The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-05-26

""o as uIue as DIS own but who was
@s poor as the traditional church
tnouse. Smart gossip also opined that
tney could never marry, for financial
reasons, and that latterly Roslyn Ca.
wanna had been casting sleeps eyes
at a certain Kate Rysdale whose mil
Mons were in inverse ratio to the
rapid rise of her Steel Trust papa.
F1nney Valentine owed his sue.
eesses to one trait among many 9th
ers: he kept an open and unbiased
mind in the face of facts that would
nave unduly Influenced another man;
ne was never one 10 formulate a the.
DRY and then make the facts fit; rath
er ne built up his cases bit by bit, line
ny line, until there was but one in.
eVltable conclusion. Then he struck
and struck hard. So, in the matter of
hoslyn Cavanna, he merely decided
that the man would bear watching
ana arranged to be on the spot in flu.
urea guest at every social function
where repetition Of the jewel rob.
berries might be expected to occur
should such move prove advisable.
Although, as narrated already, the
losers had refrained from calling in
either the police or an ordinary detec.
tive agency, some stiff rewards had
been offered through the daily prints
to be paid by Messrs. Dakin & Meekin,
the well-known jewellers on Fifth ave.
nue., through whom many Of the bau.
bles had been purchased in the first
instance.
To Dakin & Meekin, then, went Fin.
ney Valentine, ostensibly to inquire If
any article had ever been recovered
In that wayne knew otherwise-but
really to mouse around in search of
chance information. This visit led to
momentous results. But in order to
complete clarity of narrative we must
revert for moment to the last great
jewel robbery some six weeks before
at Newport.
There the chief booty was magni.
ficent necklace of matched pearls.
forty-nine in number, worth at least
fifty thousand dollars, which the fair
owner had carelessly left in an I'M.
locked case on her dressing.table du.
ring dinner. While she and her maid
were absent from the suite the neck.
lace vanished into thin air!
Strolling through the aisles Of show.
cases in Dakin & Meekin's, waiting
for a chance to speak with either of
the partners, Valentine saw the door
Of the private Office open and a young
man emerge with Dakin at his side.
The man was Roslyn Cavanna, hand.
some. debonair. and fautlessly dressed.
He was evidently valued customer.
for Dakin accompanied him almost the
length of the store to the entrance.
On his brisk way back, Finney Val.
entine buttonholed him and made
known his errand.
Nothing doing, I'm sorry to say"
was Dakin's response to the query
whether any of the jewels had ever
been recovered through the medium
OF the firm. "Of course, they're good
for business in a way-those robber.
les, l mean-for everything had to be
replaced, you know, and some of the
losers are among our best customers"
"Was that one II them-the good
clients. | meant saw you with just
now? Young Cavauna. you know"
Dakln laughed.
"Well-er-not exactly. His spend.
Ing days were over some years ago,
I'm afraid. But we're always glad to
see him; his father was a good Gus.
toner. Things are on the mend with
Roslyn Cayanna; he's expecting to be
married, he tells me. In fact, Mr..
Valentine, We are to make his wedding
gift. He called to see US about it."
By this time they had reached the
door Of the private Office, where Nee
kin, the other member, sat at a table
with tray Of pearls before him. Fac
ing, on the other side of the table,
stood an excitable French workman
talking volubly, with many typical
gestures of the hands and shrugs of
the shoulders.
But I tell you, Meestaire Meekin,"
he was saying, II am not mistake
me, Pierre Danser. Non! Ze pearls
are identique-vat you call a pairfait
match? Ze shape. re weight, re coul-
eur! Nom de la nom! Did I not as.
semble re fairst necklace for Madame
Batterman? Pouf! In such mattairs
you cannot fool Pierre Danser!" And
the little foreigner struck a Napoleon
h attitude, nodding his head violently.
"Tut! Tut! Pierre" said Mr.. Nee
kin. "You must be mistaken. There
may be a resemblance. Of course, but
that's merely an accident: We've got
8 lot OF other Matchable stones In the
safe at this moment, but that doesn't
argue they've been stolen"
whats the trouble?" here inquired
Dakin, nudging his partner to be eau.
tious in the presence Of third per.
son.
why" said Meekin, "Pierre has a
notion that Mr.. Cavanna's pearls are
the lot that Mrs. Batterman lost In
that Newport robbery last month. Of
course it's ridiculous, and 50 told
him" Perfectly absurd" assented
Mr.. nakin. Lets have no more fool
ish talk, Pierre. We know what we're
about"
To indicate that the discussion was
=