The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-11-18
THE
DIAMOND FROM
THE SKY
Continued from Second Page,

station and take the first train to Los
| Angeles
You viii think sometimes of me.
won't your asked Kansas En- husk-
i lily. Here is the prayer from the lock
| ct. Did you know that 1t was in it ~
NO" said Esther. 81 don't think
any one knew it. There seemed to be
a concealed secret spring that was
touched"
A secret spring was touched in the
sinful breast of Kansas En-. Your
mother put it there when you were
baby" she murmured. IT knew it. !
lavender about it A mothers prayer
She sobbed as she took the paper from
her bosom, where she had thrust it
when the fight had begun In the dance
hall
i Even sinner like am is made the
better by it, continued EN-. "And will
you pray for me?"
Always" said Esther brokenly as
she took the crumpled paper, with its
faint, vague, old time perfume. Then
Esther put her arms around the out
cast older woman and kissed her In
token of pity and gratitude.
i
But the diamond from the sky? OF
!; all the world Marmaduke Smythe is
unmoved by fits powers for good or i'll
Whether 1t be balefnl to those who
have no claim or right to it or wheth-
err 1t be truly charm against harm
for Stanleys OF the blood means
. and matters nothing to Marmaduke
Smythe. He feels it his duty to sur
!. render it to the Stanley heir, but
meanwhile 1t Is a responsibility he
does not deem deyolyes upon him. He
!, viii be rid of it.
He halts by signpOst that reads,
Twenty Miles to Mammoth" He
mops his brow and thinks. and, truly.
it's long, long twenty miles that he
has come, bearing with him by its
. shawl strap handle the deer head that
he bought at the auction at Stanley
hall. Personally the deer head is far
/ more to Marmaduke Smythe than the
diamond from the sky.
Il Some thirty feet from the road, In a
straight line with the signpost, is a
great live oak tree. In its trunk a
hole is followed. Smythe hides the dia-
mond In this hole and makes a careful
memorandum of the hiding place and
nearby landmarks and his paced meas
: urement to the road and signboard
! Then he goes his way.
His way leads him to where two
r children Toodles and Polly-come tod
!, ding down the road with their dolls
and playthings. A glass Of milk would
refresh him, Smythe thinks. The chill
dren indicate their dooryard TO the
gaunt but kindly stranger, and there
Smythe makes his way and Is RECALLED
, with milk and bread and butter and
81 honey by the ranchers kindly wife
the mother of Toodles and Polly, the
little children.
The children 60 down the road te
play .shouse," as is their custom, be
meath the live oak Toodles finds tbs
cleaning bauble She is girl child
She knows it is q necklace. and with
: cries of appreciation and delight, sh,
eeizes it and hangs it around her dol
: ly's neck Immediately her little sis
ter Polly demands it, nay. even grasp
it. A slap, a scream, and Toodles jerk
2 away the necklace and walks indig
nantly away. with both her dol an.
:, her treasure trove. W&ile little Poll.
patters down the road TO run home AM
i tell mamma.
At the ruins Of his dance hall Pete
4 Huff watches the diggers with a keel
glance that never waivers. The deas
that are brought from the charree
debris are nothing to Peter Huff. H
has them searched, as he had the liy
ing and the wounded searched in hi
frantic endeavors TO find the diamond
5 A little. old. squat built workman
arouses the suspicion of Peter Huff
: for the little old workman has furtive
~ picked up and secreted some shin
ing object Forced TO disgorge, tn
workman shows a still warm silve
dollar. With bitter curse of disap
. paintment and anger, Pete smashe
the little old digger in the face ami
:, knocks him spraWling. The old fel
low picks himself up. you think
: had the diamond that was lost las
: night, eh?' he asked well. III tel
you. since you've been so handy witt
your fists. One of the boys says he
seen that stranger with the side whis
kers running out in that direction
: with the diamond when the fight brok
= loose"
There is such an air of sincerit.
about the fellows words that Pete
Huff feels a gamblers .'hunch." Fl
rushes from the work at the prompt
ings Of the bunch and commander
n the cheap. old automobile of ffienl
d and with his friends goes in pursui
( of the fugitive stranger with the sid
whiskers. So remarkable a figure a
Smythe. not to mention the impedimen
ia of the deer's head. has left blazet
trail. TWenty-one miles from Nam
4 moth Smythe is oyertaken and held n
Il at the pistols point. The diamond
!, not on his person. but Pete and his pa
find the memorandum Of its hiding
nlAna