Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-05

ply monstrous. When and to whom,
then, had he shown the diamond last?
Alas, 1t had been long month since
he had shown the jewel. Cecilia, his
youngest daughter, had died in the In
term; therefore his mind had not
been on jewels. A month! time for his
precious diamond to have been carried
back to the east! Time for 1t to have
been recut! Surely it was lost to him
for ever, unless he could Immediately
locate the person who had robbed him
of it.
But this promised difficulties. He
could not remember just what persons
he had entertained on that especial
day In his little hall of cabinets, and,
when he did succeed in getting a list
OF them from his butler, he was by no
means sure that 1t included the full
number Of his guests. His own mem
DRY was execrable, and, In short, he
had but few facts to offer to the dis
Greet agent sent up from Scotland
Yard one morning to hear his COM
plant and act secretly in his inter-
ests. He could give him carte blanche
to carry on his inquiries in the dia-
mond market, but little else. And
while this seemed to satisfy the agent,
1t did not lead to any gratifying result
to himself, and he had thoroughly
made up his mind to swallow his loss
and say nothing about 1t, when one
day young cousin of his, living in
great style in an adjoining county, in.
formed him that in some mysterious
way he had lost from his collection of
arms unique and highly-prized sti-
letto of Italian workmanship.
Startled by this coincidence, Mr..
Gray ventured upon question or two.
which led to his Cousins conf1ding to
him that this article had disappeared
after large supper given by him to
number Of friends and gentlemen from
London. This piece of knowledge, still
further coinciding with his own exper.
fence, caused Mr.. Grey to ask for a
list of his guests, in the hope Of flnd-
ing among them one who had been in
his own house.
His cousin, quite unsuspicious of the
motives underlying this request,
fastened to write out this list, and to-
gether they pored over the names,
crossing out such as were absolutely
above suspicion When they had
reached the end Of the list, but two
names remained uncrossed. One was
that of rattle-pated youth who had
come in the wake of a highly reputed
connection of theirs, and the other
that Of an American tourist who gave
all the evidences of great wealth and
had presented letters to leading men
In London which had insured him at
tentions not usually accorded to
foreigners. This mans name was Fair
brother, and. the moment Mr.. GREY
heard it, he recalled the fact that an
American with a peculiar name. but
with reputation for wealth, had been
among his guests on the suspected
evening.
Hiding the effect produced upon him
by this discovery, he placed his finger
on this name and begged his cousin to
look up its owners antecedents and
present reputation In America; but,
not content with this, he sent his own
agent over to New York-whither. as
he soon learned. this gentleman had
returned. The result was an apparent
vindication Of the suspected American.
He was found to be well-known
citizen Of the great metropolis, moy-
ing in the highest circles and with a
reputation for wealth won by an extra.
ordinary business instinct.
To be sure, he had not always en-.
joyed these distinctions. Like many
another self-made man, he had risen
from a mental position in Western
mining camp, to be the owner Of
mine himself, and SO up through the
various gradations of a successful life
to a position among the foremost bust
ness men in New York In all these
changes he had maintained a name
for honest, If not generous, dealing.
He lived in great style, had married
and was known to have but one ex-
travagant fancy. This was for the
unique and curious in art,-a taste
Which, if report spoke true, cost him
many thousands each year.
This list was the only clause in the
report which pointed in any way to-
ward this man being the possible abb
stractor Of the Great Mogul, as Mr..
Grey's famous diamond was called,
and the latter was too just man and
too much of fancier in this line him
self to let fact of this kind weigh
against the favorable nature of the
rest. So he recalled his agent, double
locked his cabinets and continued to
confine his display Of valuables to ar.
ticles which did not suggest Jewels,
Thus three years passed, when one
day he heard mention made of won
derful diamond which had been seen
in New York. From it's description he
gathered that 1t must be the one sur
reptitiously distracted from his cab
met, and when after some careful in
quiries, he learned that the name of
Its possessor was Fairbrother he
awoke to his old suspicious and deter
mined to probe this matter to the bot
tom. But secretly. He still had too
much consideration to attack a man in
high position without full proof.
Knowing of no one ne could trust
with so delicate an inquiry as this had
now become, he decided to undertake
1t himself, and for this purpose ON.