Arizona republican., 1911-08-18
LADY CADDINGTON'S
EMERALDS
BY Cary WondeT|ey
copyrighted by the Pearson Publish
ing company

ROOM Her grace 1elt they were SAFER
with her, and so they had not been
left In safe-deposit vault in London.
Elvira also learned the exact position
of the stronghold in the stateroom-
and this without ever going near the
room or having asked Lady Cadding-
ton a direct question concerning it.
On the morning little Lady Alexan-
dra slipped and fell while walking
with Adair, Madame de Pasquali and
the duchess were together in their
chairs on the sunny side of the deck.
A Mrs. Newrich from the Far West
hustled up to the mother with the
news. She had been dying to speak
to real live duchess and here was
her chance. "Oh, ma'am, oh, your
grace, your sweet little girl has fell
overheard" she fairly beamed. "She
was out walking with that good
looking Mr.. Adair, and a sudden
lunge-"
She got no further. The duchess
turned to Elvira, catching her wrists
in her strong white hands.
do you hear what that woman is
saying? They have killed my Alex"
she cried in a hard, cold voice.
1T cannot be true" murmured the
singer There must be some mis-
take-the ship is still in motion-there
is no outcry" She addressed the.
multi-millionairess in French, but that
lady not understanding that tongue
only shrugged her shoulders, mental
ly deciding to see about a course in
languages through a correspondence
school-the moment she got back
home.
Come, we will see," said Elvira.
Don't, don't look so miserable! That
creature is wrong-I am sure of it,"
81 want Simmons, find me Sim
MONS" begged the duchess. Il will
go and see If / can find Mr.. Adair-
or Captain Lachase. But Simmons
she should not have left Alex-my
baby, my little baby!"
So while the duchess fairly ran up
the promenade deck followed by Mrs.
Newrich, Madame de Pasquali hurried
inside to look for the children's nurse
And as Lady Caddington had left her
jewelled bag in her chair the singer
thoughtfully took that with her. 1t
contained her keys.
Of course the duchess found the two
children safe and happy with Adair
watching the Switchboard games.
Lady Alexandra had fallen down,
tripped, and there had been soiled
knee which Adair had wiped clean
with his handkerchief. How Mrs.
Newrich got the idea that the little
girl was overheard nobody, and least
Of all Mrs. Newrich, knew. And she
retired in disgrace after Madame de
Pasquali had warmly rep-imanded her
In French. For Elvira had reached
Adair and the children almost as soon
as the duchess herself.
New York was only forty-eight
hours away now, and already hyster-
ical spinsters and loud voiced trippers
hung over the ships rail and rhapso-
died TO all who would stop and hear
them about Gods Country" Elvira
de Pasquali had not seen the duchess
since morning, and she was standing,
the centre of a gay crowd in the sa-
Cnn1Qh06v
whispered a few significant words in
her ear.
"Milady Caddington's emerald neck
lace has been stolen?" she repeated
with a quick flash of her teeth. She
laughed gaily. ooh. so will be my
pearls-to-morrow. We will not pay
much money to bring our pearls and
our emeralds to New York;"
The duchess herself turned coldly
suspicious eyes on her friend when
she heard of Elvira's remark. But she
did not contradict it. Neither did
she ever mention her loss again to
anybody aboardship but O'Brien Adair.
81 am sorry, more sorry than can
say" Adair told her once when they
were speaking of the loss of the en-
eIdluS. Anu W ulS Clcuit Uc IL odiu
that he spoke the truth. He was hon.
estly sorry-that the necklace be-
longed to little Lady Alexandra. But
after all things had gone too far now
to turn back, and the child was young.
1t would be years and years before
she could possibly wear them.
Lady Caddington leaned over and
whispered something in his ear.
"What?" he cried. Perhaps for the
first time in his life he was genuinely
surprised.
at is So" she nodded, smiling. IL
am from Connecticut, you know. and
once my ancestors sold your ancestors
wooden nutmegs-have you forgotten?
For Alexis sake l decided not to bring
the emeralds to America-they are far
too valuable, not only in money, but
in family traditions. Still knew my
friends would expect to see the jewels,
and so had little Frenchman in the
rue de la Paix make me an exact copy
of the famous necklace for the ridicu-
lous sum of fifty pounds. Wasn't that
a clever idea?-and just look where
we would have been had brought the
Caddington jewels! The genuine
stones are in England with the Dukes
mother, you know. And. frankly.