The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-08-02
ESTHER ANDsLUcIA CHAMBERLAIN

do you mean?' She made 1t definite.
Flora flung out her hands.
well, it disappeared in the Maple
Room, in the middle of the afternoon,
when everybody was there-and they
haven't the faintest clue"
But howe" For a moment the pre-
posterous fact left Clara too quick to
be calm. t9H
Again Flora's eloquent hands. n
is IT.! 1t was in a case like all the
other jewels. Harry saw it'Ishe
glanced at the. paper-"as late as four
O'Clock. When. he came back with
Judge Butler, half an hour after, 1t
was gone
Flora leaned forward on her elbows,
chin in hands. No two could have
differed more. than these two women
in their blondness and their ~prettiness
and their wonder. For Clara was sharp
and pale, with silvery lights in eyes
and hair, and confronted the facts
with an alert and calculating obserVa-
ton: but Flora was tawny, toned from
brown to ivory through all the gamut
of gold-hair color of a partners hlde'
dark hazel, glinting through dust
colored lashes, chin round like a fruit.
The pressure of her fingers accented
the slight uplift of her brows to el1sh-
ness, and her look was i~ntrospective,
She might, instead of wondering on the
outside, have been the very centre or
the mystery herself, toying with un-
thinkable possibilities of revelation,
She looked far over the head of cara
Britton's annoyance that there should
be no clue.
why, don't you see," she pointed
out, that is just the fun of 1t! Ii
might be anybody. 1t might be YOU
or me, or Ella Butler. Though | would
much prefer to think it was some one
we didn't know so wholesome one
strange and fascinating, who will pres
emily go slipping out the Golden GATE
in a little junk boat, so that no one
need be embarrassed"
Clara looked back with extraordinary
i%ntentness.
"Oh, it's not possible the thing is
stolen. There's some mistake! Ana II
it were"&her eyes seemed to open
a little wider to tax in this posslpllty
they will have detectives all around
the water front by tonight. Any one
would find it difficult to get away sho
pointed out. You see, the ring Is an
important piece of property"
"Of course; I know" Flora, muir
INJURED. A faint twitch of humor pulled
her mouth, but the passionate romantic
co.or was dying out of her face. How
was it that ones nan could be
so cruelty pulled down to earth? She
ought to have learned by this time, she
thought, never to fly her little flag oil
romano except to an empty horizon
never, at least, to fly it in Clara's face.
1t was always as promptly surrounded
by Clara's common n as San Fran
cisco would be surrounded by the po-
lice. But still she couldn't quite come
down to Clara. AT least" she sighed,
The has saved me an awful expense,
whoever took it, for 1 should have had
to have it" - ',
Mrs. Britton surveyed this statement
consideringly. WAS 1t the most valu-
able thing in the collection"
Flora hesitated in the face. OF the
alert question. "I-don't know. But 1t
was the most remai Kable. 1t was a
Chatworth heirloom. the papers say,
and was given to Bessie at the time
of her marriage" The thought of the
death thai had so quickly followed that
marriage gave Flora a little shiver, but
no shade of the tragedy touched Clara.
There was nothing but speculation in
Clara's ~eyes-that, and a little disap-
pointment. Then they will put off the
auction-if it Is really So" she unused.
"Oh, yes Flora mourned, they can
put it off as long as they please. The
only thing l wanted is gone-and l
hadn't even seen it."
well, l wouldn't be too sure. There
may be some mistake about it. The
papers love a sensation"
But there must be something in it,
Clara. way, they closed the doors and
searched them-that crowd! It's ridicu-
lous!"
Clara Britton glanced ct the empty
place. Then that must be what has
kept him."
who? oh. Harry." 1t took Flora a
moment to remember she had been ex-
pecting Harry. She hoped Clara had
not noticed it. Clara always had too
much the assumption that she was
taking him only as the best-looking,
best-natured, safest bargain presented.
HE will be here" she treasured, but
I wish he would hurry. His dinner will
be spoiled, and, poor dear, he likes his
dinner so much,"
The faint silver sound of the electric
bell, a precipitate double peal, seemed
to uphold his statement. The women
faced each other in a moments sus-
pense, a moment of expectation, such
as the advance column may feel at
sight of a scout hotfoot from the field
of battle. There were muffied move
ments in the hall, then light, eve
steps crossing the drawing-room.
Those light steps always suggested a
slight frame, and, as always, Flora was
re-surprised at his bulk as now it ap-
peared between the parted curtains.
the dull black and sharp white of his
evening clothes topped by his square,
fresh-colored face. y
wei, Flora" he said, 81 know I'm
late" n o the HAND h held to
him from where she sat. Her face
danced with pleasure. Yes, he vas
magnificent, she thought, as he crossed
with his light stride to Mrs. Britton's
chair. He could even stand the harsh
lines and lights of evening clothes. He
dominated their ugly convention with
his height, his face so ruddy and fresh
under the pale brown of his hair, his
alert, assured, deft movement. His
high good nature had the effect of