Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-10-19
FIVE HUNDRED CARATS.
By GEORGE GRIFFITH.
copyright. 1898. by the Auth vi
CONTINUED from last Fiiday0

charge of Mr.. Marsden and Mr.. Lomas
Mr. Marsden opened the safe, MI.
Lomas put the tray containing the big
stone and several other fine ones into
its usual compartment, and the safe
door was locked Therefore that fact
went for nothing.
"You know, l suppose, that one OF
the diamond room staff always remains
all night in the room. There is at least
one night watchman on every landing,
and the .frontages are patrolled all night
by armed men of the special police.
Lomas was on duty on the Saturday
night. He was searched as usual when
be came of duty on Sunday morning.
Nothing was found, and l recognized
that it was absolutely impossible that
he could have brought the diamond out
Of the room or passed it to any confed-
crate in the street without being discov-
cred. Therefore, though at first sight
suspicion might have pointed to him as
being the one who was apparently last
in the room with the diamond, there
was absolutely no reason to connect that
fact with its disappearance.
~ must say that that is a great deal
palmer and more matter of fact than
any of the other stories that / have
heard of the mysterious disappearance, "
l said as the inspector paused to refill
his glass and ask me to do likewise.
Yes" he said dryly, 1.-THE truth is
more commonplace up to certain point
than the sort of stories that stranger
will find floating about Kim berley, but
still / dare say you have found in your
own profession that it sometimes has a
way of-to put it in sporting language
giving fiction seven pound handi-
cap and beating it in canter."
For my own part" I answered,
with an affirmative nod, my money
would go on fact every time. There
fore it would 60 on now if l were bet
ting. At any rate I may say that none
of the fiction that have so far heard
has offered even a reasonable explana-
ton of the disappearance of that dia-
mond, given the conditions which you
have just stated. and as far as can see
I admit that / couldn't give the re-
motest guess at the solution of the mys-
terry"
"That's exactly what said to myself
after 4 had been worrying day and
night for more than week over it,
said the inspector, land then" he went
on, suddenly getting up from his seat
and beginning to walk up and down the
room with quick, irregular strides, "all
of sudden in the middle Of very
much smaller puzzle, just one Of the
common l. D. B. cases we have almost
every week, the whole of the work that
I was engaged upon vanished from my
mind, leaving it for thu moment per-
feet blank. Then, like a lightning flash
out of black cloud, there came mo.
mentary ray Of light which showed me
the clew to the mystery. That was the
idea. These, he said, stopping in front
of the mantelpiece and putting his finger
ON the glass case which covered the two
relics which had started the story,
"these were the naturalization Of it. "
"And yet, my dear inspector, ven
tured to interrupt, "you will perhaps
pardon me for saying that your ray Of
light leaves me as much in the dark as
ever" E.
but your darkness shall be made
day all in good course, 5" he said, with
smile could see that he had an eye
for dramatic effect and so I thought
it was better to let him tell the story un-
interrupted and in his own way, so 1
simply assured him of my ever increas-
ing interest, and waited for him to 60
on. He took couple of turns up and
down the room in silence, as though he
were considering in what form he
should spring the solution Of the mys.
terry upon me. Then he stopped and
said abruptly:
~ didn't tell you that the next
morning-that is to say, Sunday-Mr.
Marsden went out on horseback, shoot
ing, in the veldt, up toward that range
of hills which lies over yonder to the
northwestward, between here and Bark
" West. l can see by your face that
you are already asking yourself what
that has got to do with spiriting mil
lion or SOS worth of crystallized carbon
out of the safe at De Beers. Well, a
little patience and you shall see. j.
early that same Sunday morning 1
was walking down Stockdale street, in
front of the De Beers offices, smoking
a cigar, and OF course worrying my
brains about the diamond. l took long
draw at my weed and quite involun-
tarily put my head back and blew it
up into the air-there, just like that
and the cloud drifted diagonally across
the street dead in the direction Of the
hills on which Mr. Philip Marsden
would just then be hunting buck. At
the same instant the revelation which
had scattered my thoughts about the
other little case that | mentioned just
now came back to ME. l saw, with my
minds eye of course-well, now. what
do you think l saw?'
"If it wouldn't t spoil an incompatible
detective" l said somewhat irrelevant
", 81 should say that you would make
an excellent story teller. Never mind
what think. I'm in the plastic condi-
ton Just now am receiving impress
sions, not making them. Now, what
did you see?''
II saw the great Dc Beers diamond
say, from el,oOO,ooo to 1,5oO, 600
worth of concentrated capital-foating
from the upper story of the De Beers
consolidated mines, rising over the
housetops and drifting down the wind
L.. NJ, pbilin Marsden's limiting