The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1907-07-11
The
Diamond
Tiara
BY Edward Clarkson.

On the second day after we sailed
from Hamburg for New York on the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, | sat In
sheltered corner of the upper deck,
lazily putting a cigar and watching
the monotonous dip and rise of the
great steamer as she swiftly forged
ahead. All at once l heard a sue
cession of hysterical cries from the
direction of the cabin, and imme-
diately joined the curious crowd that
gathered around the door.
short, dark man was talking ex-
c1tedly to the steward, and a French
maid near by was sobbing nervously.
Word quickly passed from lip to lip
that diamond tiara, the gift of
the Marquis Bonari to his American
fance, had been stolen. The mar
quis had intrusted 1t to his sister,
who was about to sail for New York
with her husband, the gentleman
who was talking to the steward His
wife was Frustrated by the loss
| elbowed my way through the
throng and touched the speaker on
the arm.
Certainly" he answered In very
GOOD English, with surprised
glance. l led the way through the
rowd to my sheltered corner
Il am Roger Fielding of New
crk," l said by way of introduction.
He bowed. Count Antonio Pao-
Icci, at your service, SIR"
Il have had the good fortune to
olive several mysteries of this ma
-ure," l continued. Possibly 1 can
assist YOU"
He murmured something about a
big reward" but interrupted him.
please answer few direct ques-
tons as concisely as possible. How
long has your brether-in-law been
engaged to the American girl?"
six months"
How long have you been mar
ried?"
Three months"
did anyone besides yourself and
your wife know you were to bring
the tiara with you?"
Not to my knowledge"
Have you any servants with you
except the French maid?" No" He
answered me unhesitatingly, but his
black eyes shifted nervously.
Il hope to find the missing tiara
before We reach New York" l an
sured him, and he thanked me eff
fusiyely.
During the next two days l learn
ed that an assistant engineer named
Luigi had been engaged at Ham
burg. The third night when l went
on deck at late hour l heard two
men talking in an earnest undertone
near the cabin. The tones of both
voices were strangely familiar.
lighted a cigar and by the sudden
flare of the match saw the faces of
the count and Luigi. l turned before
they recognized me. The next morn
ing the tiara was discovered in a
trunk belonging to the maid, who
nevertheless protested her innocence.
On the plea of curiosity | was per-
mitted to examine the tiara, with an
unexpected result, which made me
alert and watchful.
All went quietly until the last day
of the voyage. The shores of New
York were In sight and the harbor
pilot was approaching when the cry
was raised of man overheard" At
the same moment the count, of
whom | never lost sight, snatched a
life buoy hanging over his head and
threw it. He was again standing near
the cabin door. The drowning man
caught 1t deftly and slipped 1t under
his arms. Then | saw him tear quick
ly at the inside of the covering, and
the sunlight flashed on something
that glittered in his hand. The man
in the water was Luigi.
| sprang to the side of the count,
stripped off the black wig that hid
his scanty gray hair, and covered
was useless, and coward that he
really was he Immediately implicated
his partner. The pilot boat picked
up Luigi and in less than an hour
both men were under arrest The
tiara had been found hidden in
Luigi's shirt.
1t was an old trick of experienced
one they had successfully
tried in San Francisco Bay five years
before, when they both reached shore
on the pilot boat and thus escaped
the officials who were lying in wait
for them.
The scheme had been carefully
planned and executed ever since the
count overheard the order for the
tiara given in a Venetian jewellers
shop. BY forged letters of recon-
he had gained entrance
10 the home and family of the mar
quis, and had used both him and his
sister as his tools. Had Luigi reached
the shore safely, Paolucci also would
have suddenly disappeared. The tiara
with the paste diamonds, found in
the maids trunk, would have been
given TO the American fiance, and be-
fore the substitution was discovered
they would have been out of reach
of the police. But their plan failed at
the last and the marquis gift for the
American girl was saved.