Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1908 — The KING of DIAMONDS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The KING of DIAMONDS.

By Louis Tracy,

CHAPTER XH BEFORE retiring to rest Philip eff l certained Mr. Abingdon’* Loo* ) don address and wrote asking for an appointment the follow* lng evening. He also Interviewed the manager. “I want the help of a thoroughly reliable solicitor." he said. "I wish to purchase some property—not valuable property, but of Importance to me. Can you give me the address of some on* known to you?" M. Foret named a reputable firm In the locality.

"They may refer to you," added Philip. "Of course I do not ask you to say more than that I am staying here, but the point is I do not wish you to mention my age.” "Will you not see them, then?" "No. I will endeavor to conduct the whole business by post.” The manager laughed. "Ton certainly are the coolest young gentleman I ever met However, Mr. Anson, it may please you to know that your bank gave you the best of recommendations. I will say so to anybody."

So Philip first drafted and then copied the following letter: Dear Sira—M. Foret of thla hotel, has Siren me your names as a Arm likely to transact oertain negotiations for me. I want to purchase a small property In the Mile End road, known as Johnson’s Mews, also a shop near the entrance to the mews, tenanted by a marine store dealer named O'Brien. The mews is owned by the Cardiff and Havre Coal company, limited. I do not know who owns the shop. I wish to acquire these properties for a philanthropic purpose, but I am most desirous that my name should not figure In the transaction. I propose, therefore, when you have ascertained the price, which Should be at the earliest possible moment, to pay to your credit the requisite amount You can have the properties transferred to any nominee you choose and again transferred to me. Kindly add your costs, etc., to the purchase price. My movements are somewhat uncertain, so please send all communications by letter. It will be an obligation and lead to future business if you attend to this matter tomorrow morning. Tours faithfully, PHILIP ANSON. He did not compose this letter without considerable trouble. The "philanthropic purpose" he had already deckled upon, but he thought it waa rather clever to refer to the possibilities of “future business.” As for the double .transfer, be distinctly remembered copying letters dealing with several such transactions at toe time of the coal company’s conversion Into a limited liability concern.

He was early to bed, and bla rest ■was not disturbed by dreams. He rose long before the ordinary residents. Deferring his breakfast, he walked to Fleet street and purchased copies of morning and evening papers for the whole of the week. He could thus enjoy the rare luxury of seeing himself as others saw him. He read the perfervld descriptions of the scene In court and found himself variously described as “pert,” “masterful," “imperious,” “highly intelligent,” "endowed with a thin veneer of education” and “affected.” Philip could afford to laugh at the unfavorable epithets. Up to the age of thirteen he bad been trained in a first rate lycee, and his work was supervised by bis mother, a woman of very great culture. He spoke French as well as English and spoke both admirably. He knew some Greek and Latin, was well advanced in arithmetic and had a special penchant for history and geography. It was in the glowing articles which appeared during bis Imprisonment that he took the keenest Interest. Oddly enough, one ingenious correspondent blundered on to a clew. Gifted with an analytical mind, he had reasoned that the diamond laden meteor fell during the extraordinary storm of the 10th, and the meteorological department In Victoria street helped him by describing the center of the disturbance as situated somewhat to the east of the London hospital. The writer had actually interviewed a member of the staff of that institution who amused himself by noting barometrical vagaries. His Instrument v recorded an extraordinary increase of pressure soon after 10 o’clock on the night of the storm. s "Alas,” said the scribe, “it did not indicate where the meteor fell, and not a policeman, bus driver or railway official can be found who observed anything beyond a phenomenal electrical display and a violent downpour of rain.”

That wlte too / close to be pleasant, and Philip was glad to hear from M. Foret that the solicitors after telephoning to aak for some particulars concerning Mr. Anson were giving prompt attention to his instructions. “What did yon tell them?”. ask£& Philip. “I said that yon Impressed me as the kind of young gentleman who would pay well for services given unsparingly." "Uld uiat SHtlify tbfS?’

“Perfectly. Such clients do not abound in these hard times.” Three Hours later a letter came for Philip Anson, Esq., by hand. It was from the solicitors and read: Wo ara In receipt of your esteemed Instructions. Although Saturday Is a day on which it is difficult to do business, wo lost no time in inspecting the premises to the Mile ®nd road, aooompanlod by a

Author of "Wings of the Morning," "The Pillar of Light,” Etc. COPYRIGHT. ieO«. Br COWARD I. CLODB.

surveyor. We found that the mews stand approximately on an area of 1,100 superficial feet, while the shop tenanted by O’Brien has a frontage on the main road of eighteen feet, with a probable depth of thirty or thirty-five feet. The owner of this shop Is a resident In the neighborhood. and he will accept £460 for the freehold.

