siness-like
way, which told that he was ready for action.

Mona also rose, and, bidding him a quiet good-day, went quickly out of
the office, and hastened back to the hotel.

* * * * *

In order to understand more fully some of the incidents related, we shall
have to go back a few days.

It was a bright, clear morning when a rather rough-looking, yet not
unattractive person, entered a large jewelry establishment located on
one of the principal streets of St. Louis.

He might have been thirty-five years of age, for there was a sprinkling
of silver among his coarse, intensely black hair, which he wore quite
long, and also in his huge mustache and beard. His face was bronzed
from exposure; there were crow's feet about his eyes, and two deep
wrinkles between his brows, and his general appearance indicated that he
had seen a good deal of the rough side of life.

He wore a coarse though substantial suit of clothes, which hung rather
loosely upon him; a gray flannel shirt with a turn-over collar, which was
fastened at the throat by a flashy necktie, rather carelessly knotted; a
red cotton handkerchief was just visible in one of his pockets; there
were coarse, clumsy boots on his feet, and he wore a wide-brimmed, slouch
hat.

He inquired of the clerk, who came forward to wait upon him, if he could
see the "boss of the consarn," as he had a little private business to
transact with him.

The clerk smiled slightly at his broad vernacular, as he replied that
he would speak to the proprietor, and presently an elderly gentleman
appeared from an inner office, and inquired the nature of the man's
business.

"I'm a miner," he said. "I'm just home from Australia, where I've been
huntin' diamonds for the last ten years. I've made a pretty good haul,
and sold most of 'em in London on my way home. I had a few dandy ones cut
there, though, to bring back to my gal; but--but--well, to tell the plain
truth," he said, with some confusion, "she's gone back on me; she
couldn't wait for me, so married another fellar; and now I want to sell
the stones. D'ye want to buy?"

There was something rather attractive, as well as amusing, in the man's
frankness, and the merchant smiled, as he kindly remarked that he would
examine the stones.

The miner thereupon pulled out a small leather bag from one of the
pockets of his trousers, unwound the strong thong at its throat, and
rattled out upon the counter several