The Jasper news., 1920-07-29

Johnston ss.:4y

l lifted the picture to the moor ana
stood hesitant before the safe. Should
l, or should l not, open iti The fact
that they had given me the combine
tIon seemed to imply that l had a
perfect right to inspect its contents.
"Six to the right, four to the left,
two to the right, eight to the left"
AS turned the knob repeated the
combination to myself. There was a
little click, and the steel door came
open. Reaching in drew forth two
old-fashioned Jewel cases Of leather,
both securely locked. l took from my
pocket the keys my great-uncle had
given me and toyed with them thought
fully. Among them were two tiny
keys that undoubtedly belonged to the
Jewel cases. Had 1 the right to use
theml 1 decided that 1 had.
The first case opened contained, SO
far as my limited knowledge Of prec-
ious stones enabled me to judge, noth-
ing but a bunch Of cheap junk, bits
of finery from another century, coral
earrings that Mrs. CASTOR may have
u
Of Jet, amber beads, quaint hoop ear
rings and a ring or two, merely the
trinkets of a vain old woman, treas
ured from the time when the money
to buy them was scarce. There was
nothing In the lot that any self-re-
specting thief would take, precious as
they may have been to their owner
I locked up that case and returned 1t
to the safe and opened the other.
AS / raised the lid an involuntary
exclamation of amazement and admi-
ration escaped me. There, nesting in
the center Of a velvet-lined tray. lay
cleaning the most wonderful mass of
irldescent pearls l ever had laid eyes
on, surely worth vast fortune. Turn
ing them over and over admiringly in
the light, at last I laid them back in
the tray and began to investigate the
other treasures the casket contained.
In other traps In the box found dia-
monds galore, great solitaire that
must have been all of seven carats,
dinner rings, bar pins, crescents, stars,
earrings, and in a compartment all
by itself, a tiara of rubies and dia-
monds. There was also variety Of
other gems, pins and rings wrought
in curious designs with rubies; dia-
mOnds, sapphires, and pearls, some un-
set diamonds and loose fragments Of
pieces that had evidently been torn
apart to add to other settings, the
collection of a woman with unlimited
money to spend.
With trembling hands l restored the
jewels to their hiding place, twice test
ing the knob to make sure that the
combination had set. The unexpected
sight Of such a vast fortune In gemi
had filed me with strange emotions
with thoughts so evil hardly dared
admit them. to myself. There mus
have been nearly half million dollars
worth Of precious stones In that onI
casket. The Castor pearls in them
selves were a fortune.
II only they were minei
To every honest man at times com,
temptations as great as come to IN!
criminal. No man knows whether o
not he Is honest until he has been pu
to the test. knewi l was tempted
strongly tempted, to take my grea
aunt's jewels. What was to hinder
The old couple were to be absent 70
months. They had left me in charg
and had given me their keys and tn
safe combination. There would b
abundant time for disposing Of tn
Jewels before their theft was discoy
cred. With the money they woul
} bring l could satisfy my craving 70
adventure. / could travel the worl
over.
Yet, as / look back at 1t, all tn
time l was thinking these thoughts.
J knew would not take the jewels.
normal man cannot steal. Even whe
: his desires lead him to theft, his min
} points out the folly and his consclenC
: the wrong =
} Resolutely put the thought of tn
} Jewels out of my head-0r tried to-
t and stretching myself out on a couC
, gave myself up to pleasant reveriG
r about my delightful new acquaintanc
; the girl who lived just across the hal
= 1 pictured myself finding some way
e winning her confidence and Of helpir
her out of her mysterious trouble. Al
q what II eventually old Rufus shou
d make me his heirf Surely / wou
7 need a mate with whom to share Il
y joys of having a fortune. With VI
J. ions Of Barbara Bradford bedeck,
with my. .great-aunt's choicest jewe
d fell asleep.
;. 1t was almost dusk when I W