to the debris s-heaped fields
Of oblivion? Suppose the valise pick
ed up at all, who would be likely 10
have any curiosity regarding its own
er? Who would be likely to think OF
it as belonging to some one VINO hao
met his death by the power of fire in
stead of by the might of water? 10
whom would the knowledge that II had
been the property Of Samuel Lyman
give any further doubts or wonder
ings? Suppose the valise left to float
or the waves of the sea, how many
chances in a million were there that 1t
would ever be seen again by any hu-
man eye? How many in billion that
any human hand would ever touch it?
The eye of God would watch it; the
Hand in whose hollow are all the wa
ters Of all the seas would hold 1t.
Would not that be all?
But Lurline Bannottie was careful
very careful She brought the weighted
and perforated valise up on deck, one
night. concealed under the thick folds
of her heavy shawl. She waited until
no eve saw her, except the All-seeing
Eye which never sleeps. She cast the
valise overheard and the waves SEEM
ed to reach up for it, as though anX-
ious to drag it down into the depths OF
the sea. and eager to conceal her secret
from the handsome woman who learn
ed over the vessels side and looked
down at them.
Well. Lurline BannOttie. you have
done well! The crime against Samuel
Lyman's life and against Elsie Senn's
property shall never come home to you.
Rut-you must not forget that there
are other things, other serious things,
against the penalties for which, even
from q human standpoint, you have
not so cIeverly provided. You must
not forget that she who tells anoth-
er her wishes and her deeds-tells the
world. You must not forget that she
who writes down what she has done
proclaims it as though from the house
tops. And-yOu must not forget that
beyond human laws, human acuteness,
and human justice-there is God!
Miss Bannottie's journey was a
pleasant one. She arrived in London
safely. found ways in which to dispose
of the diamOndS-and without arOus-
ing suspicion on the part of the gen
tlemen who had her London business
in their charge, and invested the mon
ey she had brought from New York
as we'll as that received for the dia-
mOndS and for some bonds and other
securities which she dared sell. AS for
the rest Of the securities which Mr.
LYMAN had stolen from the great safe
in the BOOmville Bank. and which she
had stolen from him-the securities
which could not be safely offered for
sale-she burned them. No matter tc
her if they were of no use To her; no
matter if they represented fortunes t.
those TO whom they belonged; no mat
ter if the return Of them would have
been easy-and not very unsafe; nC
matter She would not trouble herself
to do even a partial charitable justice
She burned them.
Miss Lurline BannOttie was now
rich. She had told those who cared
for her interests in London (for IL
beral compensation. of cOurSe) that {
frend-a distant relative. l believe she
Said-had died in the United States
She showed her cautious ingenuity by
giving him a name which was new t'
them: as new to them as to herself
and she located him and his buSines:
in n thriving city which isn't down on
the maps. and for the name and some
account of which you would look vain
~ in any gazetteer with which | an
acquainted. In her story for Mrs. Sem
for Miss BannOttie intended To tax,
no risks by having To invent her eX
plantations on the spur Of the momen
her recently deceased friend had liv
ed in some unheard-Of place in Scot
land. Miss Bannottie was rich; Sh
had over a million Of dollars invested
in London She and Mrs. Sem. ne
Miss Elsie Barron. had been such tirn
friends for so many long years. that l
was fortunate-thOugh. perhaps, N
more fortunate than Strange-that sh
had become rich enough for both Ia
the others father. and, later, herself
had been rich enough for bOth), a
just this time. For. long before Lur
line BannOttie reached London on he
return journey from America, the ca
BILE had flashed the news of the burn
ing of BarrOn's BOOmvlle Bank to tn
chores Of tho OLD World Ii had beel