Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-09-24
The Woman In
the Above.
BY ANNA KATHARINE GREEN.
Author Of ''The MIlIissalrV SAy," The
Filigree Bail, "The HOass II the
MIST" THE Amethyst
Box" Etc.
'sryright, 1905, The Bobbs-MerrilI %.
CHAPTER XIII.

Grey, looking like another man,
came into the room where l was
endeavoring to soothe his star
tied daughter and devour In secret my
own Joy. Taking the sweet girl in his
arms he said, with calm ignoring Of
my presence, at which l secretly
smiled:
''This is the happiest moment of my
existence, Helen. / feel as IL had re-
covered you from the brink of the
grave"
'Me3 why, have never been SO Ill
as that"
II know, but l have felt as IL you
were doomed ever since / heard or
thought heard In this city, and I'M
der no ordinary circumstances, the pc
culiar cry which haunts our house on
the eve of any great misfortune.
shall not apologize for my fears. You
know that have good cause for them,
but today, only today, have heard
from the lips of the most arrant knave
/ have ever known that this cry sprang
from himself with intent to deceive
me. He knew my weakness, knew the
cry. He was in Darlington Manor
when Cecilia died and, wishing to star
tie me into dropping something which
I held, made use of his ventriloquial
powers Che had been mountebank
once, Door wretchD and with such eff
feet that / have not been a happy
man since in spite of your daily Inn
provement and continued promise of
recovery. But / am happy now. re-
lieved and joyful, and this miserable
being-would you like to hear his story?
Are you strong enough for anything SO
tragic? He is a thief and murderer,
brit he has feelings, and his life has
been curious one and strangely inter
woven with ours. Do you care to hear
about It? He is the man who stole
Our diamond"
My patient uttered little cry.
"Oh, tell me-" she entreated, excited,
hut not unhealthfully, while was In
AN anguish OF curiosity could with
difficulty conceal.
Mr.. Grey turned with courtesy to me
and asked If a few family details
would bore me. l smiled and assured
MIN to the contrary, at which he set
tied himself In the chair he liked best
and began tale which / well permit
myself to present to you complete and
from other points OF view than his own.
Some Ave years before one Of the
great diamonds Of the world was offer
ed for sale in an eastern market. Mr..
Grey, who stopped at no expense in
the qualification OF his taste in this
direction, Immediately sent his agent
10 Egypt to examine the stone. II the
agent discovered II to be all that was
claimed for it and within the reach Of
a wealthy commoner's purse, he was
20 buy 1t. Upon inspection 1t was
found to be all that was claimed, with
one exception. In the center Of one of
the facets was a flaw, but as this was
considered to mark the diamond and
rather add to than detract from Its
value as traditional stone with many
historical associations 1t was finally
purchased by Mr. Grey and placed
among his treasures In his manor house
an Kent. Never suspicious man, he
took delight in exhibiting this acquisi
ton to such of his friends and ac
quaintances as were likely to feel any
interest In 1t. and 1t was not an I'M
common thing for him to allow 1t to
pass from hand to hand while he pot
tered over his other treasures and dis
played this and that to such as had no
eyes for the diamond.
1t was after one such occasion that
ne found on taking the stone In his
hand to replace 1t in the safe he hao
had built for 1t in one of his cabinets
that 1t did not strike his eye with its
usual force and brilllancy, and on ex.
absence of the telltale flaw. Struck
with dismay, he submitted 1t to a still
more rigid inspection, when he found
that what he held was not even dia-
mond, but a worthless bit Of glass,
which had been substituted by some
cunning knave for his invaluable gem.
For the moment his humiliation al.
most equaled his sense Of loss. he
had been so often warned of the dan
ger he ran in letting so priceless an
object pass around under all eyes but
his own. His wife and friends had
prophesied some such loss as this mo-
once, but many times, and he had al
, ways laughed at their fears, saying
that he knew his friends and there
was not a scamp among them. Blu
now he saw it proved that even th'
intuition of a man we'll versed In hu
man nature is not always lnfalllble
sand, ashamed of his past laxness ant
more ashamed yet of the doubts whicl
this experience called up in regard t
). all his friends, he shut up the falls
I, stone with his usual care and buriet
bis loss in his own bosom till he coul
! sift his impressions and recall wit
, some degree of probability the circum
! stances under which this exchang
: could have been made.
1t had not been made that evening
Of this he was DOsitiVe The only Dej