Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-10-27

am In quanuary, nau buppuSSu :
would marry Donald Chase. and now
comes Oscar Richmond to mix me all
up. Donald is steady. honorable, has
excellent judgment; Oscar Is hand
some, full of sentiment, fascinating. !
know should remain true to Donald,
but Oscar carries me right or my feet.
The question of money does not en-
ter into the matter. Donald Is doing
very we'll earning fair salary and
with prospect of being partner.
Oscar is out of business just now.
don't exactly understand why. He Is
very reticent. / like reticence in q
man; It bespeaks self control. Oscar
can talk with me by the hour without
revealing any Of his affairs. OF course
IL he proposes to me shall expect that
be will tell me everything.
have tried to get Donald to tell me
why he distrusts Oscar. He says he
doesn't himself know why. 1t is quite
likely that bis distrust is due to jeal-
ousy. Donald is so honorable that ne
would not like to believe himself capa-
Bile of doing a rival an injustice. He
is unconscious that he is moved Dy
jealousy.
l wonder who is this Girard Roberts
he has brought to see US. He has
known us but few weeks. yet it seems
that we have all been friends for years.
It's strange how some people have
faculty Of insinuating themselves at
once into ones good graces. Already
call this man by his frst name, and.
though have known Donald since
was sixteen years old. still call him
Mr.. Chase.
have sounded Girard Roberts as to
what he thinks Of Oscar Richmond.
His reply was, He's bang up good
fellow" That doesn't help me. But
it's the most can expect from Girard,
who is all on the surface. Those peo-
pie one becomes familiar with on short
acquaintance seldom have any depth.
| asked Girard what he thought OF
Donald and received the same reply,
He's a bang up good fellow too"
was served right for relying upon the
opinion of such lightweight person.
Girard Roberts seems to have plenty
of money as well as taste for jewel
nv. The other day Aunt Aida was
showing him diamond she wished to
turn into funds. He told her to go
among the jewelers.. ask them to fix
a price on 1t and he would give her
$40 more than the highest bid. She
did so and got bid of $270 for the
stone. Girard told her it was cheap
at $500 and he would give her that for
1t. She accepted the offer. Oscar and
| were present when the sale was
made, and Girard laughingly told US
that he would rely on us as witnesses
In case aunty backed out. He didn't
have the money with him, but said he
would bring 1t the next afternoon ap5l
o'clock.
When he called aunty was out, Os-
car and l were in the library. Girard
called to me to say to aunty when she
came in that she would find the money
for the diamond under a vase on the
mantel in the parlor. promised. to
do so. Oscar asked me to go to walk
with him. l consented; went upstairs
to get my hat, and we walked to the
park. When / returned had forgot
ten all about telling aunty that the
money for her diamond was on the
parlor mantel. Indeed. never thought
Of it till just before going to bed; then
/ told her. She went downstairs to
get 1t. 1t was gone.
Everybody Is dissatisfied with me
and am dissatisfied with myself for
being so thoughtless as to have left
$500 so long In an exposed position.
1t has upset the whole household. The
servants who consider themselves 'un
der suspicion are going about looking
very glum. Aunty is furious with me
expected Girard would show bis feel |
ings toward me very decidedly. What I
a lovely fellow he is, after all! He
told me not to give myself any con-
cern about the matter; that doubtless
the money would run up, but If it did
not there was no one to blame but |
himself since he should not have left |
so much money In such a place. He |
explained that he did not leave it with |
me because l was ''flirting." as he
called it. with Oscar and he didn't like |
to intrude upon us.
/ asked him who he suspected, and !
he said that. since the front door stood |
unlatched and any one might have i
come in while we were at dinner or
during the evening when we were all
upstairs. doubtless some person enter
ed. possibly for an ordinary purpose. |
and, seeing the money, appropriated it !
and skipped
have had a stroke-an awful vista |
ton. Donald Chase turns out to be the !
thief who took the bills left on the
mantel to pay for aunty's jewel. This |
morning when he was at business a |
constable called at his room with a
search warrant and found the bills in
his bureau drawer. To think that Don
aid. whom we have all known so long
and considered the very soul of honor.
should have done such a thing!
How could he have taken the money !
without our knowing It? What Glrard
Rohorts fold mo Is the only thing that /