The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-11-25

room, in the middle of the afternoon,
when everybody was there-and they
! haven't the faintest cleW.'
But how" For moment the pre-
posterous fact left Clara too quick to
be calm.
Again Flora's eloquent hands. "That
is it! 1t was in a case like all the
other jewels. Harry saw it"-she
glanced at the paper-"as late as four
o'clock When he came back with
Judge Butler, half an hour after, it
was gone"
Flora leaned forward on her ell
bows, 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 silyery
lights in eyes and hair, and confront
ed the facts with an alert and calcu-
lating observation; but Flora was
tawny, toned from brown to ivory
through all the gamut Of gold-hair
color of panther's hide, eyes dark
hazel, glinting through dust-colored
lashes, chin round like fruit. The
pressure of her fingers accented the
slight uphill of her brows to e1f1sh-
ness and her look was interpretive.
She might, instead of wondering on
the outside, have been the very center
OF the mystery itself, toying with un
thinkable possibilities Of revelation.
She looked far over the head Of Clara
Britton's annoyance that there should
be no clew.
'Why, don't you see," she pointed
out, that. is just the fun of it? 1t
might be anybody. 1t might be you,
or me, or Ella Butler. Though l would
prefer to think it was some one we
didn't know so wholesome one
, strange and fascinating, who will pres
+ emily 20 slipping out the Golden Gate
+ in a little junk boat, so that no one
need be embarrassed"
Clara looked back with extraordi.
, nary intentness.
"Oh, it's not possible the thing is
!. stolen There's some mistake! And
: if it were"-her eyes seemed to open
0 a little wider to take in this posi-
D bility-"they will have detectives all
around the water front by tonight
e Any one would find it difficult to gel
away" she pointed out.
"Of course; I know" Flora muir
INJURED. A faint twitch of humor pull
ed her mouth, but the passionate 70
+ mantle color was dying out of hel
+ face. How was it that ones romances
could be so cruelty pulled down tc
earth? But still she couldn't quite
;. come down to Clara. "At least" she
sighed, "he has saved me an awful
expense, whoever took it, for I should
= have had to have it,"
Mrs. Britton surveyed this state
J. ment consideringly. "Was it the mos
!. valuable thing in the collection?
q Flora hesitated in the face Of thu
. alert question. "I-don't know. Blu
= it was the most remarkable. It was
9 Chatworth heirloom, the papers say
y and was given to Bessie at the time
of her marriage" The thought Of thu
q death that had SO quickly followed
that marriage gave Flora a littl,
= SILVER, but no shade Of the TRACED,
= touched Clara. There was nothin,
:. but speculation in Clara's eyes-that
and a little disappointment. "The1
\ they will put off the auction-if it i
+ really so," she unused.
! "But there must be something in il
> Clara. Why, they closed the door
- and searched them--that crowd! It.
= ridiculous!
a Clara Britton glanced at the empt
. place. "Then that must be what ha
q kept him.,
n, who? oh, Harry" It took Flor
20 a moment to remember she had bee
" expecting Harry. She hoped Clar
te had not noticed it. Clara always ha
e. too much the assumption that sh
lie was taking him only as the best-lool
a ing, best-natured, safest bargain pre-
in sented. "He will be here" she re
Of assured, "but wish he would hurry
at His dinner will be spoiled; and, poo
il dear, he likes his dinner so much"
e. The faint silver sound Of the ele,
lg trio bell, precipitate double pea
seemed to uphold this statement. I'll
ID women faced each other in M
n ment's suspense, a moment of expe,
N tation, such as the advance colum
it. may feel at sight of a scout hotfoc
n, from the field of battle. There wer
VS. mufled movements in the hall, the
r. light, even steps crossing the DRAWN
Of room. Those light steps always sui
e. gested a slight frame, and, as Away
Flora was re-surprised at his bulk a
s. now it appeared between the parte
er curtains, the dull black and shar
white of his evening clothes topped b
is his square, fresh-eolored face
n, We'll, Flora" he said, II know II
I'D late" and took the hand she held |
him from where she sat. Her fac
=" danced with pleasure. Yes, he We
magnificent, she thought as he eros
a ed with his light stride to Mrs. Bri