Pauls Valley Democrat. (Pauls Valley, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 29, 1912 Page: 3 of 8
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CHAPTER I.
In the Diamond Horseshoe.
A girl's scream clashed with the
soprano's high not® tn the Jewel
Song, and in a moment the Metropoli-
tan Opera House wan In confusion.
The cry, half suppressed, broke the
spell peculiar to a "Faust night. The
somewhat portly Marguerite, her
voice soaring like a cage-born bird
suddenly freed, was decking her ma-
ture person with tie glistening stage
gems left on her scenic doorstep toy
the suavest of devils. As the singer
hung about her neck the rope of pearls
with which Mephisto planned to fet
ter her soul, Mr . Mlssloner. swinging
her fan with a freer motion, struck
the slenderest part of her diamond
collarette. The blow was sharp. The
golden thread on which the choicest
of the Missioner jewels In their per-
forated settings were strung, snapped
Instantly most of the freed drops of
frozen fire that constituted Mrs. Mis-
t,ioner's magnificent necklace—the
icne with the Maharanee diatnond—•
were rblling on the floor Of the- box
Mrs. Mlssloner, as the little scream
broke from Dorothy March, a debu
tante she had taken under her wing i
for the evening, clutched at the few '|
diamonds that fell into her lap. M'sh
March drew her skirts tightly about
her ankles and shrank into a comer
of the box, making room for the man
who sprang to Mrs. Mls3ioners aid.
Before anolfler moment sped, Curtis
OHsWOld was on his knees scooping
together the scattered jewels wi'h
enow-gloved hands. Bruxton Sands,
slower of movement, bent with more
dignity to the task. In the next bott.
separated from Mrs. Missloner's only
by a low velvet rail, a man of Orien-
tal features and complexion turned
to watch the scramble for the Jewels.
Though he did not stir from Ills place,
his hawk-like face seentetl to thrust
itself into ths center of the exylted
group.
"Continue! Continue!" the sing'ir i
urged, as she bent her gaza .from the |
box to the conductor.
"What's the matter? 0# tin! ' <!o
on!" the stage manager cried in un-
dertones from the wings .Ushers in
the back of the house sought to cover
the confusion with ill-timed applause
The moment was big with potential
tragedy. One cry of ,"FJr !"
have sent those thousands of s'artIjed
women and men battling along tW
aisles in an elemental fuPy of self-
preservation > Mere ptQloflg Wqi>i ot
the situation, wlthojit that, terri-
ble tocsin' might, have ended in a
smaller panic But the! 'liquid tones
of the soprano soaring again in the
pyrotechnics of the Jewel Song ie-
claimed the attention of the audience.
The conductor, evidently eager to hide
his own momentary loss of poise, fair-
ly lifted his men through 'he intri-
cacies of the accompaniment.
Promptness of action by the stage
restored order behind the
In all that electric sparkle, na
gems outshone the Mlssloner jewels,
of which the necklace Mrs. Missioner
wore that night was the masterpiece.
For In its center blazed the famous
Maharanee diamond.
"I think we've found them all,
said Sands, rising and emptying his
cupped hand into the miniature moun
tain In Mrs. MiasiOner's lap
Sands and Oriswold returned to
their chairs. Reluctantly realising
the thrilling little by-scene was at ao
end, the other members of the audi
ence again focused their attention on
the stage. Mephisto befooled Dame
Martha, Faust won Marguerite, and
the curtain descended on an operatic
triumph, only to be raised and low
ered and raised again as boxes, or-
chestra and balconies recalled the
singers for their meed of praise.
As they passed, bowing and smiling
before the curtain, a low *ci;y came
from Mrs. Missloner's throat.
"0-o-ooh!" she exclaimed, half-
rising in her excitement, "the largest
nf jail Is gone! .The,, Maharanee.!"
instantly the ♦ttfmoll was renewed.
Dorothy sprang to her feet and, be-
fore either or the men could antici-^
pate her, began pugging the chairs
| about until] all sav<$ Jjjvs .^Ussloners
were grouned In a corner b1 the i >ix.
Then the little debutant ' regardless
of her,fluffy frock, raked the floor with
her fan. with her frre hand. her feet
^ gone to the orchestra hurried Into the
| box
i "I've looked thoroughly, sir," he
| said to Sands, "and 1 can't find the
diamond anywhere."
The iuiUionaire slipped a banknote ]
into the man's hand.
