Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1908 — The KING of DIAMONDS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The KING of DIAMONDS.

By Louis Tracy,

Author of "Wings of the Morning,” "The Pillar of Light.** Etc. < COPYRIGHT, 1804, By EDWARD J. CLODE.

SYNOPSIS TO PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Chapter I—At Johnson's Mews, a slum In London, Philip Anson, a well reared boy ft about fifteen, loses his mother, tho only illative, so far us he knows, that ho has in the world. He finds a package of letters, many of them from a Sir Philip Morland, refusing aid to Mrs. Ar<so:u» Mrs. Anson was a Miss Morland and was thought by he- relatives to have married beneath tie, - elation. ll—During a great storm Philip saves a little girl, addressed as Elf, from being crushed by a carriage. In his squalid apartments Philip, sick of the outlook and discouraged, is about to hang himself when a huge meteor falls in the courtyard. Philip, sympathetic and imaginative, regards it as a message from his mother in heaven. III —With some fragments of the meteor Philip goes to a jeweler. He is told that they are. diamonds and Is referred to Isaacstein & Co., London’s largest dealers in diamonds. IV—lsaacstein is astounded by the gems Philip shows him and has the boy arrested. V —lsaacstein explains in court that the gems are doubtless of recent meteoric origin. Vl—The wife of Sir Philip Morland reads in the papers about Philip and his marvelous, diamonds and sends to Johnson's Mews' to inquire about him. She learns nothing. Philip Is dismissed from custody. VII—-Philip agrees to supply isaacstein with a quarter of a million pounds sterling worth of diamonds each year for many years. VIII and IX—At Johnson's Mews, while Philip is preparing to remove the rest of his diamonds, he detects an intruder, who, with the assistance of a policeman, is captured He Is a noted criminal named Jocky Mason. Philip removes his diamonds forever from Jonnson’s Mews. X, XI and Xll—lsaacstein sells thirty of Philip's diamonds for £52,000. XIII— Ten years later, when Jocky Mason gets out of prison, he sees the Mary Anson Home For Destitute Roys, which was founded by Philip. XlV—Philip rescues a girl from insult at the hands of two men, one of whom Is Victor Grenier, an ex-fellow convict of Jocky Mason. XV and XVl—The girl rescued by Philip is a Miss Atherley, an opera singer, who proves to be the Elf of Philip's adventure of many years before. Grenier’s companion was a nephew of Grenier. His name Is Lapgdon.

One evening when Jocky Mason entered Grenier's apartments he started back, with an oath, as a stranger approached him in the dim light and ■aid: “Welt. Mason, and what do you want?’’ The ex-burglar and man slayer seemed to be so ready to commit instant murder that Grenier himself was alarmed. "Hold hard, old chap,** he said In bls natural voice. “I am only trying an experiment on you.” "What tomfoolery is this?” shouted the other, gazing at him with the suspicious side glance of a discomfited dog which has been startled by some, person familiar to it in ordinary guise, but masquerading in outre garments. "A mere pleasantry, I assure you. Good heavens, man, how you must hate this fellow Anson if you are so ready to slay him at sight! From your own story, he only acted as ninety-nine people out of a hundred would have done in helping the cop.” “What I want to know is why you are playing tricks on tne. I won’t stand it. I’m not built that way.” “Now, Mason, be reasonable. Can I ask anybody else if I resetnble Philip Anson when made up to represent him?” “Perhaps not, but you ought to have warned me. Besides, I am worried today.” “What has happened now?” "1 went to report myself at Southwark police station. Who should I find

there but Bradley, the chap we used to call Sailor. He Js an inspector now, and of course he knew me at once.” “What of that?” “He pretended to take an interest in me and tried to lead me on to talk about you.” “The devil he did!” “Oh, I know their ways. They cant do anything to me as long as I show up regularly and keep a clean slate.” “But what about me?” “I said you had been a good friend—there was no use in denying that I was here pretty often—and that we both thought of emigrating." “Good! We will.” “Not me. I have a score to settle”— “Patience, my worthy friend. Your score shall be settled in full. I canhot prevent it even if I would. Do you think I have been idle or that I spend Langdon’s money on a wild goose chase? Not me. Langdon has taken my advice at last He has met this

charmer with whom he Is so Infatuated. She almost recognized him, but he pretended such complete Ignorance of her and even of London that her suspicions were quieted.” ‘•What g6od Is that to us?” “Little, but It gave him the opportunity to try and ingratiate himself. He failed most completely, and why?” "How do 1 know? He is an ass anyway.” "Exactly. More than that; the young lady is in love with Philip Anson.**

“I’m not." "But he is in love with her. At first both Mrs. Atherley and the girl kept him at arm’s length. She was tog poor, he too rich. That difficulty was smoothed over quite recently, and they meet now nearly every day. Langdon hasn’t il dog’s chance, and if all goes well, the happy pair will soon be off to Norway or Switzerland for their honeymoon.” “Oh, indeed! Then where does all your clever scheming come in? Why have you hold me back? He went to Sussex. You wouldn’t let me follow him. He wns out late several nights on his motor car along the North road. I would have met him and smashed his face in with a life preserver, but you held me back. What are you driving at? What’s the game?” “Yon shall see.”

Grenier went to a cupboard and took out a small box. From this he produced a single check and several slips of paper on which were written names and signatures. “That Is an old check signed by Philip Anson,” he said coolly. "Here is his signature repeated several times for amusement. It only needs a man of action like you, an accomplished actor like myself, to possess the necessary nerve—the nerve that risks all on a supreme coup—and we will be not only rolling in money, but able to enjoy life pleasantly in any part of the world we select, even in London when the wind changes a little.” "You must talk plainly if you want me to understand you,” said Mason doggedly. “Very well. You think I am somewhat like Philip Anson at this moment?”

