The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-12-01
hen join the generals yacht at Cher

then join the generals yacht at Cher
bourg.
Fan spoke little to me Of these peo-
! pie when they were gone. felt quite
! happy that he made no mention OF
the daughter, JOAN Very foreign to
his usual habits, however, he was con-
| stantly to and fro between our house
and London: and observed, not with
out some uncasiness, that he had be-
come little nervous. This was the
more remarkable because he has al
ways been singularly fearless and
brave, and ready to risk his own life
| for others upon the humblest call. At
first | thought that he must be out OF
! health and would have had DR.. Will
cox over to see him; but he always
!, resents my attempts to coddle him (as
he calls it), and so l forebore, and tried
to find another reason.
There Is no one quicker than a sis
ter who loves, to detect those ailments
| of the heart from which no man is
free: but / had become convinced by
this time that Fan cared nothing for
| Joan Fordibras and that her absence
| abroad was not the cause OF his dis
| quietude.'
The first thing that 1 noticed was
| his hesitation to leave me alone at
the manor. For the first time for some
years he declined to attend the an
nual dinner Of his favorite club, the
| Potters.
Il should not be able to catch the
last train down." he said one morning
| at breakfast. Impossible, Harriet I
| must not 60"
why. whatever has come to you.
| Fam said /. ARE YOU getting anxious
| about poor old me? My dear boy, just
tthink how often I have been alone
| here?"
Yes. but in future I don't intend to
leave you so much. When the reasons
make themselves known to me, they
shall be known to you, Harriet Mean
while, l am going to live at home. The
| little Jap stops with me. He liz COM
| ing down from town today. so I hope
you Will make arrangements for
him."
He spoke Of his japanese servant
Okyada, whom he brought from Tokyo,
with him three years ago. The little
fellow had served him most faithfully
at his chambers in the Albany. and I
was not displeased to have him down
in Suffolk. Fans words, however. trou-
bled me greatly, for / imagined that
some danger threatened him in Lon
don. and a sisters heart was beating
already to discover 1t.
Cannot you tell me something,
Ean?"
He laughed boyishly in way that
should have treasured me.
II will tell you something. Harriet.
Do you remember the bronze pearls
that were stolen from my fiat In Paris
more than three years ago."
"Of course, Ean-I remember them
perfectly How should I forget them?
You don't mean to say"
THAT l have recovered them? No.
not quite. But l know where they
are"
Then you viii recover them. Ean?"
"Ah, that Is for tomorrow. Let
Okyada, by the way, have the room
next to my dressing room. He won't
interfere with my clothes, Harriet. You
will still be able to coddle me as much
Now had been clever. should have
put two and two together and have
foreseen that what Fan really feared
was another attempt upon the wonder
full collection Of rare jewels he has
made-a collection the existence Of
which is known to very few people
but is accounted among the most beau
tiful and rarest in the country. Fan
keeps his jewels-at least he kept
them until recently-in a concealed
safe in his own dressing ROOM and
very seldom was even / permitted to
again some eccentricity of lovable
character is to be traced. Ny brother
would as soon have thought of wear
ing a diamond in his shirt front as of
painting his face like an Indian: but
these hidden jewels he loved with a
rare ardor. and do truly believe that
they had some share in his own scheme
Of life. When he lost the bronze pearls
in Paris l know that he fretted like q
child for a broken toy. 1t was not their
value, not at all-he called them his
black angels, in jest of course and I
think that he believed some of his own
good luck went with them
This was the state OF things I'm the
months Of May when Okyada. the jap
anese, came from London and took tlp
his residence at the manor. Fan told
me nothing; he never referred again
to the subject of his lost pearls. Much
of his time was spent I'm his study
where he occupied himself with the
book he was writing upon the legends
Of the Adriatic. His leisure he gave
to his motor and his observatory.
began to believe that whatever anxiety
troubled him had passed; and in this
belief ! should have continued but for
the alarming events Of which I now
write. And this brings me to the
middle Of the summer; to be exact. the
18th day Of June in the year 1904.
Fan. l remember. had come in from
a little trip to Cambridge about
o'clock in the afternoon. He called his
servant, Okyada, to the study and thew
were closeted there almost until din
ner time. In the drawing room, later
one. Fan spoke of some OF his deserted
hobbies and expressed regret that he
had given up his yacht.