The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-06-12

inclined to think have been not
a nap. but a reverie by the clatter If
horses hoofs outside and. going to the
door, received a cavalcade comprising
Mr.. Franklin and his three cousins, es-
corted by n Of old Mr.. Ablewhite's
grooms.
Under cover of the noise made by
the young ladies I had an opportunity
of saying a private word to Mr.. Frank
lin in the hall.
Have you got the diamond safe,
sir?'
He nodded and tapped the breast
pocket of his coat.
Have you seen anything Of the In
dians?'
mot a glimpse" With that answer
he asked for my lady, and hearing she
was In the small drawing room went
there straight. The bell rang before
he had been a minute in the room,
n Penelope was sent to tell Miss
Rachel that Mr.. Franklin Blake want
ed to speak to her.
Crossing the hall about half an hour
afterward I was brought to a sudden
standstill by an outbreak OF screams
from the small drawing room. I can't
say l was at all alarmed. for / recog-
nized in the screams the favorite large
Oh. of the Miss Ablewhite. However,
l went in on pretense of asking for in
structions about the dinner to discover
whether anything serious had really
happened.
There stood Miss Rachel at the table,
like a person fascinated, with the colo
nel's unlucky diamond in her hand.
There on either side of her knelt the
two %bouncers, %devouring the jewel with
their eyes and screaming with ecstasy
every time it flashed ON them in a new
light. There at the opposite side of the
table stood Mr.. Godfrey, %clapping his
hands like a large child and singing
out softly: Exquisite! Exquisite!'
There sat Mr.. Franklin in a chair by
the bookcase Juggling at his beard and
looking a~nxiously toward the window.
Aud there at the window stood the OBJ
ject he was contemplating-my lady,
having the extract from the colonel's
will in her hand and keeping her back
turned ON the whole of the company.
She faced me when / asked for my
instructions, and l saw the family
the family temper twitching at the
of her mouth.
Come to my room in half an hour"
she answered. Il shall have some
thing to say to you then"
With those words she went out. 1t
was plain enough that she was posed
by the same difficulty which had posed
Mr.. Franklin and me in or conference
at the Shivering Sand. Was the leg
acy of the Moonstone n proof that she
had treated her brother with cruel in
justice or was it a proof that he was
worse than the worst she had ever
thought of him: Serious questions
those for my lady to determine, while
her daughter, innocent of all knowl-
edge of the colonel's character. stood
there with the colonel's birthday gift
in her hand.
hdt lAHStu ttNtt lhf iiSlitS
and me on this occasion was in the
main a repetition OF what had passed
between Mr.. Franklin and me ut the
Shivering Sand-with this difference.
that ! took are to keep my Owl coun-
sci about the ~jugglers, seeing that
nothing had happened to Justify me
in alarming my lady on this head.
When | received my dismissal I could
see that she took the blacklist view
possible of the colonel's motives and
that she was bent on getting the Moon
stone out of her daughters possession
at the first opportunity.
l was interrupted no more in the
business of preparing for the birthday
dinner till it was time for me to smart
en- myself up for receiving the COM
pany. Just as l had got my white
waistcoat on Penelope presented her
self at my toilet. on pretense of brush
ing what little hair | have got left, and
improving the tie of my white cravat.
My girl was in high spirits and saw
she had something to say to me. She
gave me a kiss on the top of my bald
head and whispered, News for you,
father. Miss Rachel has refused him."
"Who's him?' l asked.
''The ladies' committeeman, father"
says Penelope. "A nasty, sly fellow. |
hate him for trying to supplant Mr..
Franklin
Il saw him take her away alone into
the rose garden says Penelope. And
/ waited behind the holly to see how
they came back. They had gone GU
arm in arm, both laughing. They came
back. walking separate, as grave as
grave could be. and looking straight
away from each other in a manner
which there was no installing. l never
was more delighted, father, in my life.
There's one woman in the world who
can resist Mr.. Godfrey Ablewhite at
any rate, and, if l vas a lady, | should
no annthn-