Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-06-28
By LAWRENCE FOSTER.

By LAWRENCE FOSTER.
+ Copyright, 1910. by American Press
/ Association. I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
One winter when congress was in
session was invited to the national
capital to spend a week with my
friend Jim Treusdail in company with
others. forming q very pleasant house
party. Jim had not been long mar
ried, and | was q bachelor. have
always thought that his wife got up
the affair especially for my benefit
and that of Miss Mildred Sweet. Mrs.
Jim desiring to make match between
us. II she did she had no trouble. SO
far as was concerned, for had not
been acquainted with Miss Sweet ten
minutes before | remarked to myself,
THAT'S the girl am looking for"
have q theory that good way to
win a girl is to conjure up something
in which you and she may have
mutual interest. Fortune favored me
In this wise:
One evening at dinner Mrs. Jim show
ed plainly that something had hap
pened. She said nothing to any Of the
guests and when they spoke to her
replied in monosyllables. Treusdail
labored hard to keep a certain amount
of life in the party. but was not sue
ceSSful.
After dinner Jim took me up to
little den he used to hide away In
and told me what was the matter.
His wife had lost diamond as big
as n hickory nut. 1t had been handed
down to her for five generations and
been turned over to her on her we'd
ding day. She had taken 1t out OF
its receptacle to wear it that evening
at a reception that was to occur Mt
the White House and had left 1t on
her bureau while giving some direc-
liz
He had no sooner told me this than
1t required to me to make a detective
of myself for the purpose of discover
ing the thief and to take Miss Sweet
into the business with me. BY inter-
esting her In the case hoped eventual
ly to turn that interest from the gem
to myself.
asked Jim q good many questions.
but only elected the information that
every servant In the house during his
wife's absence from her room was
downstairs and quite busy, most OF
them with the preparations for the
dinner. The men guests were all In
the billiard room. Two Of the women
guests were dressing in their rooms
for dinner and after that the function
ut the White House. A third, wild
ow. Mrs Jernegan. with little daugh-
ter. five years old. had finished her
toilet and was assisting her nurse to
put the child to bed
Mrs. Jernegan was my first choice
for the thief. Women who are not
dressed don't run about In another
persons house. and Mrs. Jernegan was
the only person OH the floor at the
time the stone was lost. went to
the White House reception with Miss
Sweet and during the evening told her
about the loss and began to excite her
curiosity as TO who could have been
the thief.
ut would be nice thing" said,
III you and |. working together, could
recover the stone and turn it back to
the rightful owner"
Indeed it would" she said, "but
how can we do that?"
81 don't know that we can. but We
can try"
l confided to her that suspected
Mrs. Jernegan. She did not especial
ly fancy the widow. but could hardly
bring herself to feel that she had
stolen the diamond. told Miss Sweet
that she. being a woman. could keep
an eye ON the suspect better than l.
and she agreed to do so.
l had a little scheme up my sleeve
to compel Mrs. Jernegan to show her
colors If she were guilty. OF course
that was not proving her guilty or get
ting back the stone. but 1t would
serve for clew invited Il party.
including Mrs. Jernegan. to visit the
toe NJ
with us. After showing the party
through the building took them up
into the dome. There Is u whispering
gallery in this dome In which voice
speaking on one side can be heard at
the other. Leaving the widow on one
side Of the dome. took Miss Sweet
halfway round the semicircle. and.
watching till Mrs. Jernegan was sep
arated from the others. suggested to
Miss Sweet to put her mouth near the
wall and whisper the words. what
did you do with it?'
She did so. and the effect was in
Simultaneous and unmistakable. The
widow staggered, turned pale and
looked hurriedly about her. When she
turned her eyes upon us we were
looking down on to the marble floor
far below.
My companion was delighted with
the success of my device. She seemed
to be struck with surprise and adj
miration at what she was pleased to
call my ingenuity. was more inter-
ested In Miss Sweet than In the thief
/ disclaimed any great shrewdness-
indeed, thus far was simply lucky.
But must keep up the Illusion. !
must find some method Of learning
from the widow what she had done
with the diamond.
And here I showed that instead Of
being an experienced detective was
a mere bungler. l permitted the wild
ow to discover by keeping a watch
over her that I suspected her. l knew
that she was aware that l did suspect