Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-08-11
DAILY SHORT STORIES

she feared me. Doubtless she wo;.,d
have taken or sent away the diamond
III she had IT.. but Treusdai.. at my
suggestion, would not permit any one
TO leave the place without being
searched. the guests volunteering TO
submit to the ordeal II they were
Obliged to leave before the gem was
found.
! held long deliberations with Miss
Sweet. who was now profoundly In.
terested In the case. These delibera.
tons. besides giving us somethAig In
common. enabled me TO be good deal
with her. ! hoped. II made any fur.
Their progress. 10 have my assistant to
think othat 1t was her ingenuity or
perceptive faculty that was doing the
work and not mine. ! wished for this
on tho basis that II you make II per.
son think he is talented Il counts for
more than II you show your own abil.
iy.isaf hiaad
II have made discovery" said
Miss Sweet to mo one day. with great
glee. m'Hir'
"You don't mean IT." replied.
AAu'c you Aouhu Whcie tuc Seh ~
concealedy" con
"Noi have discovered that Mrs
Jernegan's nursemaid shares her Sc
cret With her" bray
"How soy" -1iilui
They know that we are watching
them. Whenever the nurse sees me
looking ut her she qunils." i 1NH
IFS two against two. isn't IT,"
"Yes, and We'll beat them yet" ar
"No doubt OF IT." 10
"fIave you anything to SUGGESTIVE
swell. no; not just now" br
We saw the nurse go out with her
charge and knew that every afternoon
She took the child to little park I'm
the neighborhood. Treusdail should
not 'have permitted this. but he said
that 1t 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 II we could
learn anything. She consented. and.
getting her hat and wraps. we sailed
forth. va
We soon saw the nurse walking
slowly, the child trottlng alone. either
beside or behind her. carrying toy
balloon. We measured our pace to
snlt theirs. and they entered the park
without knowing that we were near
them. A moment later the nurse turn
cd and, suddenly seeing us. gave an
involuntary start.
'The plot thickens," i remarked TO
my companion. I'll bet that this
nurse. being permitted to leave the
house. will get rid OF the diamond"
Suppose she has 1t with her nowT'
said Miss Sweet.
Its possible"
II have never seen her so agltated
as when she turned and saw us be-
hind her."
"You are on the track. You made
the discovery that she was I'm league
with her mistress. Suppose we let
her see by our acts and the express
sions 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 q
seat on a bench. while the child played
about with her balloon. On several
occasions she let go the string. the
balloon rose. and the nurse caught II
only I'm time to save It We walked
by the woman and as we did so stared
at her ominously. She tremblcd like
leaf We walked OH short dis
lance and turned. The chlld's balloon
had escaped and was caught ia the
branches OF q tree overhanging the
seat where the nurse sat. The child
was crying for her toy, and the nurse
was trying 10 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
long ladder would enable any one 20
reach the toy. 1t had lodged some
thirty feet from the ground As !
walked past the tree looked up Mt II.
noticed that the string attached 20 II
hung straight. 1t suggested nothing
ut first. but presently asked my COM
panfon:
do you notice how straight tba,
string hangs? Is IL caught on branch
and does the balloon keep IL taut" l
Ap' tHe DuiIOOn Is against Dough- 1
But there Is somethlng-very small
tied to the end of the string"
$50 there is"
glanced at the nurse. who know
we were talking about the balloon.
and saw she was holding her breath
from suspense. / called some boys
who were playing near and offered /
any OF them quarter who wdlld
CLIMB the tree and bring down the bal
loon. One OF the boys took my offer.
and in few minutes 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.
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 wo saw the nurse run.
ming ahead Of US. IL did not occur to
US what she was going To the horse for