"Try again," he said quietly, j
"There's a good deal more than this j
in It for you if you find It."
Griswold. as he moved to let the
usher pass, stepped backward with
such abruptness as to drive his heel
sharply down upon something that
slipped under his tread like a peach
kernel. In the very moment when
Mrs. Missioner, resuming her talk
with the Oriental, said, with empha
si*. "I leave imitations to others;'
that blundering heel crushed Into and
through the velvet carpet, crushed,
against the unyielding hardwood of
the floor, what had been the most eoji
splcuous diamond in all the richly
Jeweled oollarette—crushed It until
only a tiny heap of pallid powder lay
there, save where a great flake had
slipped from the pressure and remain-
ed to betray what the little pile ot
dust had been
"The Maharanee'" gasped Dorothy.
The* widow paled.
The light tn the Oriental's eyes flar
ed to a flame. With a smile as in
scrutable as his thoughts, he leaned
across the low partition, picked up a
pini;h of the powder and the telltale
flake and laid them deferentially on
Mrs. Missloner's outspread fan.
"Tour maid Is more cautious," he
said, his smile softening slightly, "or,
it may be, your Jeweler has made a
mistake."
Mrs. Mlssloner did not faint. She
only clutched the soft hand of little
MlsS March so ttghtly that the de-
butante with difficulty suppressed a
scream. This time there was silence
in the Mlssloner box, for Oriswold.
even as.he be?an to stammer an apol-
ogy for his awkwardness, let the
words die on his lips as he saw Hie
cruel pallor of the widow's face. The
silence of Sands was gum. that ol
in almost hysterical qu<>st of the still ,h(? oriental suavely sell'-effecing.
early
recom- |
Mtssion-
a sweep
all the
asked
manager
ececes.
Nothing of all those Incidents struck
the sense of anyone in the Mlssloner
box. All four of its occupants were
concerned for the immediate recovery
of the diamonds that, had sprung from
Mrs. Missloner's neck to her lap. and
then stampeded across the floor.
Oriswold. still on his knees, rescued
the greater number. Sands, a man ot
action as well as of millions, picked
up the larger gems. Miss March
shrank further Into her corner of the
box, and dragged her petticoats ever
more closely until her immature form
seemed chiseled in tulle.
"Look in all the corners—look
everywhere," Mrs. Missioner urged.
"There's one behind the chair, she
pointed.
"There's another." cried Dorothy,
pointing at Oriswold's feet. A glance
from the dark stranger in the next
box directed the searchers toward
still another part of the floor, and
every move was rewarded by the re-
covery of a gleaming stone. One by
one, by twos, by threes, the diamonds
were gathered, and still the search
went on. Fast as they scooped them
up. Sands and Oriswold poured the
glittering treasure into Mrs Mis-
sloner's lap.
•■Are they all there?" asked the
millionaire.
"No, no," answered the widow.
"There are several more Pleawe look
again—look everywhere. Dorothy,
help me count them."
Oriswold and Sands renewed their
search, peering into the remotest cor-
ners. pushing chairs about, looking,
reaching, gasping with the zeal ot
Klondlkers, urged again and again
by the owner of the jewels.
The glittering horseshoe of the Me*
ropolltan deserves its name The
Kaffirs of Klmberly, the (fcarl-dlvers
of Polynesia, the gold-seekers of the
Klondike, the diggers Into earth S se-
crete the world over toll ceaseless y
to maintain the brilliance or tfcat big
Jewel Show.. They send their dia-
monds and rubles and emeralds and
sapphires, their pearls and opals and
gold, to gleam qn the heads and
breasts and gowns of women whom
the Industry of. one geperatloi .,or 'h^
' etofcWisrkwt luck bf another, h&s
erowned with riches. A night; *t the
opera Is a (iarade of the
gems can work and of that which, toe
often, gems can buy.
missing diamond. Oriswold,
as excited as the .women,
menced his own fearcli.
All the action In Sands leaped to
the fare. Stretching a long arm a ■ n*s
the bent backs of GrlswoM and little
Miss March; he thrust a thumb
against an electric button.
"It. can't he In ihe box," he said de-
cisively, and when a breathless usher
rapped on the door, the millionaire
tore it open and whispered' i*un
down to the orchestra and look every-
where around this box A diamond
has fallen over the rail."
