Those Lucky Pullens

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 221, 18 September 1929, Page 22

Those Lucky Pullens

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. A newspaper item tells of a GSO.OOO dollar reward offered by a Chinese general for the return to China of seven great diamonds, believed to have been shipped to America in a lacquered chest. Mrs. Fred Pullon in San Francisco has purchased such a chest, but her husband has sold it to two Chinamen for 1000 dollars. Their pretty daughter, Julia, has quarrelled with Sam Carlile, neighbour youth, aud another suitor, a young lawyer named Parks, has asked Pullen if he can be the family attorney. As the last chapter ends, Carlile brings a parcel,, addressed to Pullen in Sam's care. They open it, and inside is-a huge, Irregular, oblong diamond. CHAPTER XLVII. It was Sarn who first recovered his voice. He said: "Zowie!" Mrs. Pullen hovered over the jewel, her hands upraised, her lips parted. Julia's head was pressed close to hers. "It's one of the Chinese diamonds!" Julia said. Pullen's fingers closed over the gem and opened again. "It's one of them," he gulped, "but where—where in Topliet are the rest of them?" Mrs. Pullen's hands came together, her fingers entwining as they met. "I'm not going to sleep a wink!" she announced, shakily. Julia opened a bit of tissue paper in which the stone, had been wrapped, and smoothing it out'upon the couch, took the diamond from. her father's hand and laid it in the centre of the crinkled, white surface. Moving closer to Sam, she stood back. Mrs. Pullen clutched her husband's arm, and the four of them gaped at the shining jewel. The boy's hand closed over the girl's. She appeared not to notice. "Who on earth ever sent that here!" Sam wondered. Mrs. Pullen now moved her gaze from the diamond to young Carlile. Her eyes already were opened as widely as the lids permitted, but a new light now began to shine in them. She started to speak, reconsidered, began again, and suddenly cast herself at the youth and took him in her arms. "Sam Carlile!" she cried. "You lovely boy! You've been doing this all along! I know it!" In his astonishment Sam let loose of Julia's hand, and now he r-tood goggling at the older woman as she lay upon his bosom, her face upraised. "I knew it all the time! I felt it!" cried Mrs. Pullen. "What did you feel?" inquired her husband, severely. He took one of her arms and tried to pull it from its close embrace of Sam. She resisted. "It's Sam who gave us the diamond," she said, her face radiant. •'And he brought us those other things— the necklace and all. And- -" she stepped back and laid her hands upon her breast —"he's given us this furniture, too, nd the car and everything." Once more she moved forward, her intent to hug him again revealed by widespread arms, but Carlile sidestepped. "Don't do that," he urged, clambering rapidly to the other side of the couch. "What are you . talking about, Mrs. Pullen?" "You know! You know!" She shook her finger at him. "It was you, Sain Carlile, who followed those Chinamen and got our diamonds back! And you've been selling them and buying nice things for us. You can't deceive a woman!" Pullen and Carlile sought one another's eyes, helplessly. Julia, however, after a moment of amazed iiiaction, began to

