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Show By ROT ,.M CARDBLL j Copyright. 1913. hy "Roy L. MeCardtll I . "ovl,"1,n of1th Photo P'" sslact.d aa th. bit In over 19,000 aubmlttsd to tha aeenarlo department of I fjta Chioaao Tribune In a 10,000 prin contest during December and January. The manuscripts In this competl- I tln came from many aactiona In tha United 8taUa and Canada. Authora of note aa well ae thouaanda of ama- I tour took part. I CHAPTER XLIV. An Altered Telegram. SANKHY, the stableman, fought his way out of tliu melco at tlio circus. Of thoso who had Been lilin seize the diamond from tlio llon'a, paw several hud been separated from him In the struggle mid confu-nlon, confu-nlon, mid others luid been struck down by the circus men wielding bludgeons and shouting the circus men's battle-cry, battle-cry, "Hey, Utibc!" Hiding the diamond In tlio pocUot of his sweater coat, his hand clasped upon It, Snnkey fccemed to be but one of the ninny frightened, fleeing spectntors speeding from tho scene of tragedy nnd riot, I'mitlng, he gained tlio street, swung himself aboard it crowded street car and made his way back to the mean neighborhood whero liU stable wns. Hero he threw the nervous monkey, Clarence, tied to the stall of Quabbu's pony, Into (Its ns lie rushed Into the place, clambered up tlio ladder and hid his booty, tliu diamond from the sky, beneath tlio hay In a corner of tho loft. Qunbba had seen Ksthcr safely to her hotel and had leturned to the congenial quarters where he Iodised the stable uttering lamentations In reaction of the excitement ho had been through. At the entrance to the stable yard he met the policeman who lind already aaPSMaV&V aw :PaLBBaaaaBaaBaaaaaaaacjl .aaaaaaaaaaBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa BBavFaBBBBBBBBBBBBaBBBBBBBBBBBBBBa Parker Promised Ho Would Send the Telogram. heard of the riot call that had brought the reserves to the scene of tragedy and battle at the circus. Tho policeman discussed dis-cussed the whole exciting aflalr with Qunbba, who hud been a spectator. Tlio two came down the alley together, mid Sunkey, the stableman, peering panic stricken from a crack in thu loft wall, saw them, and his guilty conscience con-science prompted the harrowing thought that ho hud been 'Identified as tho thief who had dragged the diamond from the claws of death and that the search for him was on. IQuubba and the policeman called his name, but Sunkey did not answer. IIo lay trembling In tho loft In an ague of fear. Qunbba and the policeman left tlio stable without looking Into the loft and walked up the alley to tho street, and Sunkey dropped down the ladder, climbed tho buck fence and hid lit another an-other part of town, leaving tho diamond dia-mond beneath the hay, SunUoy reasoned if he wero located nnd searched the diamond would not be. found upon him nnd he would take tho ttrst opiKirtunlty of retrieving It and steal uwny with it by night. I'nrtlng from the policeman, Quubbn returned to tho stable, angrily uttering maledictions on the absent Sunkey. for Clnrcnce, tho monkey, wus chattering with hunger. The pony hud not been watered, and his hayrack wus empty. Qunbbu attended to these duties, then clambered to tho loft and thoved down hay Into tho empty rack. Qunbba gave full measure of hay to tho pony. IIo did not know that in the generous measure of hay ho shoved down Into the rack thero fell nnd lodged hidden nt Itho bottom of tho rack, Just over tlio manger, tho diamond from tho sky! That very morning Arthur, distrusting distrust-ing himself and Busplclous of thoso nround him, had written a telegram to Illake. tho lllchmond detective. Of nil M with whom ho dealt Arthur had tlio ' ff most conudeneo In this ustute nutl se-n se-n cretlvo confidential ngent of his. Ar- I ttiur nlso felt ho could trust his Eng- 8 llsh butler, Parker. Taking ndvantngo 8 of a moment that ha was nlonc, Arthur M lind scribbled tho telegram. It read: Bj "Answer nt once. Is Ksther Harding U In I.os Angeles? Also wire condition of g Hngnr Hnrtllng." Tho telegram wus M signed with tho nnino he wns known 9 hy lu the west. John I'owell. Ho hand-H hand-H id this to Parker, who faithfully prom-H prom-H Wed ho would send tho telegram In so-I so-I 'ret, nnd ho kept his word, 1 When Hlnko received this strange 1 