"Dorothy Dorothy. I cannot go
ti) we.flnd.it," sobbed, ilrs
er. The woman who, with
Of her pen, could summon
artists who had"suog tb*ir:«ouls out
on , the stage .to. «\ng .as. .sQulfiilly ln
her talon, who! tvitfi another pon-
sweep, could recompense Vhem be-
yond their ''nwst-.jrsagant demands,
wan )n tv'ars because she. ha.d l^t a
diamond.
BuT'dftch *-<Jlamrtml! ' 'Ws "prisoned
flre Held fhe-hiiHtiw'.oli'an f ltefttfa."'"
•'A^tef ~wid. tGrj^yold in,.*
aside to Dorothy. ';sh"e has recovered
the other gemls, arid even if she can-
not find this; one-f!V .
"Don't you knpw?" returned little
Miss March excitedly "Don't you
really know, Mr tlriswold
"Know what, Miss March
the clubman
"Why, the history of that stone!
Don't you know Kirs. Missioner's hus-
band bought, it from a Maharanee,
that they brought it all the way from
India? Don't you know it's the finest
diamond in America?"
Oriswold shoo.t his head. He was
pursuing the search perfunctorily /lis
hands were busy, fut his eyes ro^ed
over the house. Idly he noted the
slowly ebbing interest of the audi-
ence, the departure ot hundreds by
twos and threes and larger groups, the
thronging toward the lobby for the
usual visits between the acts. It was
with .faint Interest that he saw sev-
eral swarthy faces weaving through
the crowd. Had his eyes been able
to follow those faces, he would have
seen them converse In the corridor
behind the box—the box in which sat
the Oriental with the face of a hawk.
The hawk watched the Missioner
box. So steadily did he direct his
gaze at Mrs. Missioner that, she was
on the point, of averting her glance
when the stranger's flashlight gaze
struck a spark from her memory. She
bowed, coolly, as she began the incli-
nation of her head, but in the end gra-
ciously Her dark neighbor was sat-
isfied with that dubious encourage-
ment.
"You are fond of your jewels as
ever, I see," he said, ln a low tone,
as of one claiming a share in intimate
memories.
"Yes," she answered with an ab-
stracted air Soe was harking back
ti days long gone, and evidesitly the
recollection was not. unpleasant.
"I cannot blaine you," said the Ori-
ental "Every one knows you have
the most wonderful Jewels ln the
world—one ol them, at any rate."
"These," returned Mrs. Mlssloner,
"are among my very finest diamonds.
But they are nothing to the Maiiara
nee, and that Is gone "
A leaping flash in the- Oriental's
eyes soon faded to a gleam of polite
Interest.
• You are brave," was all he said,
to wear them in public^ Many *
woman, save in her, o.wn ballroom,
would content hprself With the dupli-
cates." t
"Duplicates!" There was- unmis-
takable contempt In Mrs Missloner's
tom. ' • "
•I trust," the FtesfcnMr .een^nued.
"ydu wfit recoVer"; 't*8' M<rt>
"Then," said Mrs. Mis
ln a low, tense to.ne,
Is—"
"Not the Maharanee
sense.
Mrs.
Take
plied the Oriental." "In
madame. I congratulate you."
She stopped him with a look.
"This—this thlr.g is—" She could
say no more.
"Paste!" thundered Sands
"I have been robbed," said
Missioner in a stifled voice.
me home, Bruxton."
CHAPTER II.
The, Man of Action.
The con.srence that, followed In the
quiet of Mrs Missloner's library
threw no light on the mystery of ihe
Maharanee's disappearance ,*.Mrs:
Missioner .was not of the. faipting.
type, and jvbeu she entered her Fifth
Jewels. His eyes atlil upon her. is
felt for a cigarette.
The match fell from his fingers as
the inner door opened to his search-
ing gianee. Lances of uiany-colored
light sla.-hed the comparative gioom
of the coinpartm nt as Mrs. Missioner
brought forth tray after tray from the
jewel vault. The steel box in the cen
ter of the sale wns an Aladdin's cave
In miniature. It held stones of every |
sort ln settings of every fashion. ,
ranging irom the product of twentieth |
century Jewelers back to the loved
works or Byzantine artificers. Little
Miss March gasped again as the wid-
ow spread the trays on the Persian
rug
The widow's guests saw what tew
persons other than Mrs. Mlssloner had
seen—all the Missioner jewels at once.
