Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-01-20

| SWered the Greek, bending over the
ruby and scrutinizing it through the
strong magnifier
Mr.. Pinney felt himself snubbed
which had not happened to him for a
long time, and he drew himself ur
with dignity. A minute passed, and
Logotheti did not look up; another
and Mr. Pinney grew nervous; few
seconds more, and he received a shock
that took away his breath.
This is not my ruby said Logo
thetl looking up, and speaking with
perfect confidence.
INDEPENDENTLY" Mr.. Pinney's
Jaw dropped. But" He could get
no further
I'm sorry Logotheti said calmly.
II very sorry, for several reasons.
But it's not the stone I brought you,
though it's just as large, and most ex-
traordinarily like it."
But how do you know, sir?" gasped
the jeweler.
| because I'm an expert, as you
were good enough to say just now
ANS' OIL Out dm dn expert, 100,
ana TO the best of my expert belief
this is the stone you left with me to
De cut the day before yesterday. I've
| examined it most thoroughly"
No doubt" answered the Greek.
But you hadn't examined mine thor
oughly before it was stolen. had you?
You had only looked at it with me, on
the counter here"
That is correct, sir" said Mr.. Pin
ney nervously. That is quite true. -
| Very we'll. But I did more than
merely look at it through lens or
weigh it. | did not care so much
about the weight, but I cared very
much for the water, and I tried the
| ruby point on it in the usual way, but
| it was too hard, and then I scratched
it in two places with the diamond,
more out of curiosity than for any
! other reason"
You marked it, 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 / thought little
! better in color. This is the other, for
! she still had it; and, so far as | know,
it is her legal property, and mine is
| gone. The thief was one of those
/ two young fellows who came in just
when Mr. Van Torp and l went out l
remember thinking what nice-locking
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 it at present
! A much larger sum of money was
| gone, too, than any financier could
| lose with equanimity by such a Pc
| culiarly disagreeable mishap as be-
ing robbed. There were several rea-
| sons why Logotheti was not pleased.
q am deeply Inundated" said the
| worthy old jeweler Il have not only
| been tricked and plundered, but |
have been the means of sending inno-
cent people to prison"
you had better be the means of
! getting them out again as soon as pos
sible,' said Logotheti. And you
must also make an effort to trace
| those young men who stole the ruby"
Il most certainly shall, replied the
| ieweler, land if it 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
! good any loss their customers sustain
| 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 han
! som and drove away
1t would be tiresome to give a de-
tailed account of what they did. Suf-
flee it 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 ii formal document by
which Messrs. Pinney & Son bound
themselves to make good to him, his
heirs, or assigns, the loss of ruby,
approximately of a 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.