The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-10-07

Of ~incredulity, Of sympathy. but his
wife made no reply. He looked around
at her sharply, but her face told him
nothing.
Don't you hear me?" he said In a
low, hoarse voice, that trembled in spite
Of him. Don't you understand what
I say?"
"I don't van you to maxi any con-
fess-any condolences that you don't
| wish to make. But until YOU do. how
can I understand and sympathize?"
IT should a thought that-well.
| never mind. Nv determined to make
a clean breast of 1t.
when Rosenbaum agreed to lend us
five hundred. on your diamonds !
thought that would clear us; but that
very night I went to the club and, like
a fool. played auction bridge for high
stakes. I lost E50O.
I'm the morning I went round to
Rosenbaum and told him I should want
$1,000 on the jewels, but he. fatty re-
fused to lend more hal $500 he had
agreed to lend. 1t was quite necessary
that 1 should have h second five hun
dred, for I had promised Welby that he
should have a check mex day.
"The provoking thing was that, an
YOUR Aunt Caroline was very ill just
then, and not expected to live more
vert down to see her-I felt quite Ger
tain that in a very few weeks I should
be in funds.
But that was of no use; I had to pay
Welhy next day; and I was tempted.
When 1 was packing up The dia-
case. my eye fell on the other box
you had a pair exactly alike, you know;
and 1t came into my head that it would
not be a very hard matter to put the
diamonds into n Of the boxes and
the pebbles into the other, and make
the law take tho rohh1oc fhirLfnr ln
had the diamonds. Then I could bor-
row the other 500 on them from some.
one else.
$50 I made up box No. 2 with peb-
bles. wrapped in cotton wool, tied red
tape round II and sealed it with green
tended to do to the other, and slipped
1t under the table to be ready for him
when he called.
He came that afternoon, and I did
my level best to persuade him to let
me have the thou, but the old beast
wouldn't.
II had already put the diamonds into
box No. l before his eyes, and had
sealed he tapes with green wax, so
that it was exactly like the cne that
had the pebbles in it under h table.
AS he was filing up The cheQue !
reached over for my cigaret case and
accidentally knocked over the o with
the jewels in it-knocked it clean off
the table. In a quarter Of a second !
had picked it up and replaced tin
fact, I doubt whether the Jew ever
knew it had been touched. But, of
course, it was the n with the peb-
bles in it that 1 picked up and laid on
Shuttleworth's. in Picadilly, the same
day, and got another 500 on them easily
enough.
THE Jew went off with the pebbles
quite unsuspectingly, and until h last
few days I had no doubt thai I would
easily raise the 500. But l can't.
This morning I had a note from
Rosenbaum saying that he would bring
the diamonds back tomorrow at ~, and
hoped l would he punotual-the Inn
pudent beggar! I wonder whether he
suspects anything? But it doesn't mat
ter. l sha'n't refuse to see him, and
I suppose he will e for the police.
Then 1T will be all up with me.
The worst Of it is that your life
only hope that your u will hear
nothing OF it, or she will alter her will
like a shot. You know h never liked
me-"
His wife suddenly looked at him, and
though her eyes were filed with tears
she smiled.
Il think o have been punished
You ave done a very bad thing, Dick.
but it has not been found out, and
never will be-"
What do you mean?"
will never know the
trick you played on him."
How on earth can he help know
ing it when the box is opened?"
The box has been opened already,
by him."
"Vi-what are you
Have you seen this evenings pa
pers?"
NO" .
Read that, then"
ment.
Good h~eavens!" he cried. What a
wonderful bit OF luck! But it doesn't
say anything about Jewels being
mo. Rosenbaum would not:be like
iy to tell that to the reporters. But
his safe was opened, and, of course, he
kept the jewel box there"
4 hope to goodness he did"
Il know he did"
You know it? How?"
Because II the box had not been
there I should have heard OF it by this
time"
You mean R%osenbaum would have
written to say that 1t was safe. Well,
he might. But what a strange coinci-
0SASS AAdI kA16 61lOOlU nave happened
Just before the box was to have been
opened"
Scarcely a coincidence, Dick!"
Why are you smiling, vi? You
know something. Good heavens! you
don't mean to say that you knew Of
this burglary before"
Yes, I did. And-oh. Dick!-I knew
what o had done, and I thought the
shame Of 1t, IL 1t came out, would kill
me. And to think Of your being in
prison! It was ~unbearable! So I
hired a man to steal the box and gave
him ESQ for doing It,"
Good gr%acious!"
HE vas to have more If he brought
me the box unopened before / o'clock
today. but I never expected to see him."
But how on earth did you guess
what I had done?"
II learned 1t in this way: I went to
sell S~huttleworth some of my other
Jewels, and through a mistake Of his as
4 "A H. ---L