The gems were the collection of ft
llfetlm?. Mlssloner, tn the Intervals
of amassing millions, had devoted
himself to gathering them from the
earth's tour corners. It had been
his only hobby, and he had pursued
It with'the enthusiasm ot a man to
whom an extra numeral or two on a
cheek meant little.
"You have an Inventory, ot course?
asked Sands. Even his sturdy Indi-
viduality paid passing tribute to the
magnificence ot the collection. He
left the stones of the necklace on the
table and strolled over to stare at the
rubles and emeralds, the sapphires
and tourmalines and amethysts, above
all at the unrivaled group of diamonds
graded from a firefly's sparkle to the
gloryburst ot radium. Little Miss
March, true daughter of Eve, sank
on the broad rug beside (he shining
trays and gated at them ln an ecstasy
Of adoration
Mrs. Missioner drew from a shelf
In tfie fe'wel" box a Ctit'silogue of her
ire;(*in e.+:v item by Item she rfnd I
.froiji* if. the .others checking I ray by
Yi v enill'the last stone was a'ccoutu- |
[ e'1 f(p'\ the last save tbe wonderful J
' "Mtihar itjee diamond.
"The big stone gone," mused Sands.
' "Then, Doris," and there was convlc-
! tied tn liis tone?;, as lie gathered up
loner at last. 1 the jewels scattered on tbe table, i
'this Is—this "these others are false, too."
| you think SO?" asked Horn- J
her fingers Interlacing in re- j
ed hysteria.
...ire "f II " said Sands, holding I
one of (lie suspected gems to the |
light. "I'm not an expert, hut I
■haven't the slightest doubt."
' Let me see them." Oriswold inter- I
posed, lie scrutinized three or four j
for mere than a minute "They look i
I genuine enough ti me." He offered j
f}Hm to Miss, March, wbose fingers !
' did not unlock to take them ^ !
"We can he certain very quickly." !
I shld K-rs: Mlssloner. She was studjr- I
| Ing Oriswold's whitening lingers— j
i steady enough, but deadly white. It I
■! wol, * peculiarity of the man that he ,
turned p ile. only, in Mb bunds. . "1 will l
se.ivl' for a jeweler" ,
"My dear! At 'his hour?" came in (
borotb'y.'t'TflW'ofhy's thlld treble.
ihat
diamond," re- i th>
pre-
"Puzzling!" echoed Dorothy. "It's
a mystery—and It's all very dreadful, I
too." Sands looked at her. smiling. |
There was eloquence In those rar* I
smiles of his, much more than In bis j
speech. Not without cause did Wall j
Street know him as "Silent" Sands. ^ J
"Why not a private detective?"
. i Oriswold suggested. "It Is the best
! way to recover stolen property."
"Mr. Ranscome, madam."
A footiuuu of conventional pattern
j stood on the threshold as If on a
pedestal and looked at Mrs. Missioner
from a carven face.
"Let him come up. Blodgett." she
responded. The carven features
blurred Into the background Around
little man with the face of a dreamer
and the eyes of a student entered, at
most on his toes. Mrs. Mlssloner
greeted him pleasantly, and as she
pressed the button that filled the
room with light again, she presented
him to her mends. "Mr. Kanscome.'
she added. "Is an expert of experts "
Briefly the widow recounted the ac-
cident In the opera box. tbe discovery
or the supposed Maharanee dia-
mond's worthlessness, and hsr sus-
picion as to the other stones of her
necklace. During her recital Rans
coroe's glance caressed the gems 'ti
the scattered trays, and It w#« by a
visible effort that he wrested his eyes
from them to look at the stonen on
the table.
"Are they real?" asked the widow.
The little man seemed not to hear
her
"Did you say. madam, the Mahara- j
nee diamond?"
"Yes." she answered, and waves of j
pain .rippled across her face "Oh. j
Mr. Ranscome, think of it—think of
It!" She clasped her hands so tense-
ly the rings upon them bit bet flesh.
"Think of It, Mr. Ranscome'"
"The Maharanee!" he murmured— |
I say, rather; groaned In an undertone.
"A glorious Jewel, a wonderful Jewel. 1
a queen's jewel! Oone, did you say?
Absolutely gone—not. a trace of It?"
With the flat of his hand, he spread
the smaller stones on the table, strok
lng their gloss with sensitive fingers, i
lie Held three or four to the light. '
then, with a disdainful gesture, smear ;
ed Ihe glistening pile broadcast across ,
the board.
