The Winslow mail., 1924-02-08
lGl Diamonds
@S%lk}>n Of Malopo
SkkE92a8a By
I 'YM VICTOR
FN811R~ I'll ROUSSEAU
VICTOR
ROUSSEAU
oopyRIGtiT AY VIC cHAprtAN

the little man intensely. He felt an
atmosphere OF stealth and moral un-
cleanness exuding from him, and the
little man was getting on Wint0n's
nerves by the way he fidgeted, first
with one arm and then with the other;
then with one leg and then with the
other.
"This l. D. B. game now-you've
heard of it, l suppose, even though you
are a stranger? Illicit diamond buy
ing-its as old as the first diamond
claim pegged out in Kimberley. Sew
en- years on the breakwater at Cape
Town to buy diamonds that way, and
most Of the big men in this country
started in that game. Perfectly re-
spectacle now, and they ought to have
the convict brand stamped all over
them. But it's a temptation, when a
Kaffir laborer knows more ways OF
hiding stone than any white man
could think of. Takes shrewd COM
pound manager to keep tab on them.
They used to swallow them, but we
countered that. Then they'd cut holes
In their skin and bury them, till we
started the medical examination as
well as the daily search. Then they
hid them in their dogs, and we shut the
dogs out Of the compounds. There
was one fellow, dentist, used to stop
their teeth with them. And that game
wasn't worked out before they had
new trick.
eyes, Malopo's a queer place." he
continued. Between you and me,
don't believe that De Witt stone was
picked up here at all. De Witt brought
it up from Kimberley and planted it on
the Big Malopo claim. That's what
most people are saying. Just an ad-
vertising trick to boom his stock, and
the same with the stealing That stone
wasn't stolen"
"See here !" cried Winton, goaded to
evaporation. What in the name Of
thunder do you mean by calling the
Big Malope Mr.. De Wits? What has
Mr.. De Witt to do with lt?"
The little man laughed and nudged
Winton jOvially in the side. The touch
Of his fingers against Winton's coat
was almost intolerable. Winton moved
his chair away.
Nov it's you who are asking QueS-
tions," said the little man. "Y0u know
what you know and know what
know, eh?'
He chuckled, rose up, and walked
away. Whatever the object of his
address might have been, it had sue
ceeded in stinging Winton in his ten
derest place. Everybody in Malopo
seemed to take it for granted that De
Witt already owned the Big MalopO.
Even Ned Burns had taken the stone
to De Witt. And it had been placed
on exhibition in the Syndicate bank.
Winton was raging. He meant to
show MalopO who owned the claim,
and he had forgotten all his warnings
about being cautious.
A mob of men from the dining room
came out upon the porch, laughing and
Joking. Inside the hotel WintOn heard
two in altercation, the subject of their
dispute being, apparently, one of the
mattresses. The meal was over. Win
ton rose and looked through the door
way. Then he saw Sheila putting on
her hat beside the cashiers desk.
A man spoke to her as she left the
room, but she walked past him, and
went down the steps before Winton
could intercept her. He followed her,
and as he did so he heard one Of the
men on the porch make jesting re-
mark about him to a companion.
Winton did not heed it. He caught
up with the girl at the corner Of the
block. Miss SeatOn!" he began.
She turned and stepped. "Mr Gar
rett-" she began.
"You asked me to go away, and l
did so. l thought you would allow
me-
What is it that you want?" asked
Sheila
Il want to help you. l know that
YOU are friendless here, that you are
doing work which is unsuited to you.
| know that you were not born for this
sort of life. l want to be your friend.
and your fathers"
"a hundred men have said that to
me since l came to Malopo." answered
the girl bitterly.
81 mean it"
"You mean tina, you are quixotic
enough to wish to do kindness with
out any return. No. Mr.. Garrett. And
| want you to forget that you ever met
me-"
She turned again and hegan walking
quickly along the dark street, but Win
ton kept at her side.
"But you are unreasonable, he cried.
Miss Seaton. surely you are not 80
RIA IN friendships that you can re-
jecI one which is disintereSteG.
Mr. Garrett" She answered, stop
ping once more and looking him square
| Is in the face, Il am not so friendless
as you think. And / do not accept