Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-10-28

sheep herder, in the next month and
take the stolen treasure with him and
make it the capital Oh which to found
a great fortune in the bustling west.
He salved his conscience with the
thought that when he had built up
John Powell's vast fortune he would
return the stolen money to the express
company anonymously.
Meanwhile Luke Lowell journeys
eastward again. But he cannot travel
as Blair Stanley and other fortunates
with, money travel. Luke, Lowell re-,
turns by freight. But in the desert the
trainmen throw, him from his place on
the bumpers and mockfhim, as. bruised
aud. sore, he rises lin 1.-THE desert, dust
to curse themIas the freight train bears
them on. ta51, i"ifM ,4rc4thQ4r@1 az
Down the endless niles Of railroad
track, across the dusty. desert. lie stag.
gers: Blinded by the sun. choking and
burning with thirst and half dclirious,
he stumbles from the track and makes
LIS May. ,feyerea with a1eltium. across
the SstrickleSss desert. II
Then BY / low grbFihg mass OF
cacti something CLEANS before his ach.
ing eyes, CLEANS and dazzles. him. Is
it vagary OF his thirst madness, orais
it the, diamond from the SKY ,as for
tune within his grasp? r .IT.,
He lurches forward and snatches, up
the diamond from where the train rob.
her in his death agony from the p,r'-
suing posses rifle bullets had cast it!
But just as lis grimy' hand closes
upon the great jewel a brown lance
strikes him. In the ringing Of the fe-
yer in his brain he has not heard the
warning rattle Of death guarding the
diamond. But even in his delirium
the fevered brain Of Luke Lowell knows
the thrust Of the brown lance.
A rattlesnake has bitten him! With
q hoarse scream Of despair he con.
vulsively throws UP his hands. The
diamond flies from his nerveless grasp
and settles again in the dust Of the
desert twenty feet away, and Luke
Lowell pitches forward on bis face in
his agony. giving himself up as dead
So, half conscious John Powell.
sheep herder. finds him. and so John
Powell bears him to his lonely camp
fire and succors and restores. him: ss.
Lowell is able to moan his plight.
Fortunately his rescuer has a flask Of
whisky and a canteen of water. He
doses the half conscious Luke. and
whether the whisky or whether the
sturdy constitution Of the gypsy is to
be credited Luke Lowell is brought
back from the jaws of death.
1t is a strange fate, the gypsy thinks,
when he can think c%oherently, that it
has been his destiny to meet the real
and the usurping heir of Stanley and
to clutch again the priceless Stanley
heirloom. the diamond from the sky.
He laughs sardonically and then tells
Arthur, whom he now recognizes as
he recognized Blair Stanley. that just
a few days since he has met up with
the latter in Los Angeles.
II don't know what he had run away
for" growled Luke. "but whatever 1t
was it had been squared. for l found
out he was going back to Richmond.
But now that you have saved my life
in this God forsaken desert III do you
a, favor-a big favor. I know some
thing that the other Stanleys would
give all they have to know. What Will
you give me if l don't tell them what
Iknow? You didn't kill that old doc
tor. and I know that some day you are
going back. What will you give me to
keep my mouth shut" .
John Powell regards with cold
scorn the wretch who thus requites
him. He knows what Luke would tell
him. Just at this time John Powell
desires to buy the silence Of the treach-
erous and ungrateful gypsy.
81 have $500 that l have saved is
John Powell's reply. II never de-
sire to be known again as Arthur Stan
ley. But l have reasons why ] do not
wish the secret you possess to be
spread broadcast for the present. You