The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-11


You are sure that the ruby was
stolen?'
You are sure that the ruby was
stolen"
Mr.. Lexham shrugged his shoul-
ders. why, yes, as sure as one can
be of a negative. The case which
had held it and the other jewels
was found in small iron box
which stood on a cabinet beside Sir
Mortimers bed. He could have reach
ed it with his hand. The key, on a
| bunch with others, was under his
pillow was found there ON the
morning after his death. The iron
box was locked The other valua-
/ bles it contained were there, and
had apparently not even been dis
turbed. The case which held the
giant ruby was empty. Search was
made for it in every likely and un-
likely place; but, as have said,
it was never found"
Then somewhere, held by some.
one, is the great Desborough ruby"
murmured Dexter Reece. almost to
himself. Great heaven, what mys.
tery!"
Mr. LeXham nodded, merely nod
ded as if words were superfluous.
Wed better 20 to bed" he said;
they keep very early hours here
And you will have to be up betimes
tomorrow"
They parted in the corridor. Reece
closed his door in the quiet way
which characterized all his move
ments. He did not begin to nm
dress himself, but dropped into >
chair, and, leaning forward with his
hands supporting his sharply de-
fined chin, gazed before him in pro.
found reflection. He was haunted.
obsessesd by the story which ne
had heard the glow of the great
ruby seemed to dance like a mist be-
fore his eyes. The stupendous gem
was-somewhere.
OF course he knew that he was
not the first person by scores whose
mind had been agitated by the loss
of the jewel, the vague desire Of
finding 1t. He knew that some of
the most astute minds must have
been employed; they had been baf-
fled. Years had passed; the lack of
any clue was more significant now
than it had been at the hour of the
murder, robbery. As well search for
a particular pebble on a beach as
hope to find the lost ruby. And yet
-
With a little gesture of contempt
for the desire which was burning
in him, ne rose abruptly and took
off his coat. AS he did so. he walked |
towards the dressing table, and nat
urally and involuntarily, glanced |
through the open window. The last .
rays of the coppery sunset, like |
the gleam and glow of a ruby. had |
vanished from the sky: tie moo;
had risen behind the stately house, |
and shaft, piercing the thin clouds. |
smote the lawn. AS Recess eye rest.
ed on the streak of light, something
swiftly crossed it; the form OF A
woman closely wrapped N cloak.
with its hood drawn owe. her head.
Reece at first regarded the swift.
y passing figure with an amused
interest. OF course it was one of the
maids stealing out to meet
her sweetheart; the aoIr was not
late, not very much after ten. and
there was nothing extraordinary in
he girl keeping her rendezvous with
her lover.
But suddenly, just as the girl
was entering the wood. she turned
her head and looked towards the
house, with the evident desire to see
If she were being followed: and
in the movement of the
head an indefinable grace. a GER
tain individuality struck Dexter
Reece with a sense of familiarity;
ne knew that it was Evelyn Desbor-
ough. The complacent, half-contempt-
nous smile left his face: It flushed,
hen grew pale; his eyes watched
he wood into which she had
his lips frightened. He
caught up Norfolk jacket and
4 cap, slipped them on, and moved
swiftly towards the door. But there.
with his hand on the handle he
iesitated
For DXter Reece was neither n
villain nor a dishonorable man-at