laugh. "There, mama, you'll calm down pretty soon," she said, touching her mother, on the shoulder. "I won't calm down," declared Mrs. Pullen. "You shouldn't speak to your mother that way. Sam, did you sell all the rest of the diamonds?" "I didn't sell any," he said. "I didn't have 'cm." "Yes you did." She bohbed her head in conviction. "You can't fool us, bringing packages that you claim somebody sent to you. Sam, have you hidden the other diamonds?" "I never had 'em," he repeated, unhappily. "Mr. Pullen, you explain to her. Why, that would be the same as if I stole 'em. I wouldn't do such a thing." Mrs. Pullen, however, refused to be subdued. Excited beyond measure by the giant gem, so mysteriously delivered, and by her new theory of Sam's activities, she overrode the youth and talked on. "I can see it all," said she. "We'd never have had all these things if it hadn't been for you. It was wonderful, Sam, to get our diamonds back after those thieving Chinamen took them " "I didn't," muttered the boy. "Maybe you didn't get them all back, but here's this one. How do you explain that?" She laughed with delight. "You can't - fool me! And it was so delicate sending us things, one after another —Sam, I misunderstood you. I'm so sorry." Pullen had made several fruitless efforts to break in upon her flow of words. Giving it up, he leaned back against the door jamb, watching Carlile's face. At last he grinned, when Mrs. Pullen touched upon her former misunderstanding of Sam. The youth looked at him, distressed, and Pullen winked a mischievous eye as he had done a few nights before. Gradually the young man brightened. "Don't you worry if you didn't get the rest of the big jewellery," Mrs. Pullen was saying. "You got this diamond back, and likely the Chinese general will give us a couple of thousand for it, anyway." "Thanks for forgiving me," Sam said, wriggling in discomfort, but giving an understanding nod to Pullen. "It is too bad the others are gone, isn't it?" "See? He confesses!" Mrs. Pullen cried. "You good, kind boy!" In a few moments she bore Pullen away with her to the kitchen, carrying the oblong gem, and the box and paper in which it had heen mailed. "Sam," said Julia, reprovingly, when they were alone, "why did you let mama think you'd caught those Chinamen?" He climbed back across the couch. "Your father winked at me," he explained. "Besides, I couldn't do anything else. Your mother has it all fixedf up. in her mind—seems to make her happy." . -~'. The girl was standing by the stair rail, and ho moved nearer to her. "Julia," ho went on, "I'm sorry you've got that diamond. It must be worth a' hundred thousand dollars." She lifted her eyebrows. "Why are you sorry ?" "Because you'll be rich," he said, "and you won't want to marry a poor dub."

I '■ By MALCOLM DUART

He advanced another step, and she edged away from him. "I wouldn't marry any 'dub' who tells me what I've got to do, and what I can't do," she said, though not fiercely. "I'm sorry," he said. "I oughn't to be jealous of Parks, but I can't help it. You know I love you, Julia." She drooped her head, and twisted the ring upon her right hand. "Do you care anything about me at all 1" he asked. A slight stir at the end of the hall attracted their attention. Mrs. Pullen's head, which had been thrust through the kitchen door, swiftly drew back. "She's listening!" exclaimed Julia. Mrs. Pullen reappeared. "I was not listening," she said. "You oughtn't to get ideas like that, child." She now came toward them, holding the diamond in her hand. "I'm afraid to let go of it," she explained. "But Mr. Pullen and I were discussing what we'd better do, and we wanted to talk to you about it, Sam, now that you're going to be one of the family." "Goodness!" said Julia. "Don't say things like that, Mrs. Pullen," urged the youth in alarm. "She'll get mad at me." "No she won't. Only a mother understands a girl's heart, Sam. She'll be grateful to you as long as she lives for finding those diamonds for us. But what do you think we ought to do with this?" • She extended the precious stone in her open hand. "I'd write to the guy who advertised —the Chink general," said the youth. "But probably he won't give us enougli money," objected Mrs. Pullen. "Don't you think we ought to sell it?" "It isn't ours, you know, mama," said Julia. "But goodness knows we've had enough trouble on account of it," her mother pointed out. "What with Chinamen running around, and burglars—it ought to be ours. What if we write to this general, and he comes and takes It away from us and won't pay anything?" Carlile reassured her. "He can't do that," he said. "But I'm afraid of Chinamenj" complained Mrs. Pullen. "Julia, you'll have to take care of this. You take it to 'Mr. Murty in the morning and ask him what to do. I'm seared stiff to have it in the house—let him keep it for us." "That'll be bully," Sam approved. "He's a lawyer, and he won't let the Chink gyp you." Mrs. Pullen looked at her daughter with a meaning smile. "Mr. Murty has special reasons for being nice to Julia," she said. "What reasons?" asked Sam, instantly alert. The girl smiled, and laid her hand on Carlile's arm. "Be quiet, Sam," she said. "Mr. Murty's sixty, and all dried up, and cross as two sticks. He's smart, though." "Pooh!" said Mrs. Pullen. "You don't understand men, Julia. He's interested in you. I can see that. Probably he's in love with you, and is too timid to say it. Lots of men are that way aren't they, Sam?" (To be continued daily.)