message ho was puzzled, for ho know R Esther U'l been, In tlio wcit forjev- prni Troijss. r.t-.t -ns tina learned or Arthur's Injuries nnd deemed that Esther wns kept from the Injured man, For Hlnke knew, too, that ninlr and Vivian were In Lii, Angeles, nnd he suspected them. Illake telegraphed promptly: "Answering your wire. Jllss Esther Ilnrdlng Is In I.os Angeles, linear lin-ear HnrdhiK continues to Improve." This telegram wns delivered nt the offices of the Good Hope Oil company. Illair, lu charge, received nil business nnd personal commiinlcntloiiR In the absence of the Injured Arthur, lllalr opened tho envelope cautiously nt the suggestion of Vivian, who wns present. pres-ent. They were dumfoimded for n moment, mo-ment, and then Vivian pointed to tho first line of the message, which wns typewritten. "Thero Is n purple ribbon on tho typewriter over there," sho whispered, "It seonis thu same type of the machine tills telegram was copied on, lu purplo nlso. It the word 'not' were added ut the end of the first Hue the messngo would read: "Anrwcrlng your wire, SIlss Kstlicr Hardlnc Is not In I.or Angeles, linear lint ding continue to Improve." "VI, you are a genius!'' crlci lllalr. They placed the telegram lu the typewriter, type-writer, Vivian llruily struck the keys nnd the entire Import of the message was changed. Then lllalr carefully scaled It In the envelope nnd sent It by tho ofllce boy to Mr. I'owell at his home. "That will convince him ho Is dippy, for sure!" cried lllalr. "Hut ho must be pretty cunning at that to get a telegram tele-gram out to llluko without Dunmil or Do Vniix knowlug of It, for they watch him like hawks." "Kluco tho diamond from tho sky turned up so tragically at tho circus, I) u nil ul has forgotten his patient," said Vivian. "I believe Uuraud might have becli on the level If It wero not for one thing, diamonds!" "Ho certainly Is a bug on them," remarked re-marked lllalr. "Hero is alt this businessmillions busi-nessmillions nt stuke nnd Duruud Is content that I huvo full charge, and lie does not question whether I will cheat or play fair when we divide. All he thinks of Is tho diamond. Ho would soil his soul for u diamond, u big diamond dia-mond like tlie diamond from the skyl" "Who would not?" murmured Vivian. "I have sold my soul, and you have sold yours for the diamond. from the sky. And It has never rested lu our grasp." "Hut It will!" cried lllalr fervently. "It belongs to us, to you and me. 1 nin .Stanley nnd tho rightful heir, and you are my wife. As for that smooth swindler, Durnnd, nnd his shadow. Do Vnux, tho diamond from tho sky shall never bo dirty spoil for them." "You wnu t to be careful and cunning nnd during, then," said Vivian. "I know Durand of old. Ho goes through blood ami lire for u diamond of price. It Is an obsession with htm. IIo was born ho marked. Ills mother was a walling' mnld to a French banker's 'wife and murdered her mistress for a diamond necklace n few mouths before Durand wns born. IIo was born lu prison." "He's likely to dlo there." remarked Illair grimly. "IIo had better keep his hands off tho diamond from, the sky." "And wo had better get our hands on it," said Vivian: "What witchery Is on it? It comes and goes llko tho devil's talisman." "It will only rest nnd stay with a true Stnnley," muttered lllalr. Vivian reguided him strangely, but snld nothing. If this wero true, why had the diamond from the sky avoided lllalr ns though It wero ii living thing that wriggled from his grasp? Arthur was clay In the hands of the conspirators again when tho doctored message from Hlnko leached him. Arthur Ar-thur believed now that It was true, ns thoso nround him Inferred his obsession obses-sion that Esther was near wns n symptom of recurrent lnsunlty. He shuddered and grow sick ut tho thought. "Oh, God, spnro mo from mndnoss!" ho prayed In agony. "Let mo recover in body nnd mind .to mnko a man of TSrTi, to riTuru to Esther whole nnd sound and clean nnd honorable, ns I promised her and my poor mother 1 would, "Ilnse, unworthy, proillgnto ns I hnvo been, my gypsy mother sucritleed her youth nnd ever)' happiness In life, nnd sho now lies lu a inndhouse, as I llo lnnd In a mansion." And then In his weakness and In his strength ho battled with tho drug do-sire do-sire that clutched him by the soul-he battled