The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-11
AT AUCTION, FEBRUARY Is
pEpC0NET FSTATF OF
ELIZABETH HUNTER CHATWoRTT
CONSISTING oF -

She read the details with interest
down to the end, where the name of
the famous Chatworth ring" finished
the announcement with a flourish. Why
famous? It was very provoking to
advertise with that vague adjective and
not explain It.
She turned indinerently to the first
page. She read a sentence. reread it,
read 1t again. Then, as If she could not
read fast enough. her eyes ganoped
down the column. Color came into her
cheeks The grasp OF her hands on the
edges Of the paper frightened. It was
the most extraordinary thing She
was bewildered with the feeling that
what was blazing at her from the col
umns Of the paper was at once the
widest thing that could possibly have
happened. and yet the one most to have
been expected.
For. from the first the business had
been sinister. from as far back as the
tragedy-the end OF poor young Chat
worth and his wife-the Bessie, who,
before her English marriage, they had
all known so we'll Her death, that
had befallen IN far italian Alps. had
y
and the large announcements of
auction that had followed hard
upon II had bred among the
women who had known her a morbid
excitement a feverish desire to buv
rs II there might be some special luck
IN them. the jewels Of a woman who
had so tragically died They had been
ready 70 make a social affair Of the
private view held IN the maple room"
before the auction. And now the whole
spectacular business was capped by a
sensation so dramatic as to strain ere
dulity TO its limit. She could not be-
lieve It; yet here Il was glaring at
her from the first page. Still-it might
be an exaggeration, a mistake She
must go back TO the beginning and
read Il over slowly.
The striking OF the hour hurried her.
Shima's announcement OF dinner only
sent her eyes faster down the page.
But when, with faint, smooth rustic,
Mrs. Britton came IN. she let the paper
fall. She always faced her chaperon
with q little nervousness, and with
the same sense OF strangeness with
which she SO frequently regarded her
house
IT'S Is minutes after g." Mrs. Brit
ton observed. we would better not
wait any longer"
at the round table. Flora sat down.
stu holding the paper. flushed and bolt
upright with her news.
It's the most extraordinary thingr'
she burst forth.
Mrs. Britton paused mildly with a
radish in her fingers. She took in the
presence Of the paper and the sup
pressed excitement OF her companion's
face-seemed to absorb them through
the large pupils Of her hgh0 eyes,
through all her smooth, pretty person,
before she reached for an explanation.
What IS the most extraordinary
thing2" The query came bland Sand
smooth, as II, whatever it was, it could
not surprise her
why. the Chatworth ringi At the
private view this afternoon it simply
vanished And-and il was all our own
crowd who were there"
vanished" Clara Britton leaned
forward. peering hard IN the face OF
this extraordinary statement Stolen
do YOU mean2" She made 1t definite.
Flora flung out her hands
We'll. 1t disappeared in the maple
room. in the middle Of the afternoon
when every body was thete--and they
haven't the faintest clew."
But how2" For a moment the pre-
posterous fact left Clara too quick to
be calm.
Again Flora's eloquent hands. THAT
IS it. II was in a case like all the other
Jewels. Harry saw it"-she glanced at