The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-10-09
The Crinoson
! By Fred m. I0hte AHnH

connected with some old silver-Will.
fam and Mary and Queen Anne cups
and jardinieres. We had a bit of a
| find that we could authenticate, but
we wanted lot of the stun, we'll
faxed You see. Van Sneck was an
authority on that kind of thing, and we
employed him to cut marks off small
genuine things and attach them to
spurious large ones. On the whole,
we made a very successful business of
II for long time"
"You found Van Sneck an excellent
copyist. Did he ever copy anything
for YOU"
"No. But Henson employed him now
and then. Van Sneck could construct
a thing from mere description.
There was ring he did for Henson"
WAS that called Prince Rupert's
ring, by any chance?"
THAT was the name of the ring.
Why"
I'VE will come to that presently.
Did you ever see Prince Rupert's
ring?"
well, did. 1t was in Amsterdam
again, about a year later than the
time I mentioned just now. Henson
brought the real ring for Van Sneck to
copy. Van Sneck went into raptures
over Ii. He said he had never seen
anything of the kind so beautiful. He
made copy of the ring, which he
handed back, with the original, 20 Hen
SON."
Chris nodded. This pretty faithful
copy of the ring was one that Henson
had used as a magnet to draw Lady
Littimer's money, and the same one
that had found it's way into Steels
possession. But Chris had another
idea to follow up.
you limited to me Just now that
Henson was short of money" she said.
do you mean to say he is in dire need
of some large sum-"
That's it," Rawlins replied. 81
rather fancy there has been some stir
with the police over some business up
at Huddersfield some years ago"
A so-called home both there and at
Brighton?"
That's 1t. II was the idea that Hen
son conveyed TO me when saw him at
Moreton Wells. Ii appears that a GER
tain Inspector Marley, of the Brighton
police, is the same man who used to
have the warrants for the Hudders-
field affair in his hands. Henson felt
pretty sure that Marley had recog-
nized him. He told me that, If the
worst came to the worst he had some
thing he could sell to Littimer for a
large sum of money"
Il know" Chris exclaimed. Its
the Prince Rupert's ring!"
We'll, / can't say anything about
that. Is this ring valuable proper
tyr"
mot In itself. But the loss of it
has caused dreadful lot of misery and
suffering. Mr.. Smith, Reginald Hen
son had no business with that ring at
all. He stole it, and made 1t appear
that somebody else had done so by
means of conveying the copy to the
very person who should have pos
sessed 1t. The sad business broke up
a happy home and has made five peo-
pie miserable for many years. And,
whichever way you turn, whichever
way you look, you find the cloven foot
of Henson everywhere. Now, what
you have told me Just now gives me a
new idea. The secret that Henson
was going to sell to Lord Littimer for
a large sum was the story of the miss
ing ring and the restitution of the
same"
Kind OF brazening 1t out, you
mean?"
Yes. Lord Littimer would give
three times ten thousand pounds to
have that ring again. But at this
point Henson has met with a serious
check In his plans. Driven into a
corner he has resolved to make a clean
breast of Ii to Lord Iittimer. He
procured the ring from his strong box
and then he makes a discovery"
which is more than / have. Pray
proceed"
"He discovers that he has not got
the real Prince Rupert's ring"
Rawlins looked up with a slightly
puzzled air.
"Will you kindly tell me what you
mean?" he said.
cit was a forgery. Van Sneck made
copy from a mere description. That
copy served its purpose with ven
geance, and is now at the bottom of
the North Sea- I need not go into de-
tails, because IL is family secret, and
does not concern our conversation at
all. At that time the real ring came
into Henson's possession, and he want
ed a copy to hold over the head of an
unfortunate lady whom he would have
ruined before long. You told me
just now that Van Sneck had fallen in
love with Prince Rupert's ring and
could hardly bear to part with 1t. He
didn't"
mo? But how could he retain it?"
quite easily. The copy was quite
faithful, but still ii was a copy. But,
secretly, Van Sneck makes a copy that
would deceive anybody but an expert,
and this he hands over to-"
"To Henson as the real ring" Raw
Inns cried, excitedly.
Chris smiled, little pleased at her
acumen.
Precisely" sc said. II see that
you are inclined to be of my opinion"
We'll, upon my word, / am" Raw
Inns confessed. but don't quite see
why"
please let me finish" Chris went
on, excitedly. Reginald Henson Is
driven back to his last trenches. He
has to get the ring for Lord Littimer.
He takes out the ring, after all these
years, never dreaming that Van SBeck
would dare to play such trick upon
HIM. and finds out the forgery. Did
you ever see that man when he was
really angry?"
"He is not pretty then" Rawlins
said
Pretty! He is murder personified.
Kindly try to imagine his feelings