The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1916-03-16

Powell and Homer Graydon as tneF
eagerly bid for the bauble that haG
been talisman of death.
Eighty thousand l am bid by Mr..
| Powell!" chanted the auctioneer.
Come come, Mr. Graydon. Do not
let superstition stop you. The lion
would have killed the lady and the
/ jealous husband would have killed Sam
| Santley even had this diamond not fig
| ured in the case perhaps. All great
/ diamonds have their dramatic history.
Remember the Kohinoor and Orloff dia
monds. This diamond may be ii lucAy
stone for all We know despite what has
happened"
Arthur knew better. Blair knew bet
ter. and so did Vivian and the English
lawyer. Smythe. So did Durand, the
International diamond thief and swim
dler. And SO did his accomplice and
jackal, the dapper Count de vaux But
Homer GraydOn only knew that Vivian
Marston's favor depended on the dia-
mond.
"Eighty-fve thousand dollars" be
cried; then he gulped and grew ashen
pale again. To raise $4,000 cash to
pay for this bauble to give woman
would be his ruin.
Ninety thousandr' cried John Pow
ell.
Homer Graydon gave the auctioneeI
ii negative jerk of the head in reply to
his inquiring gaze.
Ninety thousand, Ninety thousand.
Are you all done: Ninety thousand,
once, Ninety thousand, twice. Ninety
thousand, for the last time He paus-
ed Going. going. gone! Sold to Mr..
John Powell for $9OOOO!'
Arthur scribbled check as tn,
crowd buzzed and swayed around him
Vivian gave hysterica laugh and
clutched Arthur by the arm rs the auc
tioneer handed him the diamond from
the sky. Then as the purchaser ana
his little coterie of friends passed
through the dispensing crowd Vivian
looked Homer Graydon In the face de
llberately and turned her back upon
him.
In her room at her modest hotel Es
ther debated nervously with herself
The rank injustice done Luke. who
hal been railroaded TO prison by the in
fuence of Blair Stanley and Frank
Durand while Arthur had never inter
fered made her more bitter than she
had been at the strange attitude Ar
thur had taken toward her since his
recovery from his injuries Rumors
that his mind was affected as a result
Of his hurts were rife in Los Angeles.
where those who had formerly called
him "the golden man." now designated
Arthur as "John Powell. the mad mil
lionaire."
For herself she would never again
intrude upon Arthur. surrounded as he
was by sycophants and parasites who
worked him evil. But for Luke Lowell
done n great injustice. she would make
one last appeal before she returned to
Richmond and Hagar The remorse
and contrition Of Luke that he had
ever been disloyal to her and Hacar
Esther felt genuine. She determined
TO take the English lawyer Smythe into
her confidence. and found occasion IL
send Quabba 10 Smythe with II mes
sage.
Lawyer Smythe was also preparing
to leave Los Angeles. He had shipped
bis precious deer head by express with
much misgiving and foreboding of
harm Detailing it ere il reached his
dearly beloved England, where he was
shortly to follow. Like Esther the &C.
centric but loyal English lawyer was
becoming discouraged and dismayed at
the puZzling conduct OF the American
heir. fugitive from justice i'm Vir-
ginia. fourishing under the name of
John Powell. thousand leagues from
Stanley hall. Virginia.
II confess II Is M enigma TO me-" he
explained to Esther "Of course. Blair