Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-05-09

just here the French maid glldee
up close to her mistress.
Pardon, mademoiselle," she whis
pered, her half-closed gray eyes fur
lively observing the detective as sh'
! spoke-"but it occurs to me that
have a new clue to this mystery
The little milliner girl is below
stairs she has just brought home
this bonnet. Perhaps mademoisellt
has forgotten that she waited in mad
emoiselle's dressing room half 81
hour last Wednesday. Mademoi
selle has not seen her ring SINCE"
Corisande knitted her brows.
"To be sure y said she. "But yor
don't suppose she has taken it p
Adrienne dropped her eyelashes.
Il would venture to make no accu.
satiou, mademoiselle," y said she, abut
perhaps, in moment of tempta
ton
1.-THE matter is easily settled,
said the detective. "We can have
the young person up here at once
and search her."
Little Rachel came up, much won.
dering. She was startled when
Adrienne yolubly explained to hel
the business upon which she was
summoned, but consented at once to
the search.
"Why shouldn't p said she, sim
| ply, 81 have nothing TO be afraid
or
She turned her dress pocket in.
side out. A little, much-worn leath-
er purse appeared-an elevated rail-
way ticket--a scrap of poetry, cut
| from some newspaper, fell out-and
then a diamond ring, with one gilt.
tering facet of fire, set In its plain
circlet of gold, flashed suddenly up.
on their eyes.
"Ha!" said Adrienne, bouncing
upon it, as some raven might pounce
upon its prey. "Mademoiselle car
see for herself! All, wretch perfd
ious thiefl"
And she shook Rachel by the
| shoulder with one hand, as she held
up the ring with the other.
Rachel hak turned as pale as ash
es.
II think l must be dreaming,
said she. 81 never saw the ring be.
fore in all my life !"
"Come, Gomez said the detective
"that sort of thing won't go down.
I'm afraid you're an old hand at the
business, sissy, for all you look SC
young and innocent
OF course Rachel was arraigned
before the court, but Corisande Mad.
ison refused to appear for the prose
| cution.
"The matter has gone far enough
she said. 1.-THE girl is not a harden.
ed thief. She stole the ring in a
moment of temptation. She has suf-
fered sufficiently. I don't believe
she will ever offend in this way
again
| So little Rachel was discharged
with reprimand from the magis-
trate.
But it was like clipping the wings
of a wild bird and then bidding fifty
away into freedom once more.
The fashionable milliner who had
employed the girl would have moth.
ing more to say to her. No one
wanted her services. And on the
few occasions when there seemed 9
prospect of getting remuneratiye
work, the horizon was overloaded
at once when the question of refer
ences came up.
/ No one wanted thief about theil
premises.
| One person, however, believed II
little Rachel still--her stepmother, .
Woodworking woman, who let lodg
ing, and did up fine laces and old Ia
dies caps for livelihood.
/ aThere is some jugglery abou
this business" said she. "My hus
bands daughter never was a thief 7
1t was in the bleak winter tim
when Adrienne Moncontour engag
ed the one attic bedroom that Mrs
Holley still had to lct.
Adrienne had left Miss Madison
service some weeks before. sSh
could not agree with the new house
keeper, who loudly declared that th
French maid had once been employ
ed as waitress in gambling saloo
J in Paris.
Perhaps there was some truth
!, this, for certain it was that AdrienI
!, had an unconquerable mania for carr