Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-29

You don't mean it,! l replied
Have you found where the gem is
concealed?'
/ mo. 1 have discovered that Mrs.
Jernegan's nursemaid shares her Sc
cret With her"
How sop
"They know that we are watching
them. Whenever the nurse sees me
looking at her she quails."
Its two against two. isn't it?''
Eyes, and wen beat them yet"
mo doubt of it."
"Have you anything to suggest?
"WelI. no; not just now"
We saw the nurse go out with her
charge and knew that every afternoon
she took the child to a little park in
the neighborhood. Treusdail should
not have permitted this. but he said
that it wouldn't do to keep the little
girl in the house. / proposed to Miss
Sweet that we walk out, follow the
nurse to the park and see If we could
learn anything. She consented. and.
getting her hat and wraps. we sailed
forth.
We soon saw the nurse walking
slowly, the child trotting alone, either
beside or behind her, carrying a toy
balloon We measured our pace to
suit theirs. and they entered the park
without knowing that we were near
them. A moment later the nurse turn
ed and, suddenly seeing us, gave an
involuntary start
1.-The plot thickens," remarked to
my companion. "rTu bet that this
nurse, being permitted to leave the
house, viii get rid Of the diamond"
Suppose she has it with her nowT
said Miss Sweet.
Its possible"
az have never seen her so agitated
as when she turned and saw us be-
hind her"
"You are on the track You made
the discovery that she was IN league
with her mistress. Suppose we let
her see by our acts and the express
stons of our faces that we are watch
ing her. 1t may drive her into doing
something that will expose her"
BY this time the nurse had taken a
seat on bench, while the child played
about with her balloon On several
occasions she let go the string, the
balloon rose, and the nurse caught it
by the woman and as we did SO stared
at her ominously. She trembled like
a leaf We walked on a short dis
lance and turned. The child's balloon
had escaped and was caught in the
branches of a tree overhanging the
seat where the nurse sat The child
was crying for her toy. and the nurse
was trying to quiet her.
I'll buy you another, dearie," she
said. THAT one has gone where one
can't get it,
The nurse spoke the truth. Only a
long ladder would enable any one to
reach the toy. 1t had lodged some
thirty feet from the ground. AS /
walked past the tree looked up at ii.
I noticed that the string attached to II
hung straight. 1t suggested nothing
at first, but presently 1 asked my com
panion:
DO you notice how straight that
string hangs? Is it caught on branch,
and does the balloon keep it tautT'
mo; the balloon is against a bough.
But there is something-very small
tied to the end Of the string"
$50 there is"
i glanced at the nurse, who knew
we were talking about the balloon,
and saw she was holding her breath
from suspense. 1 called some boys
who were playing near and offered
any of them a quarter who would
climb the tree and bring down the bal
loon. One OF the boys took my offer.
and In a few minutes 1 was In pos
session of the toy. At the end Of the
string was a bit OF tissue paper. In
the paper was the diamond
1 looked around for the nurse. She
had vanished:
The delight both Of myself and Miss
Sweet may be imagined We started
to the house with the little girl. Far
down the street we saw the nurse run
ming ahead Of us. 1t did not occur to
US what she was going 20 the house for
till we got there. when we discovered
that she had warned her mistress and
gone on. Before saying a word to
any one I took the stone to Treusdail,
and we had a long consultation. Wehad
no proof against the widow, and since
she was a connection of Jim's he de
cided to tell her that her maid had |
stolen the diamond and not intimate
to her that she herself was supposed
TO have been an accomplish. This |
would avoid any unpleasantness.
When the matter was given out to |
the guests told them all that the find |
was entirely due to Miss Sweets IN |
genuity and foresight She was the |
lioness Of the party from that mo- |
rnent till we broke up ard generally |
became convinced that she had done |
It all herself.
That gave me a good start, and IN !
ltime I.woD-not a stone. but a woman. !