"None," replied the widow. "And •
those?"
"These, Mrs Missioner," the expert :
said, as If waking from a dream, "are :
the most beautiful lmltatlors 1 have j
ever seen."
Sands reached for the
again.
sloner." said Donnelly, addressing
Miss March, "to find your diamond! "
"Oh, thank you!" murmured the
widow, sweeping toward him. "I am
Mrs. Missioner. Won't you be seat-
ed?"
••Why,—huh!—no. Miss Mlssloner—
Mrs. Mlssloner—no, thanks!- answer-
ed the sleuth, with all the airy ease
of a highly embarrassed man. "We'll
just—huh!--walk around a little,
thanks—just wali*; around." Carson,
neutral echo or his colleague s words,
did walk around. Donnelly, as U",
having announced the action, he had
done his share, stood still.
Dorothy and Oriswold exclvangert
glances. Sands stared stolidly at the
sleuths. Mrs. Missioner, with a per-
missive Inclination ot her head, began
chatting with Ranscoms Even as he
spoke with her, the veteran expert
could not drag his eyes trom the
Jewels.
"Now, then. Mis' Missioner," said
Donnelly briskly. "Who—huh'—do
you suspect?" There seemed to be
a sort of astlglnatism ln ale breath-
ing Carson faced the group with an
expression that said bluntly he sus-
pected everybody.
"I don't suspect anybody," Mrs Mls-
sloner replied, resuming her talk with
Ranscome.
"You nottce that—huh!—Carson '
said Donnelly, wheeling an his mate.
VwjijjfiSwijs
telephone
CHAPTER III.
Avenue home, fojjowed toy
S'lmls anil Oriswold. sli^" Ventf>;fcW". M^'loper smiled in a way "at
straMit to tfie' ro'Om 'fn' WhtMi >shi Jw tv«*e vw^teYs of
k'epf'fifeF .W-els.' '« ' - importance In commercial circles who
'"Mrs Mi."*!'OTier herself «witehet).^g| I >• be ^lad tn,lims « a suuiuioii.
tW'Ttehi's t8"tWelf",falf radiance^ ;8.he | from h°r af anyjpeur tliat It was not
•bestowed' Werowrthe room, her o)m«4 In vaie *he v\s known-te deale.rs as
• I .yee'ortlie most H1>eral_£ollectors In
(ie world/. SI
dVsk an(t$onk
trtiw,'
,«j j
too .,
Mrs. Mlssloner had no time for
more than another slow bending of
ties head when pie usher who had
She Went Straight to the Room in
Which She Kept Her Jewels.
cloak slipping from her white shoul-
ders, and paused ln front of the safe.
"You don't expect to find your dia-
mond there?" inquired Griswold amaz-
edly.
"Perhaps all the other stones are
paste." she answered. I am going to
see how many have been stolen."
She dropped to her knees before
the steel door or the bank-like vault
built Into the wall, and turned the
nickel knob to right and left. The
door, painted to harmonize with the
Flemish oak of the wainscot, was
ornamented with only the widow's
crest. Silence held the others as her
gloved fingers whirled the little knob.
Not until a click announced that the
bolts were thrown did Sands speak.
"You are suit i>11 the other stones
are here?" he asked, picking up Mrs.
Missloner's lorgnon bag, Into which
she had slipped the recovered gems
on leaving her opera box.
"Yes." the widow replied, "but, Brux-
ton. tbe Maharanee, the beautiful Ma
haranee diamond! If you could know
how I prize it!"
Sands, absently counting the lesser
Jewels, did not see the massive safe
door swing open. His disciplined mind
was working slowly, steadily. Doro-
thy, her small face cameo clear In the
intense light of the mercury; watched
"the shining gems as thft mllHnnalre's
strong fingers flicked them delicately
rrom the silken bag to the < table.
Plainly she, too. was groping for a
ole%.> aipne. therefore.;
wtdpa'H jgioved hand tremblr
swiftly, she turned a smaller kBob
controlling fke Wtflation of ■ the
compartment in Vhlch she kept her
She turned to a rosewood
k up a telephone.
I "Oramercy, 9-7-4-6," she called
| -The Effingham?—Mr. Ranscome, j
please —This Is Mrs. Mlssldiie'r, Mr. •
Ranscome.—Yes, I am at home— ,
Can you come up for a few minutes. <
Thank you." and as she returned ;
th11 receiver to the hook, she explain- j
o6: "Ranscome is the oldest expert'
Iff Mew York."
