The Detroit times., 1910-03-07

moved by force Burles said signi.
hcantly
No. ] should say not. Less than an
hour ago | had Co take ina telegram
10 my guardians room. He Was In
bed. and he asked me to read II TO
him. He spoke quite In his usual
Lowell. em6tionless voice IL any yiol'
ence had been offered him. he would
never have been so quiet and SER
contained Unless something has hap
pened within the last halt'hour-
You can disabuse your mind OF
that" Burles fastened TO say En-
phatically. this is not the ring oe-
longing 10 Mr.. Archibald Colville. /
took IL from the hand OF the woman
who has been nearly murdered next
door Il was tightly clasped In her
palm. and only minute flash OF the
diamonds showed. IL seemed TO me
10 be an important clue, SO | removed
la or course. need not ask you 10
keep this a dead secret.
."Then there are TWO, If not three, Oh
those rings" Ailsa exclaimed. My
guardian has one. the man calleu
stern has another, and here is the
third. II IS very amazing
Perhaps not quite SO amazing as
on the first blush II would seem,
b,lrles replied. There is no reason
why there should not be two OF these
rings. Very few things are absolute
Il UNIQUE But there is no occasion
for there 10 be third My theory IS
that this ring Is the one that you sa"
on the finger OF the man called Johh
Stern -
Ausa started Her mind had been
framing something OF the same kind.
This is what mean said Burles'
eravelv regarding the ring on the
table John Stern knew the secrets
az this house. He was searching Tor
The panel leading 10 next door. lie
ala not ind IL. but he managed To
cot into the house all the same MY
idea Is that John Stern Is the ulan
that Won saw In the boudoir after the
lights were put out-the man VINO was
locked in the inner room. Ills uhio''
tunate victim was there already, lheN
had bottle OF champagne together
There was struggle or somethlns
OF that kind. and that is why touhu
the ring I'm the woman $ hand.
Ailsa did not care 10 contest TINS
| theory. II seemed quite logical
| ~ can't make II all out" she said.
/ Can YOU explain to me how that
room altered from a luXuriously-tur-
ni.hed apartment TO a dingy receptA'
! ole Tor a Womans clothes? But per
! haps Won will say that I'm getting on
700 fast. Is that some or the con
| fettl?"
Ailsa asked the question quite alb
runfly Two or three of the iinV
gaudy little discs lay on the table oy
/ TIE side OF the ring. Burles nodded
/ as Ailsa picked them up IN nj oi
/ idle curiosity There was not mucn
/ chance OF a clue being found here
| All the same. Ailsa's face lshtened
This IS rather curious. she sail
The only time | have ever beeh
abroad was at the Nice carnival one
year. II was the spring that nv
/ father died I was in the thicl, OF that
rot indeed I have some confetti THAI
I I have preserved as a memen;o ever
since. But that confetti was made OF
paper. This is not paper az all, but
something much heavier II looks =
me as IL II were rice or starch o.
something Of that kind colored. Dc
you ever see anything quite ike J.
before Inspector Burles''
| Burlcs was fain 10 admit that h'
had not. II seemed 10 him that AilsS
had missed her vocation and that she
should have been a detective. The
more he came 20 examine the confetti
the more sure he was that il was no.
Of the ordinary variety.
There is some suggestion of the
tbpotor obOut II he said The STUFF
Is heavy. and inclined 10 stick W.
will imagine the comic man in some
musical comedy. if You like, emerging
from a wedding or something OF that
kind. covered with this stuff That
is what Is called business. l. believe
I We are getting on. Miss LEROY
Thanks more TO your acumen than
mine
Ito lie Continued