Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-09-05

rose at once, dressed quickly and hur-
ried down to the dining-room.
The family had breakfasted, but she
thought little about that Her first
glance at the lounge where she had
left her wraps showed that they were
all picked up and carried away.
"Who carried my things away?" she
asked Matte, who was busting the
| room.
~ did. Wasn't that right?"
"Oh, yes!" but she hurried into the
hall and examined her mittens, her
muff, cloak and hood, even her over
shoes and leggings, shook every thing,
but to no purpose.
did you hear anything drop on the
floor when you picked up my things,
Matter" she asked, when she returned
to the dining room.
II don't remember as 1 did," Matte
said. I've swept the floor since.
Have you lost something's"
Jacly said yes" and, getting down
on her hands and knees. peered in the
hollow Of the stove legs, examined the
lounge and shook it's cushions. Then
she went out at the front door and
carefully examined every inch Of the
path to the gate-all in vain.
| Then, and not till then, did she ac-
quaint her mother with her loss. Mrs.
Lawson was even more disturbed than
Jaclxy, and she went over all the
things and places that Jacky had
searched, as vainly. Then her sus-
picion fell on Matte. She was too Just
to say anything of it to anyone else,
but she watched tho girl narrowly
and thought she saw traces of quilts
Judge Lawson took measures to have
the sleigh searched carefully, and also
sent word to the house where the
party was given, but all as fruitless as
the other efforts.
The next week was Mates time for
q visit home. Her widowed mother
lived in the city, ten miles away, and
it had been stipulated when she came
that she should have a chance to go
home once in two months and spend
the Sabbath, SO she went on the train
Saturday. Truth to tell, it was re-
lief to her to get away, for she felt
that Mrs. Lawson was all the time
watching her and suspected that she
knew what had become of the ring
That evening Kitty Logan, one of
Jacky's many girl friends, came bust
ling in.
II went to the city to-day" she said,
land l sat just opposite your girl,
Matte, in the car. And 1 want to ask
you a question. Does she wear q
ring?"
II don't remember as ever noticed
her wearing one. Why?"
well, it may not mean anything,
| but she certainly had on one to-day,
for could see the shape of it through
her worsted glove"
SHOULD you think the shape might
have been like Jacky's?" asked Mrs.
| Lawson.
II should think it might, though l
didn't think about that at the time,
and should never have thought of it
again, but for one circumstance. l
had an errand at Peck & Snyder's-
they're the finest jewelry store in the
city you know-and 1 met Matte COM
ing out just as l went in. She must
have gone there direct from the depot.
She had on a veil and didn't notice me,
so many are all the time passing out
and in, but 1 wondered why a poor
girl like her should visit fine store
like that"
Mrs. Lawson was more stirred by
this confirmation of her suspicious
than she was willing to confess. With
out telling anyone she wrote immedi-
ately to Peck & Snyder, asking if they
had had diamond ring offered them
for sale that day, if so, what style of a
ring and by whom. W @
The answer came back immediately.
They had several clerks, so it was diff
cult to trace such things, but one
clerk, name given, remembered a
young lady bringing in diamond ring
about that time, was not positive as to
the day, and asking its value She
did not say she wanted to sell it. The
heads of the firm were both out then,
and the clerk told her he did not think
any of the clerks would be competent
judges of its value, and advised her to
call again.
Mrs. Lawson was not satisfied, and
wrote again, this time to the clerk
himself, asking that he describe to her
as nearly as he could the lady and the
ring. %
The clerk replied that he did not re-
member at all particularly about the
lady, and could not we'll describe her
face, as she had on veil, but his i'm
preston was that she was young;
should not say that she was richly
dressed, or very poorly, and there was
nothing suspicious in her manner;
should say the diamonds were a mod
est cluster, but did not examine the
ring and could not tell positively its
style.
The modest cluster" described
Jacky's ring so exactly that Mrs Law
son now took her husband into her
confidence, told him what Kitty had
said, and showed him the letters.
Its a case of circumstantial evil
dence," he said, after they had talked
over the particulars. mo one should
ever be condemned on that. I'll think
of it over night. and give you my ad-
vice in the morning."
go yourself and talk to Matte kind