“His image, confound him!” “No; not his image. I would not humbug his friends. I might puzzle them for a moment at a distance, but let them speak with me, and I am done. It is sufficient that I resemble him. But the handwriting that is good?” “First class.”

“There I agree with you. My skill in that direction has been admitted by three bank clerks and an Old Bailey judge. And now for the coup. If you intend to kill this young gentleman, you may as well kill him to our mutual advantage. There is no gain in being hanged for him unnecessarily, eh?” Mason glared at him in silence. “I see I must keep to the point. We must, by some means, inveigle him to a place where you can work your sweet pleasure on him. Ah, that interests you! It must be known that he is gping to that place. It must be quite certain that he leaves it.” “Leaves it!”

“Yes. I, Philip Anson the second, will leave it. I will lay my plans quite surely. I will even telegraph my movements to his fiancee and to his agent, Abingdon, who used to be stipendiary magistrate at Clerkenwell. Now, don't Interrupt. You spoil my train of thought. Philip Anson will live again for days after you have—er—disposed of him. By that time you will have established such an alibi that an' archangel’s testimony would not shake it' Then Philip Anson will disappear, vanish into thin air, and with him a hundred thousand or more of his own money, some in gold, , but mostly in notes which will have been chang<*d so often as to defy any one to trace them. As a precautionary measure, he will go out of his way to annoy or insult the young lady whom he intends to make his wife, and that alone will supply an explanation, of a sort, for his wish to conceal his movements. With proper management, Philip Anson should leave the map Without exciting comment for weeks after he is dead, and when the weeks grow Into months people will clhss his disappearance with the other queer mysteries familiar to every one who reads the newspapers. Neat, isn't it?” “Too neat. You can’t do it.”

“Have you or 1 evolved the idea? Who runs the greatest risk, the man who strikes one blow and bides a disfigured corpse or he who calmly faces hundreds of men and says he is Philip Ansou?” * “I don’t care about risk, but if it comes to that I suppose you are the more likely to be found out” “Thank you. You see my way at last, lu any event, you are safe. Even suppose I am discovered, will I split on you? Will 1 add a charge of murder to one of forgery? Not much! 1 tell you the scheme is workable, not by timid bunglers, but by clever men. I admit 1 haven't the nerve to kill anybody, nor would 1 care to suggest this present arrangement to an accomplice merely to make money. But if you are resolved to end Philip Anson’

ear4hly pilgrimage I can’t prevent yon. and 1 fail to see any reason why I shouldn’t profit by the transaction.” “What about me when the thing is done?*’ “Oh. you are beginning to appreciate the other side of events. Now, we will assume that Philip Anson has been dead a couple of months and Victor Grenier has amassed a fortune by a Sheer run of luck on the turf; It to fairly evident that Victor Grenier must divvy with Jocky Mason or -the latter Can make the world too hot to hold him, even if an old friend were unkind enough to refuse to disgorge unless under pressure.” Mason’s brows wrinkled in thought The project sounded plausible enough. Determined as he was to wreak his vengeance on Philip, Grenier’s Ingenious Idea not only offered him a reliable means of escape, but promised a rich harvest of wealth. Certainly it was worth trying. Not once, but manytimes, during the preceding month Grenier had withheld the murderer's willing hand. When It did fall, what keener satisfaction could he have than the knowledge that he would be enriched by the deed? “I can’t see ahead like you,” said Mason at last "But I will obey orders. You tell me where and when; I will be there.”

Grenier shifted his feet uneasily. “I don’t quite mean that,” he said. "I will acquaint you with certain facts on which you may rely absolutely. I will forthwith act myself on the assumption that the real Philip Anson won't Interfere with me. That is all.” The other man guffawed most unpleasantly. This sophistry did hot appeal to him. ; < “Put It any way you like,” he said. “You can depend on me for my part of the bargain.”

“And you can be quite certain that in a very little while we need not trouble our active wits any further as to the wherewithal to enjoy life. I have thought this idea out in all its bearings. It simply can’t fail. Come, let us drink to a glorious future.” He reached for a decanter, but a sudden knock at the door jarred the nerves of both men considerably. “See who is there,” whispered Grenier, whose face showed white through the paint and grease It bore. “What about you in that rig out?” growled the stronger ruffian. “I will slip into my bedroom. Quick! See who it is.” Langdon entered.

“Where's Victor?” he said eagerly. “In his room. Tie will be here in a moment. WhaVs the matter? You look pretty glum.” “I’ve had a pi-'ce of wretched luck I was nt Mis. Atherley’s ‘at home’ today, when Anson turned up._ I met him without winking, but he knew me at once. He called me outside nnd treated me like a dog.” “He did. eh?”

“Yes. It was no good trying to bluff him. Only on the guarantee that I would never meet Miss Atherley again would he consent not to expose me. I’m done. My last chance is gone. I have wasted my money on Grenier’s mad notions and was fool enough to think you meant what you said when you swore to have Anson’s life.” Grenier, who had heard every word, reappeared. / “Does Philip Anson know that Mr. James Crichton Langdon is Sir Philip Morland’s stepson?” he asked.

“I can’t tell. What does it matter, anyhow?” “Think, man, think! Does he even know your name?” /He etin easily find it out,” Z “Not he. This young spark has a fine sense of honor. You promised to keep away from the lady in future. He will never even mention you. And your money is not lost. It has been well spent, every farthing. Take care Miss Evelyn does not see you until she is heartbroken about Philip Anson. She will be, you can be quite sure of it Then your opportunity will come.” • (To be continued.) New wall paper at money saving prices at the Chicago Bargain Store.

”Hold hard old chap” he said in his natural voice.