The Springfield herald., 1912-06-07

you will-when you've heard my talk.
Would you see me murd srei?"
l did not answer. being in the main
amused at his attempts to get the
horse out of the trap, and particularly
to unbuckle the very stiff bellyband.
The girl had gone tripping off with
herself to the village as / thought; !;
but though at that time / had no In
tention Of staying beyond an hour
with him, unshafted the animal my
self. and tethered the beast to the
rlckety manger. throwing my own rug
across his loins; then followed Ladd
through black and smoke-washed
kitchen to a dingy apartment near the
hall, and, the place being shuttered.
he kindled a common paraffin lamp.
which might have cost shilling but
would have been dear at two.
"In be getting the port" said he.
casting wistful glance at me
hoping. perhaps, that should decline
his invitation to glass. you'll not
mind refreshment after your drive?"
Thanks; you may be sure won't"
said I.
When Ladd came back. he had a
bottle in his hand. smiled openly
when I saw that 1t was pint; but
he decanted 1t with fine show of
generosity. and pushing glass to me.
took up the matter which interested
him at once.
Where did ye see my nephew"
he asked. while slipped the wine with
satisfaction; it'll have been in Lon
don, perhaps?"
II saw him-if he was your nephew
at Pangbourne last night" said l.:
'he had pretty woman with him, and
wanted to sell me two emeralds."
THAT must have been the wife he
married in San Francisco" cried he.
but she has no sinecure; you didn't
hear that paid his passage abroad
last spring after he'd robbed me of a
thousand-Well and 1t was emeralds
he wanted to sell you?"
1.-TWO of the finest have ever seen,"
said l, "and matching perfectly"
The import of the emeralds had evil
IDENTIFY been lost upon him until this
time; but now of sudden he realized
that he might be concerned in the
business, and his agitation was re-
newed. II wonder what emeralds
they were?" he asked as If of himself: F:
then turning to me, he exclaimed.
will you come upstairs with me a
minute?"
He did not wait for me to answer,
but led the way up bare stone steps
to landing of which there led two
passages; and in big and not uncom-
Portable bedroom he showed me three
safes, one a little one, which he
opened, and took therefrom a case
containing seven emeralds Of size
and quality apparently similar to the
two l had seen at Pangbourne. But
when he gave them to me to examine
l saw at once that five of them were
genuine and two were false.
"Well." said he, after 1 had looked
at them long and closely, how do you
like them?"
II like them enough" said L: "at
least. like five of them. but the
other two are glass;"
At this he cried, "Oh, my God!"
and clutched the stones from me with
the trembling fingers of madman.
When he had seen them for himself
being judge enough to follow me in
my conclusions-he began to roar out
oaths and complaints most pitifully,
cursing his nephew as l have never
heard man cursed before or since.
By and by he got sufficient reason
to tell me that he had the administra-
tion of some of his nephew's property.
and that in his work he had first fall
en- foul of man, headstrong, vindic-
tive, by no means honest, and, in some
moods, dangerous. Yet, even knowing
his relatives character and the threats
he had urged against him, he could
not tell how the safe was broken, or
by what means the emeralds had
gone. He was not even aware that his
nephew was in England; and l had
been the first to bring intelligence of
his coming. | asked him, naturally,
IL these two stones represented the
whole of his loss, and at that he fell
OF again to his raving, but took two
keys of the larger safes from a Sc
cret drawer in the smaller as l could
see; and began to pour upon the faded
bed-cover wealth of treasure which
might have bought city.
In the midst of this strange scene,
and while we were both held spell
bound by the wondrous vision of
wealth, sudden exclamation drew
the miser from his employment. 1t
came from the girl who had been sent
to the village, she now standing in
the doorway of the bedroom, and cry
ing, "Oh, good Lord!" as she saw the
glitter Of the gems. But Ladd turned
upon her at the words, and grasped
her by the wrists, crying out as he
had cried when first he knew that
he was robbed.
'You hussy,' he hissed, bending her
by the arms backward almost to the
floor; what do you watch me for?
What do you mean by coming here?
Where are the emeralds you have
stolen? Tell me, wench; do you hear?
Tell me, or l shall hurt you!"
He held her in so firm grasp that
feared she would suffocate, and went
to pull him off; at which action he
turned to cry out against me; but
the anger had played upon him SO
that he tainted suddenly all across the
bed, and amongst the jewels. The girl.
whom he had forced upon the floor,
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