Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-10-12

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Ny brain positively reeled.
The two pairs of steel eyes met and
/ looked fxedly at each other.
\ tap came to the door
Sir George WINGED and made a sign TO
Ralph, who rushed to it and bolted it.
Il am coming in, George, said Lady
Mary's voice.
Send her away" came a whisper
from the bed.
This was easier said than done. But
il was done after sufficiently long par
lev and Lady Mary retired under the i'm
preston that Ralph was sitting alone
with her father, who thought he might
get little sleep.
Now" whispered Sir George, mo-
tioning 10 Ralph.
The fact is, said Ralph, the jew
els are gone. They have been stolen in
the night"
lie bolted out with this one sentence
and then was silent. MarSton and l
stared 40 him agaSt.
lis there no mistake >" said MarSton
at last
" None, " replied Ralph. Il put them
I'm a drawer in the great inlaid writing
table i'm the library last night, before
everybody. ! went for them this morn
ing. half an hour ago, at fathers re-
quest. The lock was broken, and they
were gone
There was another long silence.
Il was fool, Of course, to put them
there. " resumed Ralph Charles told
me So. but / thought they were As safe
there rs anywhere, if no one knew-and
no one did, except the house party
'Were any of the servants about -
asked MarSton.
Not one. They had all gone to bed
except one of the fOotmen who was put
ting out the lamps in the supper room
miles away"
Another silence.
That is the dreadful part of it, burst
out Ralph. They must have been taken
| by someone staying i'm the hOuSe-SOme-
one who saw me put them there. The
| first thing | did was TO send for the
houSemaidS, and they assured me that
1 LLtN uNu AOullu fNfAN NAAAA'A 'tANN '''4N'
every door locked this morning as usual.
Anyone with time and wits might have
got i'm through one of the library win
dowS by taking out pane and forcing
the shutter. / suppose practiced hand
might have done such thing, but
went outside aud there was not foot
step ia the snow anywhere near the
/ library windows, or, for that matter,
anywhere near the house at all, except
at the side and front doors, which are
I impracticable for anyone TO force an
entrance by"
when did it leave off showing -
asked MarSton.
about three o'clock" replied Ralph.
1T must have showed heavily till then,
for there is not a trace of all the car
riage wheels on the drive when we went
ont last night, but our foot prints down
TO the lodge are clear IN the snow now.
/ There has been no snow since 3 o'clock
this morning
1t all points to the same thing" said
/ Charles, quietly, speaking for the first
time. The jewels were taken by some
one staying i'm the house
lone of the servants" began Mar
Ston
NO" said Charles, cutting him short,
mot one of the servants
1T is impossible it should have been
one of them" said Ralph after some
thought. First of all, none of them
saw the jewels put into that drawer,
aud. secondly, how could they suspect
me of hiding them in Il place where
had never thought of putting them my
self tin that moment? Besides, that
one drawer only was broken open-the
center drawer in the left hand set of
drawers. All the others We're untOuch-
ed. though they were all locked. Nc
one who had not seen the jewels put in
would have found them SO easily. That
is the frigh.ful part of it,"
For few moments no one spoke. AT
last MarSton raised his head from his
hands
There is no way out of it," he said
very gravely. The robbery was com
mitjed by one of the visitors staying in
the house.
Yes g" said Charles
Yes r echoed a whisper from the
bed.
Charles looked up slowly and deliber-
ately, and the eyes of father and son
met again.
I'VE do not often agree, father" he
said I'm a measured voice. Il mark this
exception TO the rule with pleasure"
"When l had made out as much as
this. continued Ralph, ''father told me
To call both of you and Charles to con-
slider what ought to be done before we
make any move"
Have you an inventory of the jew
els ." asked MarStOn at length.
None. said Sir George, 'unlesS Mid
dleton had one from Sir John.
thereupon recapitulated in full all
the circumstances of the bequeSt, finally
adding that Sir John had never so much
aS mentioned au inventory.
so much the better for The thief. .
said MarStOn, his chin in his hands. 1T
Is not case for detective" he added.
Il think not. " said Charles.
A kind of hoarSe, ghoStly laugh came
from the bed.
Charles is always right, whispered
the sick man. "Quite unnecessary. |
am sure.
''Oh. 1 don't know" said, feeling l
had not vet been OF as much assistance
as | could have wished. Now | think
detectives are of uSe-really useful, you,
know, in finding out things. There
was detective, l remember, trying to
trace the people who murdered that
poor lady at James old house since my
return.
But who could it have been? who
could it have been - burst out Ralph,