Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-03-05

GAtA AALl put AA4Nb NN4bSs ~ a. LAAl
man has the coolest audacitv ever met
Hero he actually offers me 81. 600 10 re
cover that ruby, when he knows that /
was right by his side at the time Of the
theft. Is he so egotistic that he dares 10
guy me? Is he so sure that he cannot be
convicted? know that he was not in
Philadelphia anyway, us my man found
his room empty. His alibi is broken,
at all events, clever as he thinks him
self. Will 1 go TO Philadelphia to see
him? Well, I should think SOL A con-
versation with him will be as satisfac-
tory TO me as it possibly can be to him.
But first must obey the call from Miss
Remsen. There may be much 10 learn
there.
1t was nearly an hour before Mr..
Barnes duties in connection with other
cases made him at liberty. He went
straight to Miss Remsen's and was
shown into her presence.
"You sent for me, Miss Remsen, =" he
began.
Yes, Mr. Barnes she replied.
will you be seated?'' The detective ac-
cepted her invitation, and she contin-
ued: ITO come to the point at once, I
wish to see yoU about my lost ruby. 1t
was a present from Mr.. Mitchell to me,
and besides being very costly attach
sentimental value TO It. want You to
undertake TO recover it, and will give
you 81, 600 if you succeed.
Mr.. Barnes had never had so many
thousand dollar offers made TO him in so
short time before He smiled slightly
and said:
Your offer comes too late, Miss Rem
sen. 1 have letter from Mr.. Mitchell
himself, making a similar offer. 1t
would scarcely be proper for Inc TO ac-
cept two rewards for one service.
Then you refuse to help me?''
'On the contrary, will use my ut
most endeavors to detect the thief and
recover your property for you. But I
need no money from you.
"You are very conscientious, Mr..
Barnes, and 1 admire it. 1 honor
man who places his duty above money"
81 thank you for your courteous re-
mark. Now, if 1 am to help you, you
must begin by assisting me.
L ~ LII w W AlsAttNNl Il NtAAis NNA
"Then, tell me, have you no suspicion
as to who might have taken your jew
el?' The girl hesitated, and the detect
i've watched her face keenly. As she
did not reply at once he asked another
question:
''Did You feel the person take the pin
from your hair?'
Eyes, 1 did; but 1 did not realize
what was occurring till he had it.
"Why did you not make any resistance
or cry out?"
Again she hesitated, but in moment
she said firmly:
II know that you have right to ask
me these questions, and will reply to
them if you insist upon it. But first, tell
me, would it be right for me to call a
name to you as one that l may have sus-
pected when l had but the flimsiest ex-
cuse for my suspicion? Might 1 not
thus do more harm than good by attract
ing your attention to false scent?'
"That is certainly possibility, Miss
Remsen, but it is one which am in
clined to risk. l mean that / prefer to
trust to my experience than TO have you
omit TO tell me your suspicious
Every we'll; only promise me that
you will not jump to conclusions and
thus perhaps annoy the person whom l
shall name.
II agree to that. Twill take no action
without sufficient reason other than that
furnished by yourself. E"
Every we'll You asked if l suspected
any one, and again why did not resist
the thief If you will remember, my
head was bowed. At first 1 could not
understand how something seemed to
move my pin. fancied that it had be-
come entangled in the sultan's robe.
Then the clock began to chime, and in
moment it flashed across my mind that
perhaps Mr. Mitchell was taking my pin
in order to win his wager. Therefore /
said nothing. This makes my action
clear to you!'
Perfectly. Then l am to understand
that Mr.. Mitchell did not tell you in ad
vance that he would do this?"
mo, he did not, and that is why /
have sent for you. p"
II don't understand you.
why, all the time that thought he
had the pin / was not worried. l even
went so far as to act indignation at the
festival That was partly for your edif-
cation and mystifcation. wanted to
help Mr.. Mitchel's plan. But when it
occurred to me yesterday that Mr..
Mitchell, if he had meant to take the
pin, would have told me in advance, l
saw at once that my first idea was
wrong and that my ruby is really gone
Then wrote to you.
Then you feel sure that he would
have told you in advance.
Positive.
MAY he not have feared to ask you
to implicate yourself in robbery and
possible scandal? You know he was
liable to arrest, and it might be a con-
siderable time before he could have
proved that his theft was only joke.
He may have wished to spare you no.
toriety."
He knows me better than that. " She
said this with smile.
"How betteri" asked the detective.
II mean that he knows there is moth
ing that l would not risk for him, since
1 have consented TO give him myself l
am one Of those women, Mr.. Barnes,
who are not easily deferred from aiding
the man of her choice.
"Do you mean that you would be
willing to share unenviable notoriety
with him and that he knew this?"
II do, and therefore feel confident
that he would have asked my assistance
If it had been his intention to take my
pin"
"Just as he did on another occasionf"
The detective had been leading her up
to this for TIE last few moments, and
now watched to see the effect She did
not change countenance, but simply said:
"What occasion?"
1.-THE morning when he locked your
maid in this room while you went down
town and took a little girl from one
house to another"
"To what other?" This was hard
one for the detective, and as he did not
reply she smiled aggravatingly rs she
continued:
"Mr. Barnes, you have no proof of
your assertion. You suspect that | did |
what you say, but you do not know it, |
As 1 told you just now, it is possible for |
a bare suspicion to lead one astray.
Perhaps, but l do not think that l |
am far wrong i'll this instance.
'We will not discuss it. Let us re- |
turn to the ruby. You told Mr.. Van
1