The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-10-11

Its all very uncanny," Margaret
said thoughtfully. Il wonder who
those two men were, and what became
of the one who disappeared"
I've strong impression that | saw
him in New York the other day." Van
Torp answered IF I'm right, he's
made money-doing quite well,
should think 1t wouldn't surprise me
to hear he'd got together a million or
So"
Really? What is he doing? Your
stories grow more and more inter-
esting."
''If he's the fellow we used to call
Levi Longlegs on the ranch, he's a
Russian now I'm not perfectly sure,
for he had no hair on his face then,
and now he has beard like French
sapper But the eyes and the nose
and the voice and the accent are the
same, and the age would about cor
respond. Handsome man, I suppose
you'd call him. His name is Kralinsky
fust at present. and he's found a whole
RiNe of rubies somewhere"
tReally? love rubies. They are
NJ favorte stones
"Are they? That's funny. I've got
an uncut one in my pocket now, II
you'd like to see il. believe it comes
from Kralinsky's mine, too, though |
got it through a friend of yours, two
or three days ago.
"A friend Of mine?'
He was poking his large fingers
into one of the pockets of his waist
coat in search of the stone.
Mr.. Logotheti," he said, just as lie
found it. He's discovered a hand
some young woman from Tartary' OF
somewhere, who has a few rubies tt
sell that look very much like hra
lnskys. This is one of them.
He had unwrapped the stone nov
and he offered it to her. holding 1t on
in the palm of his hand. She took l
delicately and laid it in her own
which was so white that the gen
nd a delicate ompegranate-colore'
hit on the skin all round II. oh
admired it, turned it over with on
finger held it up towards the wlndo"
and laid it in her palm again
But Van Torp had set her thinkin
about Logotheti and the Tartar CIR
She put out her hand to give oac
the ruby, .
81 should like you to keep 1t,
Won will" he said. 81 shant forge
the pleasure I've had in seeing yo
like this. but you'll forget all abo'
our meeting here-the stone may Jul
make you remember it sometimes
He smoke so quietly, so gently, Uni
che was taken off her guard, and wa
touched and very much surprised
Goo, that she was. She looked In
bic ewes rather cautiously, remempe
ing well how she had formerly SEE
something terrifying in them II 81
Locked an instant too long; put nc
,hov made her think of the eyes OF
large affectionate bulldog.
.you,re very kind to want to 81
:. 20 mo" she answered after II
uxnf,s hesitation, but l don't IKE
d anything so valuable, now tn
Rngaged to be married. konstan'
mIrft not like it. But you're so kin
give me any little thing of no val
that you have in your pocket for
mean to remember this day, inde
/ dol"
Il gave nothing for the ruby" 81
Van Torp, still not taking it from h
so it has no value for me. l would
sffer you anything that cost
money, now, unless it was a thea
for YOUR own. Perhaps the thin
glass, after all; I've not shown it
any jeweler. The girl made me tt
II. because I helped her in a sort
way. When l wanted to pay for it
tried to throw it out of the window.
had to accept it to calm her do
and she went on and left no addr'