Stolen Jewels
An infuriated Pandora, a Dwarf miner, came up from the mines one evening to find that the half pound of, rough emeralds she had dug to sell, were nowhere in sight. There were human footprints at the entrance of her cavern home.
The footprints bore no markings similar to those of Ham and Eddie, human buyers she usually dealt with. One print heel sported five concentric circles with a worn “M” on the right one, it was completely worn off of the left. She had never seen such prints.
She called out to her neighbor, Bogman. He arrived, carrying a bag of rubies he’d just packed for selling to a buyer, his pickaxe still in tow.
“Boggie, someone’s been here and have stolen my emeralds; have you ever seen prints like these?” Pandora inquired, pointing to the odd boot prints.
“Yea, I have, Pandy but, it’s been years. As I think back, ‘bout four years back, I recall being in town, selling some pink rubies to a buyer, Waxton. He bought me a glass of ale in the Saloon. We must’ve talked about three hours when some big guy came in and accused Waxton of cheating him on a ring. Well, he grabbed Waxton by the shirt and planted his huge fist right in Waxton’s face. Oh, it made me so angry, I remember that I promptly took out that bowie-knife given to me by the son of the Elf King. You remember, the one with the pearl handle? Anyway, I knicked his leg a couple of times until he dropped Waxton and ran out of the door. I couldn’t believe what I’d witnessed. It was unbelievable. Now, what was his name?” Boggie replied, fluffing his bearded chin with finger and thumb. “Sev...Sv...Svengart, that’s it, Svengart. Pandy, you don’t think?”
“I don’t know, Boggie but, someone’s been in my cavern, messing around and took my day’s work. I’ve never seen such prints before so, whomever’s not around here very often. Otherwise, they’d have been seen arund town.”
Both Pandora and Boggie had been friends of the town’s sheriff, Lucius Brandt, since they traded with buyers who visited, regularly, Lucius had often an occasion to see and chat with them. Lucius had also been quite beneficial to the dwarf population, ensuring severe punishment for anyone who interfered with the lives of the dwarves or their livelihood. The dwarves gem mining had brought a great number of wealthy visitors to the area. They found Lucius in his office.
“Well, well, Pandora and Bogie, glad to see you, my little friends, what brings you to town today?” Said a smiling Lucius as he grabbed and shook the dwarves hands. He grabbed two cups and poured them each, a hot cup of coffee and listened to their story.
“I know that name, Svengart.” Lucius grabbed a book and thumbed through many pages before he stopped. He turned the book towards the dwarves and tapped the picture on the wanted poster with his right forefinger.
“Aron Svengart, jewel thief. His last known address was in San Francisco but, he’s been in trouble all over the country. Slick too, they can’t seem to catch him. Boggie, you say you saw him at the Saloon?”
“Sure did sheriff”, he repilied, “You know Roy Waxton, Svengart punched him out, made some accusation about a ring. Bloodied his nose something awful and would’ve beaten him to a pulp if not for Selena here.” Boggie patted his pearl-handle and gave a proud smile.
“Heh, you got’im good with that Bowie, eh?” Laughed the sheriff. “Does that magic still work after all of this time?”
“Oh sheriff, elven magic never stops work’in.” Boggie smiled back.
“Well, Pandora, let me do some check’in around town and come back this evening and I’ll tell you what I’ve found.” Said sheriff Brandt and they parted.
The dwarves had barely left the sheriff’s office and walked down past the hotel when Pandora saw what looked like a huge human boot print!
“Boggie, that’s the same print! Scum’s here in town.”
Boggie ran back to the sheriff’s office and the two returned to meet Pandora right in front of the hotel.
“You two wait out here while I check out something.” Sheriff Brandt entered the hotel. The manager was behind the counter smiling as Brandt walked up to him.
“Frank, any new guests today? “I’m looking for a fella that’s about six-three or four, about 220 or 230 lbs. Any of your guests fit that description?”
“Sure sheriff, fella checked in this morning when the stage arrived. Name is...” Frank glanced down at the sign-in book and read, “Darryl Danning. He’s visiting from back East, New York, I think he said.”
“What room’s he in?” Asked Brandt.
“203, what’s he done sheriff?”
“Can’t say, Frank.”
“He ain’t up there now though.” Frank shouted as the Sheriff ascended the stairway.
“Where’d he go, Frank?”
“He’s over there, in the diner. Said something about getting some stew and pie.”
“Thanks Frank, do me a favor, I need to check his room, Sheriff business, just want to look around.”
“I ain’t stopping you sheriff.”
The Sheriff signaled to the dwarves from the upstairs window of the hotel and they went back to his office to wait. He searched the room and found the jewels beneath the mattress of the bed.
He waited until Svengart came back and as Svengart entered, the sheriff shoved the door against him and Svengart leapt up to see down the barrel of Brandt’s gun. Brandt grabbed his gun from it’s holster and with both barrels aimed at Svengart and said, “let’s go”.
The dwarves, elated when the Sheriff walked in. Pandora screamed and ran over, kicking the culprit in both shins, repeatedly. The sheriff directed Svengart to a cell and slammed the door, locking it. He turned, pulled out the emeralds and handed them to Pandy.
“I believe these are yours, I won’t need them to prosecute; I’ll just turn him in and the law will do the rest. Put those things out’ta sight, Pandy and we’ll head over to the diner and chow’s on me tonight.”
Pandora took one emerald out of the pouch, handed it to the Sheriff and said, “No sheriff, tonight, it’s on me.”
Copyright, 2019, M.L. Kiser
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