ointment in his eyes. "I'd
ruther have got rid of 'em, fur they're kind o' ticklish things to
be carrying about. Wonder if I couldn't leave 'em in your safe till
Thursday?"

"Certainly, if you are willing to trust them with me," said Mr. Cohen,
looking rather surprised at the man's confidence in him: "still you would
have to do so on your own responsibility. I should not be willing to be
held accountable for them in case of a robbery."

"Wall, then, perhaps I'd better take them along," the miner returned, as
he tied the mouth of his leather pouch, and shoved it into one of his
pockets.

Then drawing forth a plug of tobacco from another, he bit off a generous
quid, remarking, as he did so:

"I'll be on hand Thursday mornin', I reckon. Good-day."

The merchant politely returned his salutation, and watched him
thoughtfully after he shut the door and went swaggering down the street,
looking in at every window he passed, in regular country fashion.

A few moments after, the merchant took his hat and also went out.

A few hours later, Mr. Amos Palmer received the following dispatch:

"Send expert and detective at once to examine suspicious stones.
EZRA COHEN."

Ezra Cohen had for years had business relations with Amos Palmer, going
to New York several times every twelve months to purchase diamonds and
other jewels, for the St. Louis trade.

On his last visit thither Mr. Palmer had mentioned the bold robbery,
which had resulted in his losing such valuable diamonds, and had
described some of the most costly stones, saying, that possibly they
might some time fall into his hands.

Mr. Cohen was not sure, but he was impressed that the two larger stones
of the collection which the miner had brought to sell him, on that
morning, resembled, in some points, the ones described by Mr. Palmer;
and so he thought it worth while to have the matter proved, if possible,
although he felt some compunctions regarding his suspicions, because the
miner had appeared so frank and ingenuous.

If he had only left the stones with him as he had proposed doing, the
matter of testing them could have been attended to during his absence. He
hoped that he had not acted too hastily in telegraphing to Mr. Palmer;
but he had done as his best judgment had prompted, and could only await
the result with patience.

It was with no little nervousness, however, that he awaited Thursday
morning, especially after receiving a reply to his message to the e