"While we are about It," said Sands
slowly, "we may as well nail head- ,
quarters." He reached for the tele j
phone, but. his hand was stayed by
Dorothy's fluttering fingers.
"Oh Bruxton," she said, "please
don't call the police," and as Ills eye-
brows went up, she added, "I am so
frightened."
"I wouldn't be hasty. Sands," said
Oriswold. "The newspapers follow
the sleuths, you know." (
"I'm not think of the newspapers,'
replied Mrs. Mlssloner, "but maybe
we'd better wait for Mr. Ranscome.
You see," and there was perplexity
In the glance that swept the group,
"this is no ordinary theft."
"Not a burglary, you think?" asked
Griswold quickly. He had lighted his
cigarette, and, leaning back In a cozy
corner of the tnglenook, was smoking I
with little abrupt puffs that, con- |
trasted with the ease of his position.
He studied the widow covertly
through weaving wreaths.
If a burglar could reach this room,
I must reorganize my household," she
murmured. She was ga«lng Into the
flames. Her shoulder* drooped, and
Sands, noticing her weariness,
switched off the lights. The rainbow
sparkle or the jewel trays varied ran-
tastlcally the pattern or the rug on
which they lay, but the background or
dusk rested her.
And there Is no one you suspecf"
There is no one ln the house I can
suspect."
You are to be congratulated," Gris-
wold commented, with a smile dis-
creetly divided between sincerity and
satire. "And, or course, having such
an impeccable household—"
"U I were you, Doris," Sands broke
In Impatiently, "I'd send for the po-
lice at once." His slow logic had car
rled him to the fact that even now
the thief might be on the road to es-
cape. Little Miss March glanced at
him admiringly. Swift or slow of wit,
the man of action appeals.
"I think Mr. Sands is right, Mrs.
Missioner," she said softly. "It fright
ened me at first, but Bruxton knows."
"Advise, met" -said the *f|dof, !$f
satin slipper .tap-tap tapping the fen-
der of huf-nlsbed bras . "I am not
Jesting when 1 say I am in the hands
of my friends. All this Is more than
puzzling."
A Searching Examination. | Bioner,
When ihe millionaire stopped talk-j body suspected in
lng over tbe telephone, he turned to i
tbe widow with an air of finality
"I have taken it on myself," he told j
her, "to inform the Detective Bureau.
This Is no time for SherloOHlng.
There'll be a couple of detectives |
here in half an hour." ^
Mrs, MiSiJioiiftK looked at' him ad
mlringly. x But her eyes turned to
.Griswold Vl,h f- iJl*ht 11 >ouid him'
taken a Ionian to reajfc a woman
more experienced than little Dorothy
March.
Ranscome, ignoring the counterfeit!.
stood ip absorbed study of the jewel
trays' kaleidoscopic contents. That
peculiar pallor returned to Oriswold's
hands. With fingers that bent and
straightened ceaselessly, he drum-
med hin fist.
"The robbery Is the more incom-
prehenslble," said Mrs Missioner
thoughtfully, "because of the extraor-
dinary precautions I have taken
against burglars. I csnnot understand
how the thief got to the necklace."
"Your safe seems strong enough,"
Ranscome ventured. Stepping around
the trays, he passed his hand over
the outer door and looked at the
twenty-four steel bolts curiously.
"It should be strong," returned Mrs.
Missioner. "It was built on the lines
of the great safe in the Oramercy Na-
tional. It differs only In size and In
the absence of a time loeV;*
Both Detectives 3egan an Examination
of the Door.
j "Nobody suspected — huh!" He
i breathed ln dialect-
Carson, instantly complaisaut, ban.
lshed suspicion from his look.
"Now, you know, tln#res always
| somebody, ma'am—huh! Mis' MIh-
Donnelly persisted. "Some-
ery case. Think
moment. Have to suspect belora
you convict, you know Never heard
huh!—of a case without, suspucta
eh"" ...
