Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1910-10-05
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CHAPTER !.

GS,aT- 1ZSIZzz a.
CHAPTER ..
The Vanishing Mystery.
Flora Gilsey stood - the threshold
Of her dining room. She had turned
her back on 1t. She swayed forward.
Her bare arms were lifted. Her hands
lightly caught the molding on either
side of the door. She was looking in
tently into the mirror at the other
end Of the hall. All the lights In the
dining room were lit. and she saw
herself rather keenly set against this
brilliance. The straight-held head,
the lifted arms, the short. slender
waist, the long, long sweep Of her
skirts made her seem taller than she
actually was; and the strong. bright
growth Of her hair and the lvivacity
OF her face made her seem more deep
" colored.
She had poised there for the mere
survey of . new gown. but after q mo-
ment Of dwelling on her own reflec-
lion she found herself considering 1t
only as an object in the foreground Of
picture. That picture, seen through
the open door, reflected In the glass.
was all Of bright hard glitter. all a
high. harsh tone Of newness. In its
paneled oak. in its glare of cutglass
and silver. In the shining vacant faces
Of its floors and walls, there was not
color that flled the eye. not shad.
dow where Imagination could find
play. As background for herself 1t
struck her as inqongruous. Like .
child looking at the landscape up
+ side down, she felt herself in for
+ etgn country. Yetit was hers.
She glanced oyer the table. It was
set for three. It lacked nothing but
the serving of dinner. She looked at
the clock. It wanted a few minutes
to the hour. Shima, the Japanese but
Ter, came in softly with, the evening
papers. She took them from him.
Nothing bored her so much as pa.
per. but tonight she knew 1t con-
tanned something she really wanted to
sheets at the page OF sales.
There It was at the head Of the
column in thick black type:
AT AUCTION. FEBRUARY Is
PERSONAL ESTATE OF
ELIZABETH HUNTER CHATwoRTH
CONSIsTING OF -
She read the details with interest
down to the end, where the name of
the famous Chatworth ring" finished
the announcement with q flourish.
Why famous? It was very provok-
ing to advertise with that vague ad-
1ective and not explain It.
She turned indiflerently to the first
page. She read q sentence, re.read 1t,
read II again. Then, as II she could
not read fast enough, her eyes gal.
loped down the column. It was the
most extraordinary thing! She was
bewildered with the feeling that what
was blazing at her from the columns
OF the paper was at once the widest
thing that could possibly have hap
pened, and yet the one most to have
been expected.
For, from the first the business had
been sinister, from as far back az the
tragedy-the end Of poor young Chat.
worth and his wife-the Bessie, who,
before her English marriage, they had
all known SO well. Her death, that
had befallen In far Italian Alps, had
made sensation In their little city,
and the large announcements OF, auc-
ton that had followed hard upon It
had bred among the women who had
known her morbid excitement, a
fevertsh desire to buy, as II there
might be some special luck in them,
the jewels OF woman who had so
tragically died. They had been ready
? to make social affair of the private
View held in the Maple room" be.
fore the acution. And now the whole
spectacular business was capped by a
sensation SO dramatic as to strain
credulity to its limit. She could not
believe 1t; yet here 1t was glaring at
her from the first page. still-it
might be an exaggeration. mistake.
She must go back to the beginning
and read 1t over slowly.
The striking of the hour hurried
her. Shima's announcement of din.
ner only sent her eyes faster down
the page. But when. with faint,
smooth rustic, Mrs. Britton came in,
she let the paper fall. She always
faced her chaperon with little ner.
vousness, and with the same sense OF
strangeness with which she SO fire.
quently regarded her house.
TITS Is minutes after eight" Mrs.
Britton observed. 1--WE would better
not walt any longer"
She took the place opposite Flora
at the round table. Flora sat down,
+ stiil holding the paper. flushed and
bolt upright with her news.
TITS the most extraordinary thing!"
she burst forth.
Mira. Britton paused mildly with q
radish In her fingers. She took in
the presence of the paper. and the
suppressed excitement of her com.
panion's face seemed to absorb them
through the large pupils Of her Hight
eyes. through all her smooth, pretty
person. before she reached for an ex
PLANTATION.
what is the most extraordinary
thing?" The query came bland and
smooth. as II. whatever 1t was, II
could not surprise her.
Why. the Chatworth ring! At the
private view this afternoon 1t simply
vanished! And-and It was all our
own crowd who were there!h
Vanished" Clara Britton leaned
forward. peering hard in the face Of
this extraordinary statement. Stolen
do you mean?" She made It definite
Flora flung out her hands.
We'll. It disappeared In the Maple
room. in the middle of the afternoon
when everybody was thereand they
haven't the faintest clew."
''But how?" For moment the pre-
S posterous fact left Clara too quick t.
be calm.
! Again Flora's eloquent hands. "That
L. L aA1x.H.