The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-11

schloss steinhelmer. situated In the Tyrol.
cost something Ike forty thousand pounds
II Is a huge place and the Stein
family Tor many centuries. The prince owed
a great deal or money when he was mar
ried. and 1t took something like 10000 10
settle those debts-rather expensive, as con-
tineEtal prflces go; but, X one must have
luxuries. one cannot save money. Not TO
weary you with details. l found that the
two moths ago-in fact. just before the al
legged robbery. The prince is OF course with
married a Chicago heiress. and. the princess
araiiy do?'
Pawn her own dlamonds!" cried Smith
enthusiastically.
The detective smiled.
Il thought It much more probable she
s ASKED asRE P 70 tb hsr w fathe the for caI mons giving Z
nm tne date. roughly speaking, when sucn a
letter had been sent. The old man opened
ceived such a letter. But you did not send
the money? ] ventured. No. he said. Il
did not. The fact is. money is very tight in
on her debts for a while This exactly
pore out the conclusion at which / had al
ready arrived So now. having failed TO get
diamonds, the only security she possesses.
Inc chances are that she did so before her
taIhers cable message came. and that was
the reason she so confidently wished infor-
nation 10 be given TO the police. She ex-
pected to have money to redeem her jewels,
ana; peing a bright weman, she knew the
traditional stupidity of the official police.
ana 80 thought there was no danger of her
little ruse being discovered. But when the
be sent her a different complexion was put
upon the whole affair, for she did not know
put II the police were given plenty of time
they might stumble on the diamonds. All
that is necessary for me to do now is to
lind out how many persons there are in
vienna who would lend large sums Of money
on valuable jewels. The second is TO find
with which one of those the princess pawned
ner diamonds. In my opinion, the diamonds
never left Vienna. You see, the ball had
urgently needed. She pawned the diamonds
before she left the capial of Austria, and
tne chances are she did not intend any
the eve OF the ball her husband insisted
mat she should wear her diamonds. and
therefore. being a quick-witted woman, she
announced they had been stolen. After hav-
ing made such a statement she, of course,
had to stick TO IL, and now, failing to get the
money from America, she is exceedingly
ployed in investigation"
I Dover Miss Baxter. having notes of
witnessed the detective bid goodbye TO his
friend Smith, who returned to London by
a later train. After that she saw no more
OF Mr.. Cadbury Taylor and reached the
Schloss Stelnheimer at Meran without fur
Their adventure e.
Miss Baxter found life at the schloss
much different from what she had ex-
pected: The Princess was a young and
charming lady. very handsome, but in a
state of constant depression. Once or twice
Miss Baxter came upon her with apparent
traces OF weeping on her face. The prince
was not an old man. as she expected, but
young and OF a manly. stalwart appearance.
he evidently Possessed a fiendish temper
and moped about the castle with a constant
frown upon his brow.
The correspondence of the princess was
In the utmost disorder. There were hun
which she could not tell whether they had
been or not, and Miss Baxter set
to work tabulating and arranging them.
kept her eyes open. She wandered about the
castle unmolested. poked into odd corners.
talked with the servants and. in fact. with
every one, but never did she come upon a
clew which promised to lead to a solution
of the diamond difficulty. Once she pene-
trated into a turret room and came unex-
pectedly upon the prince. who was sitting
on the window ledge. looking absently out
on the broad and smiling valley that lay
for miles below the castle. He sprang to his
feet and looked so fercely at the intruder
that the girls heart failed her, and she
had not even the presence of mind to turn
and run.
What dc you want?' he said to her
shortly. for he spoke English perfectly.
You are the young woman from Chicago.
No" swered Miss. Baxter. forgetting
for the moment the role she was playing;
Il am from London"
We'll, it doesn't matter; you are the
young woman who is arranging my wife's
corTespo2ndence"
The prince strobe rapidly forward and
grasped her by the wrist, his brow dark
with a forbidding frown. He spoke in a
hoarse whisper:
Listen. my good girl. Do you want to
get more money from me than you will get
from the princess in ten years service?
Heaken. then, to what / tell you. If there
are any letters from-from-men. will you
Miss Baxter was thoroughly frightened,
but she said to the prince sharply:
II you do not let go of my wrist, I'll
scream. How dare you lay your hand on
The prince released her wrist and stepped
back.
Forgive me-" he said. I'm a very miser-
able man. Forge; what l have said"
How can j forget it?' cried the girl,
fore her blazing eyes. What do you want
IT want you to bring to me any letters
Written by Won Schaumberg!" cried me
girl noticing his hesitation and filing in
"Yesr' he cried. Bring me a letter to
ner from Won schaumberg, and I'll pay you
1t is contrary to my duty to the prin-
cess" she began hesitatingly. when he
stopped and turned fiercely upon her.
What is contrary to your duty?"
There are letters, tied very daintily with
a. blue ribbon, and they are from a man
The princess did not allow me to read them
but locked them away in a secret drawer
In her dressing room, but she is so careless
with her keys and about everything else
that l am sure l can get them for you, ii
you want them"
Yes. yes. / want them" said the prince
and will pay you handsomely for them
VERY well" replied Miss Baxter. "yor
snail have them. If you will wait here ter
minutes, I shall return with them"
But" hesitated the prince, say nothins
to the princess"
"Oh. no. / shall not need to. The kew.
are sure to be on her dressing table"
Miss Baxter ran down to the room o
the princess and had little difficulty in OBJ
tanning the keys. She opened the secret
drawer into which she had seen the princes:
place the packet CT letters, and, taking then
out. she drew another sheet of paper alons
ing eyes; then with her pretty lips she blew
a long. astonished whistle. Taking both tn,
packet of letters and the sheet of pape
With her, she ran swiftly up the stair an,
along the corridor to the room where the
prince was impatiently awaiting her.
Give them to met he snapped, rudel,
snatching the packet from her hands. She
still chung to the separate piece of papel
and said nothing. The prince stood by thu
window and undid the packet with trem
bling hands. He nj one and ther
another of the letters, turning at last to
ward the girl with renewed anger in hi.
face.
You are trifing with me. my girl" h
said.
mo. am not" she said stoutly.
THESE are nv own letters. written nv m,