The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19
Magazine Section.

the hotel. Do you wonder that shrink
from this note of warning, and show
myself something less than man under
its influences l am going home; but,
first, one word about this stone.' Here
he lifted it and bestowed, or appeared
to bestow upon it, an anxious scrutiny,
putting on his glasses and inspecting
it carefully on all sides before passing
it back to the inspector.
81 have heard,'' said he, with a
change Of tone which must have been
noticeable to every one, that this
stone was a very superior one, and quite
America. But, gentlemen, you have all
been greatly deceived in it; no one
more than he who was willing to com
NIT murder for it's possession. The
stone which you have just been good
enough to allow me to inspect, is no
diamond, but a carefully manufactured
elaborate setting which has been given
it. I am sorry to be the one to say
this; but I have made a study of pre-
cious stones, and 1 cannot let this bare
faced imitation pass thru my hands
without a protest. Mr.. Ramsdell,-"
this to our host,-"I beg you will allow
once. My daughter is worse,-this I
know, as certainly as that am stand
ing here. The cry you have heard is
the one superstition of our family.
Pray God that find her alive!'
After this, what could be said. Tho
no one who had heard him, not even
my own romantic self, showed any be-
lief in this interpretation Of the re-
markable sound that had just gone
thrilling thru the house, yet, in face of
his declared acceptance of it as a warn
ing, and the fact that all efforts had
failed to locate the sound, or even to
determine it's source, no other course
seemed open but to let this distin-
guished man depart with the sudden
That this was in opposition to the
inspectors s wishes, was evident enough.
Naturally, he would have preferred Mr..
Grey to remain, if only to make clear
his surprising conclusions in regard to
a diamond which had passed thru the
hands of some of the best judges in
the country, WITHOUT a doubt having
With his departure from our midst,
the inspectors manner changed. He
glanced at the stone in his hand, and
slowly shook his head.
"I doubt if Mr.. Grey's Judgment can
be depended on, tonight said he, and
pocketed the gem as carefully as if his
belief in it's real value had been but
renowned foreigner.
I have no distinct remembrance o1
how finally left this house, or of what
passed, between my uncle and myself, OF
our way home. I was numb with shock
and neither my intelligence nor my feel
= ings were any longer active. I recall
but one impression, and that was, th'
effect made upon me by my old hom'
: on our arrival there, as Of somethin,
; new and strange; so much had happened
and such changes had taken place i,
! myself since leaving it five hours be
fore. But, nothing else is vivid in m.
remembrance, till that early hour Of tn
; dreary morning, when, on waking t.
4 the world with a cry, I beheld M M
from the foot-board.
Instantly I found tongue, and ques
: tion after question leaped from my lips
He did not answer them; he could not
L but when I grew feverish and insistent
= he drew the morning paper from benin
t his back, and laid it quietly down With
. . my reach: I felt calmed in an III! instant
9 words, he left me to myself, I seize
4 4 upon the sheet and read what SO man
j others were reading at that momen
y thruout the city.
g g I spare you the account 50 far as
. comedies with what had myself see
u and heard the night before. A fe'
:. particulars which had not reached N
< ears, will interest you. The instrume1
r. of death found in the place designate
, - by Mr.. Durand was one Of note to sue
= as had any taste or knowledge Of curio
u It was a stiletto Of the most delicat
: type; long, keen and slender. Not g
y American product, not even of tn
~ ~ country's manufacture, but relic
- the days when deadly thrusts were give
4 in the corners and by-ways OF mediev
~ streets.
~ ~ This made the first mystery.
10 The second, was the as yet unexplaf
i, 10 able presence on the alcove floor, Of tv
~ ~ broken coffee cups, which no waiter n
", any' other person, in fact, acknowledge
IT. IT. having carried there. The tray, whi
- had fallen from Peter MONEYS hand,
;s the waiter who had been the first
~ ~ give the alarm of murder,-had held !
I'd But the handles of two cups had be
found among the debris,-cups whi
nd must have been full, from the size
to the coffee stain left upon the rug whe
st they had fallen.
ne ne In reading this I remembered tn
ne MI. Durand had mentioned stepping
an some broken pieces Of china in
nd escape from the fatal scene, and stru
te with this confirmation Of a theory whi
ot was slowly taking form in my own mil
ne I passed on to the next paragraph, wi
nv a bouyant sense Of expectation.
lis The result was surprise. 9th
he may have been told, [ was not, tt
Mrs. Fairbrother had received a co
ICE munication from outside only a f
minutes previously to her death. A \
,st Fullerton who had preceded Mr.. Dura
ou in his visit to the alcove, owned
pG 10 san some cali ipee OF signal from outside,
six taken in small piece Of, paper wh
be- he saw lifted up from below on the {
,ry of whip handle. lie coud not
me who held the whip, but at Mrs. Fs