and lost. That nfternoon tho soft California air of Into summer brought tho splco of fruit nnd flower across' thq green lawns of the shining new Powell, mansion, whero dwelt tho "Ooldcn Sinn." I.uck nnd fortuni' hud been his, except an ac cldent from tho Injuries of which, tho newspapers stated, his friends wero pleased to learn he was recovering. This nfternoon John Powell, tho "Golden Mini." noes to tho races on his costlv nnd shining tnllyho. Tour thoroughbred thor-oughbred conch horses In gold mounted anujas toss.tb.elr hes.'J"."" ". - English coachman nnd guard to blow John Powell Goes to tho Races. "the yard of brass" udd swagger to the turnout. With the convalescent millionaire on his tallyho party to the races go his closest friends. These nro his private physician, the eminent Dr. Trunk Durand; Du-rand; his cousin, Mr. lllalr Stanley, nu eastern capitalist associated with Mr. I'owell nnd managing his nfTnlrs during dur-ing his convalescence; the Ccunt di Vnux of Purls nnd Miss VIvlMi Mnr-ston, Mnr-ston, who. It Is rumored. Is n young woman of splendid family from New York and who has taken up nursing nml who wns called Into the case by Dr. Durand and who nlded tliut skilled physician to restore his patient to health ugnln. This and much more the p:ixrs say. And this nnd much more Esther reads. These lire line friends, she thinks. Flue The Daughter of the Stanloys Walks In tho Dust. friends Indeed, nnd he, the gypsy changeling, lords It well among them! Tor tho llrst time it sense of Injustice nnd Indlgnutlou burns Esther's bosom. Sho will make tho test nnd prove him what he Is. IIo Is tho gypsy and she Is tho true Stanley. She will go as tho gypsy and confront the so culled gen-tleuinu, gen-tleuinu, who onto again bears u name that Is not Ills own! Shu dons her gypsy dress and takes her tnmboiirlno and walks afoot besldo Quahlm, tho humble mountebank. Tho daughter of the Stanleys, tho fair young mistress of Stanley Hall, walks lu thu dust with a mountebank anil a monkey, besldu thu mountebank's (ony and street organ! or-gan! Sho goes to meet u gentleman with his couch and four, liut us she goes she, wonders bitterly If the mountebank is not the gentleman uud tho gentleman gentle-man the mountebank. .For Arthur Stanley, as "John Powell." has been called the "Golden Map," but the poor hunchback who trudges In the dust bo-side bo-side her has lu honor and loyalty to her proved he has a heart of gold! Toward them comes the tnllyho. Arthur, Ar-thur, lu high spirits despite his recent Injuries, demand to drive tho horses, nnd sitting besldo Vivian, displaces lllnlr. Vivian smiles ut Arthur and hands him a rose from tho bunch at her belt And then Esther steps by the wheel horo and cries up to him, "Arthur!" Ho draws tho horses to a halt. A look of glad, wild Joy comes to his eyes, succeeded by a gloro of horror. Vivian lashes tho oft horse with tho whip she him seized, the rose falls from Arthur's nerveless hnnd nnd the horses dash away and the coach Is gone lu a loud of dust. rn vk C 1-.1 oi the road lies tho roe. Quubbn stoops uud lifts It from the dust nnd hands It to tho broken henrt-ed henrt-ed girl who leans ln her gypsy llnery iigalust the pony cart and weeps. The roso In the dust to u roso lu the dust! Far down the road racegoers In other equipages tee a ragged man clinging to u tnll.Nho. "Whip behind" Is tho cry. The lnh files back uud I.uke I.ovell. returned for blackmail uud revenge, drops from thu coach to which he hud run nnd (lung nnd shakes Ids list uud curses the more exulted gypsy who is muster of u couch uud four. Hut the muster of a coach uud four has sunk fainting luuk among his friends. What use Is wealth to n madman? mad-man? lie has seen a flower by the wayside and u rose lu the dust, and he deems what he has seen aro but the visions of a mind diseased. That night Quuhha's pony lu his stall munches nt his hay and knows naught of human heartaches. The rats scamper scam-per nnd annoy him. unit something falls half fiom the hayrack and dangles at his no-e. The pony nibbles at It. but It Is not good to eiit. A foolish thing. Indeed, the pony regards It. and yet It is that baleful thing for which bauble loving men and women have bartered and taken life. The diamond from the sky. Into whoso hands will next If coineV to hi: roNTiNn.n. |