Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-03-27
NOT GUILTY.

back the light from its many facets
and strange, brilliant colors shot from
its depths. 1t was the finest stone !
had ever set in my life.
the ring, now that it was finished,
was fit even to adorn the hand Of Lady
Gwendolen Forrest, the beauty and
heiress of the season. But l did not
envy young Lord Lambton his fiancee;
and as pretty as any in the land.
l was about to take the ring to Mr..
Nugent when Nell herself ran in. She
was my employers daughter, and his
house was upstairs over the large
showroom in Clifford street. 1t was
in my own Nell l had a girl as good
against all custom for Nell to come
down to my workshop, for her father
disapproved our engagement. But to-
day she had not been able to resist the
temptation of having a peep at the
Lambton diamond.
Just as she had slipped it on her fin
ger, and was dancing about twisting
her hand, that the marvellous stone
might catch the light, the door opened
and Mr.. Nugent entered. l prepared
to defend Nell from harsh reprimand,
but none came. Her father appeared
oddly preoccupied, merely took the
ring from her, examined it earnestly,
and, swapping the lid of the case down
upon it, placed it in his pocket and
walked away.
Next day was sitting at work when
| ri Arl
Lambton jump out. He came hastily
into the showroom, which adjoined the
one where l was sitting, and where
Mr.. Nugent was.
"Scoundrel!" 1 heard him say, and
could scarcely believe my ears. You
thought to fool me easily by false
stone; but I am as good a judge of
jewels as you are. You are thief,
sir! What have you done with the
diamond intrusted to you?"
/ l sat still. l understood very well
that Lord Lambton had deliberately
accused my employer Of trying to palm
off upon him an imitation diamond,
yet knew that l had set the true stone
and delivered it to Mr.. Nugent only
yesterday.
My employer himself was a skilled
workman, though not good designer,
and in the time that had elapsed be-
tween my handing him the ring and
his transferring it to the owner he
could have removed the stone and re-
placed it by another.
AS l thus speculated on the astound-
ing accusation, Mr.. Nugent himself
opened the door of the workroom. He
looked keenly at me, as If wondering
if it would be safe to trust me.
Did you hear anything of what
passed in the next room?" he question
ed.
| admitted that / had.
"Of course, l shall be triumphantly
acquitted" he announced, clearing his
throat huskily as he spoke. Still, Lord
Lambton can make things disagreea
BILE. And look here, Wade, l haven't
always been as friendly to you as l
might but l can trust you. You'll be
an important witness. Do what you
can for me, for the girls sake"
was given no time to answer, for at
that moment Lord Lambton returned
' with two Scotland Yard men. My en-
ployer was given into custody and
taken to the police station to be
charged, the detectives remaining to
search the premises.
Mr.. Nugent being widower, with
only one child, the management Of the
business practically devolved on me,
and as the detectives ransacked the
place, they put many questions to me
as to where the stones were kept. The
safes were all pointed out to them, but
they seemed disappointed with their
operations.
Late in the evening they came to me
in the workroom, and holding out the
ring that l had made for Lord Lamb
ton, one of them said:
This is your work, we understand.
Is that the stone you set?"
l glanced at it, but only replied: Il
don't call myself an expert in precious
stones and all l can say is that this
one precisely resembles in size, shape
and appearance the one given me to
set."
While this statement was practically
true, that one glance had been enough
to show me that was not looking at
the Lambton diamond.
1 was about to lock up the place for
the night, when Nell came in 1t was
the first time she had let me see her
since her father had been taken away.
There's something l must say to
yon," she painted" -"sometflfng I've
been wild to say all day lest it should
be too late, but I dared not let any
one suspect. A month ago father con-
fided to me that he had lost great deal
of money-and he showed me how to
open a secret drawer in his Chippen-