The eh" was meant to be a javelin
hurled straight at the widow's innei
consciousness. It fell short
"There is uo one \o be suspected-
no one 1 can suspect.," she sald^
Feet at rigbt^ angles, naipi>tiarita
dancing desperately aa the lob mi (
and fell, the large mantfrom th,e. Cen- j
tral Office moved toward tl(«' safu j
Mrs Missioner shuddered at thought j
of the peril to her jewels from his j
p'.ate armor soles, Hsr imulorfng eye-1
sweep brought re«dy response from
Sands and Oriswold, and lu a second a
fraction they were plllt* the trays
pn chairs and tablee lUnsconie. help-
ing handled the morocco cases wilh
loving touch, *
Donnelly stopped short at sight ol
the gems lu the trays An interroga.
| live snort vibrated somewhere inside
him, but found no oral expression. Ha
parsed on to the safe. With a master-
ful grasp, he swung the great door to
and fro.
"We'll soon know," he said reassur*
•who to—huh!—yes. who
lngly, uu .v- ^
suspect. Carson!" J
The echo crossed the room wlttt
whispering tread Both detectives be-
gan an examination or the door Byes
clos« to the dalatUy tinted steel, they
Banscome, staring at the safe, shook", dragj^d their combined gaze along It*
his head. Hands walked over to him
and, thrusting both hands in his pock-
ets, stood gazing at the bolts. ()rls
wold, smoking quietly In the ingle-
nook, mustered a show or Interest In
the sate rrom time to time, but al-
ways his glance returned to the glit-
tering trays.
"I wish you'd put those nwsy,
Doris," said Oriswold suddenly. "With
all this mystery In the air, I don't like
to see them lying around."
"Surely they're sate among us," she
answered, graciously Including Rans-
come with an extra smile. She drew
off her gloves decisively and. rising
as if trom tolds of conjecture, rang
for Blodgett. "I think—" she said,
then stopped with her hand on Doro-
thy's shoulder.
Inquiry reached toward her from
four pairs of eyes.
"T think," she went on, "Miss March
wants some tea. and—I think we all
need something to drink."
It was when Blodgett, tray laden,
was tinkling his way to the library
that the detectives arrived. The
hostess and her guests, the footman
having been bidden to show the po-
licemen in. heard heavy breathing
outside the door, where Donnelly and
Carson, or the Central Office, were
gripped ln a panicky pause. Next
moment, a large man with a small
head, and another so aggressively av
erage as to be a nondescript, eame In
Donnelly, the big man, turned out his
toes as he walked. A charm the size
and shape of a double eagle, beaMng
a Bacchante whose pose would have
been Indecorous if It. had . tjot been
Impossible, swung fromjjlfl efluatorlal
waistline. One cou^ld fit', a? a glanee
he used perfume. One could tell
nothing In many glances about Car-
son. There was nothing to tefl
"We've come up here, Mrs. Mis-
front from top to bottom, from stdo-
to side Then they shifted their eyes
to the thick edge of the door, and
their scrutiny bored Its way past bolt
alter bolt until it switched to the
inner panel. That done, tbey exanv,
Ined the rectangle into vrhlcn the 1)1*
door fitted as thoroughly (
The big man straightened abruptly.
Bacchante's heela came down and her
hands fluttered aloft. The catch in
his voice, characteristic of him when.
In the presence of the rich, was brush-
ed out of his throat by a burst of pro-
fessional zeal. He recognized * situa-
tion that enabled hUn to play iaiulal-
tor in a home of wealth
"Where were the Jewel* stolen
from?" he asked
"I don't know," said Mrs Missioner.
"When did you miss them' '
Again the widow recited tile Inci-
dent. of the opera box
"Who was ln the party?"
Mrs. Missioner told him She ltd
not mention the Oriental in the next
box. It did not occur to her. *
"Isn't there anybody you can think
of," pursued the big detective, "who
could have taken them?"
"Nobody who would." answered
Mrs. Mlssloner.
"Did anybody else have the qombl
nation of the safe?"
"One," responded Mrs. Mlssloner.
She answered defensively, like a wit-
ness under hostile crose examlnatlon.
volunteering nothing. Donnelly seem
ed not to hear her. He was examin-
ing the safe again. He passed his
hand „p*er the door and i|fc frame
agalb, turned the handle that iihotthe
bolts, noted their strength and
unioethneas, turned them b tik. and
wheeled on Mrs Mlssloner abruptly
"There's been no Torcin* here." he
stiia's gely. "It's an Inside Job" (
(CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)
i
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Mitchell, J. D. Pauls Valley Democrat. (Pauls Valley, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 29, 1912, newspaper, February 29, 1912; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc118396/m1/3/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.