The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-01-31

Is the subject of the present tale.
I think there must be some malign
Providence that sends our enemies
across our paths just when we think
chat we have put them out of our lives
forever. How else can one account
for the meeting between Sir Julius
Robinson and Mary Boyd?
It happened aboard the Linlithgow,
one OF the older vessels of the Allan
tic passenger fleet. There were not
many Of us, and we soon became init
mate. The nan in my cabin was, l
fancIed, a Russian or Austrian by
birth; he called himself Baron
Nikolai and seemed possessed of I'M
limited wealth. Sir Julius Robinson
and Van Aam were South African
diamond magnates about to pay a visit
to America in order to float some COM
pany, and after the lights were turned
out in the smoking DON the four of
as played poker into the small hours
of the morning in Sir julius cabin.
Nikolai always won; a~fterward, when
our association had become close, 1
learned that cards were n means
whereby he made his living. But that
as neither here nor there; if he took
from the rich. he had supreme COM
passion for the poor. Indeed, he
posed as a sort of Robin Hood, called
himself, whimsically, a leveler Of for
tunes, and claimed his own share as
middieman in these transactions.
Sir julius and Mary Boyd met on
the deck the second morning. l saw
the Eat la grow pale; he put one
hand out to steady himself against the
Cail of the ship, and as the girl swept
by. not ~deigning to notice him, he
hooked after her with a scowl. 1t
was Mary herself who told me of the
circumstances later.
1t was a very simple story. Her
rather had been one of the first dis
coverers Of diamonds in the river
VaaL. Robinson and he had been
partners; when Boyd fell sick of ty-
phoid feverRobinson possessed himself
of hts claim through some legal Chi
rcaheTy. Boyd emerged from the hos
pital to find himself penniless. His
wife died in p%rivation not long after
ward, and Mary was adopted by a
poor family of the district. She edu-
Gated herself, became a school teach
er, fell in love with a visiting Ameri-
can, and was now on her way to
Savannah, the terminal port of call,
to marry him.
Meanwhile Robinson, grasping his
stolen prize, had tiourished. He be-
-rR n n,f11fDAAs.A r-,- 1--s-L4-I -
had put Mary Boyd out of his ~recollec-
'tions.
When Nlkolai heard the story his
eyes blazed.
Il have learned one thing in the
of my experience, Summers"
he said to me. mo man can sin and
get away with it. Somehow, some
where, Robinson will make restitu.
zion"
Who will compel him if the courts
can't?" I asked.
Il will" he cried.
1t was on that same evening that
Robinson, insolent and flushed with
wine, pulled from the inside of his
,shirt a silken cord at the end of which
was hung a chamois leather bag. He
tossed it on the table and opened it. A
handful Of brilliant pebbles tumbled
out
do you fellows know what these
sre?" he hiccoughed.
Uncut diamonds" replied Van Aam
sharply. Put them away and don't
be a fool, Robinson"
why shouldn't l be a fool If I want
FE-pFF H. ar -
the coin, amt 1? Can't l be a fool
Ef it amuses me? Yes, diamonds,
gentlemen; uncut, but worth a cool
half million. These are my samples,
and IL I can't float the biggest capita
Itzed company in the trade on the
strength of them, why I'll pitch them
unto the sea. No, l won't either-Ill
hang them around pretty Mary Boyd's
neck for a love gift"
l ionged to break his own neck.
NIkoiai nudged me under the table
and, looking up, l saw him frown
lightly. / understood the warning; ]
,knew that he had conceived some
scheme which l must not spoil by pre-
cipltate action.
Worth a cool half million, gentle
men, went on the millionaire, gather
ing up his samples. "Pounds-not
dollars. Sometime I'll tell you how
I jumped old man Boyd's claim wheI
ne was sick. s'pose Mary's painted
me as black as Satan to you; what
Well, If l hadn't Jumped his claim
ned have jumped mine. Amt all fail
1n business7" He took the last stone
an his hand and toyed with it thought
gully. I'D give this to Mary for on'
kiss" he mumbled, but | know she
wouldn't do It, She's bounded me fol
year, and hates me like poison be
cause ! wont be blackmailed. She'C
want more than ~one--two, ! reckon
Shut up. julie" said Van Aam, kick
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