The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-08
CHAPTER XXI.
The Heart Of the Puzzle.


The next morning swallowed my pride
and sought out Durbin. He had super
intended the removal of Mrs. Jeffrey's eff
fects from the southwest chamber, and
i should know, If any one, where this fill
gree ball was now to be found. Doubtless
1t had been returned with the other things
to Mr.. Jeffrey, and yet, who knows? Dur
bin Is sly and some linking Of its value as
clue may have entered his mind If So
1t would be anywhere bat In Mr.. Jeffrey's
or Miss Tuttle's possession. ~
To test my rivals knowledge of and in
terest in this seemingly trivial object, I
stopped to what I can but consider a
pardonable subterfuge. Greeting him in
the offhand way least likely to develop his
suspicion, told him that I had a great
idea IN connection with the Jeffrey case
and that the clue to 1t lay in a little gold
ball which Mrs. Jeffrey sometimes wore
and upon which she set great store. So
far spoke the truth. 1t had been given
her by some one-not Mr.. jeffrey
and I believed, tho I did not know, that
it contained a miniature portrait which it
might be to our advantage to see.
I expected his lip to curl; but for
| wonder it maintained its noncommittal
aspect, tho I was sure that I caught a
slight. very slight, CLEAN Of curiosity
| lighting UP for a moment his calm, gray
| eye.
you are on fantastic TRAIL" he
sneered, and that was ALL . .'-
| But I had not expected more. I had
| merely wished to learn what place, if any
| this f1ligree ball held in his own sus-
picions, and In case he had overlooked
| It,, to jog his curiosity so that he would
| in some way betray its whereabouts.
That for all its seeming inconsequence
| 1T did hold some place in his mind was
| evident enough to those who knew him;
| but that 1t was within reach or obtain
able by any ordinary means was rot so
| plain. Indeed, very soon became con-
WINGED that he, for one, had no idea where
| 1t was. or after the suggestive hint had
| given him he would never have wasted
half hour on me. What was I to do
| then? Tell my story to the major and
| depend on him to push the matter to its
proper conclusion? Not yet" whispered
pride. "Durbin thinks you fool Wait
| till you can show your whole hand be-
fore calling attention to your cards." But
| 1T was hard not to betray my excitement
and to act the fool they considered me
when the boys twitted me about this ia
nous golden charm and asked what great
result had followed my night in the Moore
house. But remembering that he who
laughs last laughs best, and that the
cause of mirth was not yet over between
Durb1n and myself, I was able to preserve
an impassive exterior even when I came
under the majors eye. I found myself
| amply repaid when one of the boys who
| had studiously avoided chatting me
dropped the following words in my ear:
Il don't know what your interest Is
In the small gold charm you were talking
| about, but you have done some good work
in this case and I don't mind telling you
what I know about it. That little gold
ball has caused the police much trouble.
It Is on the list of effects found in the
room where the candle was seen burning;
but when all these petty belongings of
Mrs. Jeffrey's were gathered up and car
ried back to her husband, this special one
| was not to be found amongst them It
was lost in transit nor has it ever been
seen since And who do you think it was
who called attention to this loss and de-
manded that the article be found? Not
Mr.. Jeffrey, who seems to lay little or
no stress upon it, but the old man they
call Uncle David. He who, to all ap-
pearance. possessed no interest in his
niece's personal properly, was on hand the
moment these things were carried into
her husbands house, with the express in
|tention, 1t seems, Of inquiring for this
gold ball, which he declared to be fam
lily heirloom. AS such it belonged to him
as the present holder Of the property, and
to him only. Attention being thus called
to it. 1t was found to be missing, and as
no one but the police seemed to be to
blame for its loss, the matter was hushed
! up and would have been regarded as toe
insignificant for comment, The trinket be-
ing intrinsically worthless, If Mr.. Moore
had not continued to make such fuss
about it. This ball, he declared, was
worth as much to a Moore as all the rest
of his property, which was bosh, you
know; and the folly of these assertions
and the depth of the passions he dis
played whenever the subject was men.
toned have made some of us question
If he is the innocent inheritor he has tried
to make himself out, At all events,
know for certainty that the district at.
ltorney holds his name in reserve, II the