The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-17
Mrs. DO b
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER.
Aut5or Of" Bottles Baby" Beautiful Jim,
Etc, Etc
CHAPTER xII.-MIss ALIcE's DOUBLE.

CHAPTER XII.-9IISS ALICE'S DOUBLE.
BY the next morning all Blankhampton
was in blaze of excitement about the
robbery of Mrs. Lovelace's jewels. She
had never been much liked in the town,
having from remote times gone in largely
for what in country towns is known as
Carrying on" Her equals objected to it
because they had a sort of vague starched
idea that it was not the right kind of
thing, that it let down their class and
lowered their order; her rivals hated her
little ways because they did not care about
being left out in the cold, and where
Mrs. Lovelace was there it generally hap
pened the men were to be found also, and
in q way not very we'll calculated to please
the other bellies of the place; her interiors
said openly enough that they did not
think the lady's carvings on respectable.
Yet-though nobody was really in their
hearts very sorry for Mrs. LOvelace's loss
the entire population Of BlankhamptOn
went into Il fever Of excitement over the
robbery itself. 1t was too dreadful that
anything so bold so impudent. should
have happened in their unsuspecting
midst, that while the old ladies were out
with their card cases or perhaps the young
ones were deep in their devOtiOns at the
Parish, a thief had boldly walked into a
house in well-frequented thoroughfare
and had carried off box of jewels.
1t was reasonable enough to the Blank
hampton people that gang of thieves
should put ladder against Lady Luci-
fer's window and make themselves too
painfully at home in her private apart
ments, while as for that Mrs. Markham,
well. they simply thought it was too dis
gushing that an Australian squatter'S wife
australians are all supposed to be squat
tiers to deep-rooted folk such as gather
around the stately Cathedrals Of this
country should ever have possessed such
wealth of beautiful jewels, o woman
who had probably been quite low crea.
ture to begin with, such as made Blank
hampton people wonder what Lady Luci-
fer could be thinking of to strike up an
intimate friendship with her, and even in
vite her to stay in her house.
But when these thieves came into the
very midst of the town, when they could
walk boldly into lady's room in the mid.
die Of the afternoon and help themselves,
then it was indeed coming home to them,
and society talked about nothing else.
And then when society had talked it we'll
over-society in the shape of Mrs. Fairlie
and Mrs. John Doughty, Mrs. MOnsOn
and the young lady with the nose-soci ETY.
went home and locked away it's teaspoons.
its imitation pearls and it's brilliant paste
ornaments. All! dear, but this is funny
world
In Ewes however the excitement was
even deeper, and the inhabitants of the
houses which had not been robbed felt
as people sometimes feel when the next
door house has been struck with light.
ming, and like man does when he finds
himself in the midst of a railway accident
and the man next to him is struck dead
by his side.
''Do you know" said Julia, during the
course of that dinner, while the Staunton
sapphires graced the chimney-shelf, edo
you know, I saw Alice Mauleyerer go i'll
TO the Lovelace's about half-past four to-
day."
''Did you?" somebody asked.
eyes. was standing in the window
watching the lamplighter light the lamps
it was barely dark And I saw Alice
Mauleverer cross the road just here and
go into the corner-house. She opened the
door and went iu-as she always does"
did you see her leave9" her mother in
quired.
''No-I did not wait to see if she stayed
or not I noticed that the lights were
not burning-indeed, l had seen Mrs.
Lovelace go across the road towards the
Mauleverers' house about half an hour
before"
sit would have been odd if Miss Maui
Il in rJCt of ho rht
ment, wouldn't it?" said Lady Staunton,
exctedly.
However, the following day it tran
spired that Miss Alice Mauleverer had
never been near the corner-house, that
Mrs Lovelace had gone to see her friends
at No. 10 quite early in the afternoon and
had stayed there chatting with them. until
it was time for her to go home and dress
for the dinner at the deanery to which she
was hidden, when she had Immediately
missed the jewel-box. And the odd part
of it was that not one of the three Miss
MauIeverers had left the room during the
two hours of her visit even for minute.
During the course of the next day g
messenger came over to Julia from Mrs
Lovelace Would she go over for five
minutes? And of course Julia went and
was shown up to Mrs. Lovelace's room
where she found one or two business-likt
men in plain clothes together with the
three Mauleverer spinsters and Major and
Mrs. LOvelace.
Mrs Lovelace apologized for having
troubled her. 'YOu know that have los
all my Jewels" she said.
"Yes-and most sorry we are for you,
cai1 Tu1ia kindly
''Well-these gentlemen are detectives
and one OF them has heard that you sale
at dianer last night, when you were al
talking If his affIir that you saw one o
my friends here-Miss Alice Mauleverel
cross the road and go in at the door be-
low"
Eyes. did" said Julia, tabout half
past four"
'But do you know that 1 was in their
drawing-room yesterday afternoon from
four to six o'clock and that the three Miss
Mauleverers were there and never left II
fol-. one minute during the whole of that
timer"