The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-10-15

Very well. But did more than
merely look at 1t through a lens or
weigh it. I did not care so much
about the weight, but l cared very
much for the water, and tried the
ruby point on it in the usual way. but
1t was too hard, and then scratched
1t In two places with the diamond,
more out of curiosity than for any
| other reason"
You marked 1t, sir? There's not a
single scratch on this one! Merciful
Providence! Merciful Providence!"
YES" Logotheti said gravely. "The
| girl spoke the truth. She had two
stones much larger than the rest when
she first came to me in Paris, this one
! and another. They were almost ex-
actly alike, and she wanted me to
buy both, but I did not want them,
and took the one I thought a little
better in color. This is the other, for
she still had it; and, so far as l know,
1t Is her legal property, and mine is
gone. The thief was one of those
two young fellows who came in lust
when Mr.. Van Torp and l went out. I
remember thinking what nice-looking
boys they were!"
He laughed rather harshly for he
was more annoyed than his considera-
ton for Mr.. Pinney made him care to
show. He had looked forward to CIV
ing Margaret the ruby, mounted Just
as she wanted IT. and the ruby was
gone, and he did not know where he
was to find another, except the one
that was now in Pinney's hands, but
really belonged to poor Baraka. who
could certainly not sell 1t at present.
A much larger sum of money was
gone, too than any financier could
lose with equanimity by such a De.
culiarly disagreeable mishap as be.
ing robbed. There were several rea.
sons why Logotheti was not pleased,
81 am deeply Inundated" said the
worthy old jeweler. II have not only
been tricked aud plundered, but
have been the means of sending limo.
cent people to prison."
you had better be the means of
getting them out again as soon as DOS
must also make an effort to trace
those young men who stole the ruby"
Il most certainty SHALL" replied the
jeweler, "and if 1t is not found we
will make it good to you, sir, what
ever price you set upon it. | am
deeply Inundated, but nobody shall
say that Pinney & Son do not make
lose hot
through them"
Don't worry about that, Mr.. Pin.
ney," said Logotheti, who saw how
much distressed the old jeweler really
was.
So they went out and hailed a ham
som and drove away.
1t would be tiresome to give a de.
tailed account of what they did. Suf.
flee 1t to say that the prisoners were
set at large; Mr.. Pinney restored the
ruby to Baraka, and all her other be-
longings were given back to her. even
including the smart gray suit of mems
clothes in which she had been ar
rested; and her luggage and other
things which the manager of the hotel
where she had been stopping had
handed over to the police were all re-
turned; and when Spiro appeared at
the hotel to pay the small bill that
had been left owing, he held his head
as high as an oriental can when he
has got the better Of any one, and
that is pretty high indeed Further
more, Mr.. Pinney insisted on giving
Logotheti formal document by
which Messrs. Pinney & Son bound
themselves to make good to him. his
heirs, or assigns, the loss of a ruby.
approximately of certain weight and
quality, which he had lost through
their carelessness.
On the day following Baraka's lib.
GRAFTON, Lady Maud received Marga.
ret's pressing message begging her to
go to Bayreuth. The message reached
her before noon, about the time when
Margaret and her companions had
come back from their morning walk
and after hesitating for half an hour
she telegraphed that she would come
with pleasure, and would start at once
which meant that evening.
She had just read the official &C.
count of the ruby case in its new as
pect, and she did not believe a word
OF the story. To her mind it was quite
clear that Logotheti was still infatu-
ated with the girl, that he had come
to London as fast as he could, and
that he had deliberately sworn that
the ruby was not his, but another one
in order to get her out of trouble. If
1t was not his 1t had not been stolen
from Pinney's, and the whole case fell
through at once. II she was declared
innocent the stone must be given back
to her. he would take it from her as
soon as they were alone and return
1t to his own pocket; and being an
oriental, he would probably beat her
for robbing him, but would not let her
out of his sight again till he was tired
of her Lady Maud had heard from
her late husband how al Turks be-
lieved that women had no souls and
should be kept under lock and key,
and well fed, and soundly beaten now
and then for the good of their tenn