We were fortunate In finding the managing director of the Cardiff and Havre Coal company, limited, at hie office. Although the company require the mews for the purpose of a depot, they are not unwilling to sell. With a stipulation that the premises shall not be used by any competing company during a period of twenty years from the date of transfer. We stated that the site waa required for a philanthropic purpose, but the latter stipulation Is Instated on. The price asked Is £2,200. which we consider exoesalve, there being a very Inadequate approach. Moreover, we wish to point out that O'Brien’s shop does not adjoin the mews, and It would be necessary to purchase two other houses to make the entire property a compact one. However, adhering to the letter of your Instructions, we have pleasure In Informing you that the two properties can be acquired, with very little delay, for £2,660. The legal and other charges will not exoeed £l6O. We trust, eta Philip immediately wrote:

I am greatly obliged by your promptitude in the matter of Johnson's Mews and the shep. I inclose check herewith for £2,800. The purchase of the other houses can stand over for a few days

This be dispatched by special messenger, and in a few minutes be beld a formal receipt. A telegram came for him. It was from Mr. Abingdon. Can see you after 6 at my house.

Then Philip enjoyed his first real breathing apace daring hoars of daylight He went by train to toe cemetery in which his mother waa buried, carrying with him a beautiful wreath.

It waa a remarkable fact that thjs waa toe first vialt be had paid to her grave. Daring toe days of misery and partial madness which followed her death he never lost the delusion that bar spirit abided with him In toe poor dwelling they called “home.” Hence toe narrow resting place beneath toe green turf in no way appealed to him. Bat now that a succession of extraordinary external events had restored the balance of his mind he realized that she waa really dead and burled; that what be revered as her spirit was la truth a fragrant memory; that he would be nearest to her mortal remains when standing in the remote corner of the burial ground allotted to toe poorest of the poor—those removed by one degree from pauperdom and a parish grave. It happened by mere chance that since Mrs. Anson’s funeral no one had been interred on one side of the small space purchased for her. There were tbree vacant plots here, and a surprised official told Philip there would be no difficulty In acquiring these for the purpose of erecting a suitable monument.

The boy filled in the necessary forms there and then. It was some consolation to know that be could perpetuate her memory in this way, though he had formulated another project which should keep her name revered through the ages. On the site of Johnson’s Mews should arise the Mary Anson Home For Destitute Boys. He would build'a place where those who were willing to work and learn would be given a chance and not driven, starving and to pick up an existence in the gutter. He was too young to devise all the details of such a splendid institution, but he had got the idea and would possess the money. He would leave the practical part of the undertaking to older heads. The one essential feature was that generations yet unborn should learn to love, and honor the name of Mary Anson. Provided that were achieved, he knew the work would be successful.

Soon after leaving the cemetery be came face to face with Bradley, the policeman, who was in plain clothes and walking with a lady, obviously Mrs. Bradley, judging by the matronly manner In which she wheeled a perambulator containing a chubby infant “Well, I’m blowed!” cried the policeman. “Who would have thought of meeting you? I looked in at the mews last night, but you bad gone. Some one Is looking after you pretty well, eh?” . *

He cast a patronizing eye over Philip’s garments, which were, of course, considerably smarter In appearance than those In which the constable had seen him on Thursday evening. “Yes,” said Philip. “I am In good bands now.”

“They haven’t given you a watch?” ’nils anxiously. “No. I am watchless.” “That’s right You’ll have one soon. The Inspector has your address. By Hie way, he wants to know your Christian name.” “Philip.”

“Thanks. I won’t forget” Philip raised his hat and took the quickest ronte westward. Hedid not count on being recognised so easily. Mr. Abingdon received him with sense degree of reserve. The trate could not understand the -receipt of a letter bearing the address of the Pall Mall hotel, a place where he had been entertained at dinner occasionally by one of his wealthy friends, but Which was far removed from the limit imposed on the pocket of any man whose resources depended on the ex* ercise of an ordinary profession.

Rut Philip still figured in his mind as a ragged urchin. Not even the skilled police magistrate could picture him as the actual owner of millions of pounds worth of portable property; hence, the boy’s appearance now told in bis favor. Cursory Impressions soon yielded to positive bewilderment when Philip began to relate bis story faithfully from beginning to end, neither exaggerating or suppressing any salient detail save the actual locality where his astounding adventures found their center and genesis. Mr. Abingdon did not doubt for one moment that the boy was telling the truth. The romance of his narrative was far beyond fiction. Philip himself grew enthusiastic as he went on. His brown eyes blazed again with the memory of bis wrath and shame at the arrest He told the magistrate exactly bow the proceedings in court had affected him and gave a vivid picture of his bargaining with Isaacstein, the packing of the diamonds, the fight between the policeman and a burglar, his Interviews with all sorts and conditions of men and the ruses he had adopted to preserve his secret.

At last be came to toe transaction which secured for him the ownership of toe mews itself. He read copies of his letters to the solicitors and tbelr replies, and toen of course toe magistrate knew where toe meteor had fallen.

"That Is a very clever move on your part,” he said, smiling. “It Invests you with ail the rights and usages of that particular piece of earth and effectually stops any one from disputing your possession of the meteor. How did you come to think of it?”

