Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-09-19
Mn lyatn ,,ostttuclu rcclcd.

locked lfxedly at each other.
A tap came to the door.
Sir George WINGED and made assign to
Ralph, who rushed to it and bolted it.
II am coming in, George" said Lady
Mary's voice.
"Send her away" came q whisper from
the bed.
This was easier said than done. But
it was done after sufficiently long
parley and Lady Maryrretired under the
impression that Ralph was sitting alone
with his father, who thought he might
get little sleep.
Now" whispered irGeorge, motion
ing to Ralph.
1.-THE fact is" said Ralph. "the jewels
are gone. They have been stolen in the
night"
He bolted out with this one sentence
and then was silent. Marston and !
stared Mt him aghast.
"Is there no mistake7" said Marston
at last.
''None," replied Ralph. IT put them
in drawer in the great 5nlaid writing
table in the library last night, before
everybody. Invent for them this morn
ing, half an hour ago, at fathers re-
quest. The lock was broken, and they
were gone"
There was another long silence.
II was a fool, Of course. to put them
thore," resumed Ralph. Charles told
me 80, but thought they were as safe
there as anywhere, if no one mew-and
no one did, except the, house party"
"Were any of the servants about?'
asked Marston.
"Not one. They had all gone to bed
except one Of the footmen who was put
ting out the lamps in the supper room
| miles away"
| Another silence.
'That is the dreadful part Of 1t, !" burst
out Ralph. "They must have been taken
| by someone staying in the house-some
one who saw me put them there. The
| first thing did was tosend for the house.
maids, and they assured me that they
had found every shutter shut and every
door locked this morning as usual. Any.
one with time and wits might have got
! in through one Of the library windows
by taking out u pane and forcing the
shutter. suppose a practiced hand
might have done such u thing, but
went outside and there was not foot.
step In the snow anywhere near the
library windows, or, for that matter,
anywhere near the house at all, except
ut the side and front doors, which IRE
impracticable for anyone to force an en-
trance by"
"When did it leave off snowing? asked
Marston.
"About o'clock" replied Ralph. 1T
must have showed heavily till then, for
there was not trace Of all the carriage
wheels on the drive when we went out
last night, but our foot prints down to
the lodge IRE clear in the snow now.
There has been no snow since O'Clock
this morning.
sit all points to the same thing" said
Charles, quietly, speaking for the frs,
time. "Thejewels were taken by some
one staying in the house."
zone Of the servants began Mar.
ston.
"No," said Charles, cutting him short
mot one of the servants"
4 sit is impossible it should have beer
one Of them" said Ralph after some
thought. First Of all, none of themsav
the jewels put into that drawer, and
secondly, how could they suspect mo Of
hiding them in a place where had never
thought Of putting them myself till that
moment2 Besides, that one drawer only
was broken open-the center drawer II
| the left hand set Of drawers. All the
others were untouched, though they
were all locked. No one who had no,
seen the jewels put in would have found
them SO easily. That is the frightfu
part Of it"
For a few minutes no one spoke. Al
last Marston raised his head from hi
hands.
"There Is no way out of it," he said
very gravely. 1.-THE robbery was com
mitted by one Of the visitors staying IL
the house."
III TTo he cnnt ipuad