Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1888 — THE DIAMONDS, [ARTICLE]

THE DIAMONDS,

Uncle Meriwether never liked Eust&oe. He never did him justice, from the beginnig, and when he heard that I was actually engaged to him he spoke in such a way that I declared I would not endure it. ' “I am old enough, I hope, to choose for mvself,” said I. "I don’t know about that, Patty,” said my uncle, shrugging his shoulders. But I remained to hear no more, I flounced back into the house, slamming the door in Uncle Meriwether’s honest, spectacled face, anu bursting into tears as soon as I reached the sitting room. “It’s a shame,’’ said my sister Elspeth. “Don’t cry, Patty, I’m sure the whole matter is transparent enough Uncle Meriwether wouldn t be so domineering about it if he did not want you to marrv Paul.” “I wouldn’t marry Paul Meriwether if there wasn’t another man in tjie world,” said I, viciously. “And I’ll marry Eustace Dalzell anyhow, now. Uncle Meriwether says we don’t know anything about him, but I’tn sure we know enough.” That was a false assertion on my part. I only knew of my handsome fiance what he himself had chosen to tel! me —namely, that he was a New York eugineer, staying down at Wraysgeid a few weeks for his health. And his friend, Mr. Belfield.was a stock broker. Oh, how I wished Mr. Belfield might take a fancy to Elspeth. It would be so nice to be married at the same time—to go together and live in New York! We lived together in the lonely old brick house on the edge of the moor, so that I was very glad when Olive Oatley came down from Binchester to visit us and brought her wedding set of diamonds to show. Elepeth and I looked with awe and admiration at the sparkling gems—necklace ear-rings and brooch. “Are they very valuable,” I asked. “Three thousand dollars, I believe/' said Olive, complacently. “They be longed to Herbert’s mother, and they art to lie reset before I wear them.” i lit just then Elspeth gave a start and turned scarlet, and following the direction of her eye I turned and beheld Eustace Dalzell standing smiling in the door way, with his hat in his band. fcomehow the diamonds made me nervous, and I could not help, in the course of the evening, confiding my vague terrors to Eustace. But Eustace laughed at me, and made light of my fear 3. Eustace Dalzell went home earlier than usual that night. In my perturbation I had almost resolved to ask him to remain all night, a self-constituted guardian of our treasures, but I did not venture to do so, and so at 10 o’clock we three girls, with Dinah in the kitchen, were left to ourselves. i had intended to lie awake all night, but I must have fallen into a light doze without being aware of it, for the clock was striking 12 when I started up at the loud peal of the door-hell below. Oliva was at my side in an instant. Elspeth had her arm around me, and even Dinab hobbled in with a flaring lamp in her hand. “Go to the door, do, someof you,’’ cried I, hysterically. “Ask who it is. Ask what they want.” And while Olive, Elspcln, and the old attendant obeyed my behest I hurriedly threw on my' white dressing gown and went to the head of tiie stairs to listen, for I felt that in an emergency like this some one ought to keep close to the div moeds. “There is no one here,” I heard Elspeth say, after the bolts and bars of the front door were withdrawn. “Yes, there is. I hear some one ing at the other end of the veranda,” persisted Dinah. “Oh dear, the draught has blown out my candle. This way, Miss Oatley, please—l’m afraid ther’s been an accident or something ” The next minute the heavy oaken dooi blew shut with a bang. It was self-fasten-ing on the inside. 1 was all alone in the house.

A rustle under tlie vines that draped the north side of the house—a low whistle, and I could hear a voice saying in suppressed accents: “They're safe enough outside, all three of’em. Now’s your time. Quick!” It all flashed upon mv mind in a second—the sturdy houghs of the Wistaria, which afforded so easy a ladder lor an aspiring burglar to reach Olive’s window —the open casement—the diamonds lying underneath her pillow. My worst fears had come true, and seizing the six-barreled little pistol I rushed into the room just in time to see a tall figure with a mask over Its face spring into the window and steal With cat like motion across the room. As his hand lay on the tiny canvas bag containing the precious jewels I raised the pistol and fired. At the same moment a muttered oath, mingled with a cry.sounded in my ears and the sound of something falling shook the beams of the floor. I am not one of the fainting kind, but for a minute or two I stood motionless. Then springing down stairs I admitted the three eager women who -were huddled at the door. , “I’ve shot him! I’ve killed him,” was all that I could say. “Run up stairs, Dinah, and see if— if he is dead.” But Dinah would not go alone, so we allhufricd up ; n a crowd—and there,half lltting, half-lying against the bed p. s', with the canvas nag failen to the floor beside him, and a red pool of blood under his right shoulder blade was—Eustace Dalzell. Of course we went for help to the nearest neighbors; of course we delivered my gallant lover, who was not fatally injure 1 oyer to the police, by whom he wu- recognized os an old jail-bird, luxuriating in'a new name.