“You put the Idea into my mind, sir,” said Philip modestly. “I? In what manner?” “You hinted at our last meeting that some one might lay claim to my diamonds on the ground that they had fallen on their property. I do not intend that any one living except yourself shall ever know the history of my meteor, but I thought it best to buy the place outright In the first instance and then devote It to a charity wbi< I Intend to found In memory of my mother.”

Mr. Abingdon smiled again. “Your confidence is very flattering,” he said. "I suppose you took up your quarters at the Pall Mall hotel In order to Impress people with your importance and secure instant compliance with your wishes.” “That was my motive, sir.” “Then, my young millionaire, in what

way do you wish me to serve you? Of course you have not sought this interview dud told me your story so unreservedly without an ulterior object In view. You see, lam beginning to understand you already a little better than when we first met.”

Philip did not reply Immediately. He did not want to risk a refusal, and he was not yet quite sure that the magistrate fully comprehended the extent of the fortune which had been showered on him from nature's own mint. “When Mr. Isaacsteln returns from Amsterdam, he will pay me something like £40,000,” he said. “Yes. It would seeriTso from the receipt you have shown me.” “That will be determined on Wednesday next at the latest” “Yes.”

“If the money is forthcoming. It wilt be proof positive that my diamonds are of good quality, and as I picked up these dirty stones quite promiscuously Jt follows that the others are of the same standard.” "Undoubtedly.”

"Well, Mr. Abingdon, I can form no estimate of their collective value, but they must be worth many millions. According to Mr. Isaacstein’s views, I will be able to command a revenue of between a quarter and a half million sterling per annum. 1 * "It Is mcrvelous! Perfectly appalling in some senses!” cried the perturbed lawyer, throwing up hit hands in the extremity of bis amazement.

"You are right, sir., lam only a boy, and the thing is beyond my powers. I can see quite clearly that while I ought to be at college obtaining a proper education I will be worrying about the care of great sums of money. I do not know anything abont Investments. How should I? Isaacsteln will probably endeavor very soon to get the better of me In the necessary business transactions, uow can I stop him* 1

have no older relatives, no friends whom P can trust For Rome reason I do feel that I can have faith In you. Will you take charge of my affairs, advise me during the nextrfew years, tell me how to act as my mother would Have told me—la a word, become my guardian?”

For a little while Mr. Abingdon was silent. When words cam* he could only gVsp: “You certainly are the most extraordinary boy 1 have ever encountered." Then Philip laughed merrily. "I don’t think, sir, that I am so much an extraordinary boy as a boy who has been pitchforked Into an extraordinary position. I hope most sincerely that you will do what I ask. If I may say so without presumption, It will be a good thing for you. I suppose a man who looks after millions of money is entitled to a vastly bigger Income than one who sits hoars In a police court dealing with offenses against the law." "Such has certainly been my experience,” said the magistrate, who appreciated the nice maimer in which Philip hinted at a good fat salary for controlling the estate of the King of Diamonds.

"Then yon agree!" cried Philip joyously. "Not so fast, my youthful friend. Even a police magistrate must bow to his wlf*. Mrs. Abingdon would never forglvs me If I took such an Important step without consulting her. Will yon remain to dinner?"

Then Philip knew that he had gained his point Nothing was said before the servants, but when they were cosily ensconced In the library before a pleasant fire he was asked to relate again his entrancing history for Mrs. Abingdon’s benefit That good lady was overwhelmed. She, like everybody else, had read the newspapers and, of course, had the additional benefit of her husband’s views on the subject of the unkempt boy with his small parcel of valuable gems. But the presence of Philip under their roof, the glamour of the tale as It fell from his lips, cast a spell over her. She was a kindly soul, too, and tears gathered in her eyes at some portions of the recital.

“What a pity it is that your mother died," she murmured when he had ended. The words endeared her to Philip Instantly. A worldly, grasping woman would have thought, of nothing save the vista of wealth opened up for her husband and herself. Not so Mrs. Abingdon. If anything, she was somewhat afraid of the responsibilities proposed to be undertaken by her spouse, to whom she was devoted.

The magistrate did not promise definitely that night to accept the position offered to him. He would think over the matter. He could retire on a pension at any time. This he would now do without delay, and Philip could count ou his friendship and advice, while his bouse would always be open to him. Meanwhile he would give one word of advice—lntrust no human being with the {lower to sign any binding document without his (Philip's) consent Then it would be difficult for any one to deal unscrupulously with him. Th# boy went away at a late hour. He left behind him an exceedingly perplexed couple, but be felt that when Mr. Abingdon bad time to assimilate the facts and realise toe great scope of the work before him there was little doubt be would gladly associate himself with it

At the hotel a telegram awaited him: Have realized for fifty-two thousand Returning Monday. ISAACSTEIN. Here was the final proof, if proof were wanting, Philip was a millionaire many times over. (To be continued.)

"Some one is looking after you pretty Well, eht"