The Springfield herald., 1912-06-07
By MAX PEMBERTON
(Copyright. BY W. q. Chapman.)

w. q. Chapmau.)
While he said this the train to Lon
don steamed out Of the railway sta
ton, which is not stones throw
from the inn. and he, forgetful of his
tale to me, sat watching it unconcern-
edly. l had discovered him in a Sec
ond lie. and waited to entrap him to
third with the practised pleasure of
cross-examiner.
"Do you sell these stones for your
self or as an agent?" asked. assu-
ming some authority as felt surer of
him. His hesitation In answering was
merely momentary, but 1t was enough
for my purpose.
For myself" said he; and then
with clumsy maladroitness he added.
They were left to me by my father,
and l have never had the heart to
offer them to any one. I'll tell you
what, though; II you'll give me thou
sand pounds for the pair, you shall
keep Them
That's long price," said I; "and
If you don't mind the suggestion, my
dinners getting cold
l had spoken thus with the design
of putting him off but he was undis-
guisedly an ill-bred man, and l saw
that could have bought the emeralds
from him for five hundred pounds.
Come. now" he cried. you don't
want to be hard upon me: give ME a
balance to Brighton In a week II you
find them as good as you think. That's
! a fair offer. Isn't it?"
1.-The offer is fair enough" said I;
but you forget that l did not come
here to buy emeralds. 1 am in Pang-
bourne to catch chub. as you saw this
afternoon"
I'm afraid can't agree to that"
he replied with laugh; Il did not see
you miss three"
"The bait is poor" said meaning
ly; fish are as canny as men, and
don't take pretty things If they think
there's hook in them
This gave him with such a stare
that he rose up suddenly from his
chair. and, having made bungling
parcel of his jewels. went of by HIM
self. He had to pass my window as
he left the inn, and as he crossed the
road I called after him. saying
You'll be losing your train to Lon
DON"
"Be id to that!" said he; and
with such salute he turned the angle
of the road. and I lost sight of him.
But thought much of his emeralds
through the night, both in my walk
across the old wooden bridge to Whit
church, when the river lay dark and
gloomy with the sough of the breeze
in the reeds and sedge-grass; and
again as lay in the old wooden "best-
bed" of the inn.
On the next day, quite early in the
morning. | set out in a dogcart for
Reading, having rendezvous with
Barisbroke at the Kennels mouth,
whence we were to start for a days
sport upon that fish-breeding river.
My drive took me by the old Bath
road, turning to the left midway up
the village street; but l had not gone
very far upon the Reading road be-
fore l saw the handsome woman
the wife, as l assumed, of the velvet
coated man-now dressed with ex-
heavy bag towards the biscuit town.
1t occurred to me. as l drove
on, that the man, who had been with
her on the previous day, had really
left by the last train for London; but
when l came into Reading. and was
about to cross the High street, to
reach Earleigh, l saw the name Ben
janlin Vain superscribed above lit
tie chemists shop, and ] stopped at
once. l know that a country trades
man will gossip like fishwife; and
l asked the man for some prepara-
tion which he could not possibly find
in the pharmacopoeia, and SO began
to feel my ground.
You're well ahead of the times
here" said l. looking at his show
case, which was woefully destitute of
drugs 81 shouldn't have thought that
you'd be asked for tabloids in place
like Reading"
"Oh, but we are" said he, readily;
''it's wonderfully advanced town is
Reading-you won't get much in Re-
gent street which is not here. I've
lived in Reading all my life-and seen
changes, sir, indeed l have!"
"Yon know most of the people
them" said l, with a purpose.
"Ay," said he, I've born and buried
a many, SO to speak; seen children
grow to men and women, and men and
women grow to children-you wouldn't
think it perhaps!"
mo" said I, you don't show 1t;
bat your reputation, II may say so.
goes beyond this place. l was in
Pangbourne yesterday. where a tall,
yellow-haired man was speaking of
you; who is he, | wonder?"
"A tall, yellow-haired mani" he ex-
claimed, putting his finger in the cen
ter of his forehead as if in aid of
memory; 81 didn't know there were
such in Reading. A tall, yellow-let
You sold him some tabloid of
nitro-glycerine; perhaps that will help
TO his identification said l.
"Ah, now / know you're wrong"
said he; there's only one man within
five miles of here who uses that stuff