The Donaldsonville chief., 1911-08-26

"Just what | said, you see,' he Ok
claimed Nothing but trinkets and
other little ouvenirs-huh!-of old
romances, perhaps. Eth, it's great to
be a summer girl, Miss Holcomb. Il
only you had Jewels like Mrs. Mission.
er's, you'd shine with the best od
them. Gee, but that must be beauty
that necklace, If the imitation is SO
pretty"
He stirred the contents Of the boz
idly Nothing else remained to be
searched He had ransacked the init
mate sanctity Of the girls room. He
felt baff1ed and sorely irritated. AT
the thought of failure, he thrust his
fingers into the box with such VIC
lence that everything it held fell to
the floor. Carson stopped to pick up
the scattered iewelry, placing it In
Donnelly's hand to be returned to the
bo1 After recovering several bits OF
jewelry he laid In his big colleague S
greedy clutch small. round object
wrapped in silk tissue
Hello, what's this!" exclaimed Don
nelly, rolling the fairy parcel between
finger and thumb. you won't mind
If / peep in the paper. young lady? ]?
OF course you won't. And this Is only
a-say, what the mischief Is it?
Oh, glory!"
Even Carson was startled into an
echoing "Oh!" and the three women
almost screamed. For, Nesting In the
folds of the tissue, its facets twink
ling in the insistent green glow Of the
vacuum lights, flashed diamond-an
unmistakable diamond-which Mrs.
Missioner and Dorothy and Elinor rec
ognized as one Of the lesser gems
from the Maharanee necklace-much
smaller than the Maharanee diamond,
but twice the size of an ordinary
stone. And it was diamond even a
novice could tell was genuine!
All the blood left Elinor's face. The
muscles Of her throat leaped and knot
ted as If she were strangling. She
sWayed for a moment, then took a
long step toward the detective and
stood trembling, covering her face
with quivering hands. Donnelly, hold
ing the diamond to the light, was
about to speak-in what words, what
manner, one can guess. But the mis-
cry In the girls attitude struck the
triumphant grin from his face, and
there was momentary compassion in
the tone in which he said:
Wed better go back to the library,
I guess. Will you go with my side
partner. Miss comb ?''5
Carson's advance to the secretary's
side was checked by the violence with
which she Whirled toward Mrs Mis-
sioner, again with outstretched hands.
This time the widow was slower In
meeting the appeal. She was stunned
by the detectives discovery. All the
finer sensibilities of her Womanhood
were benumbed. Astonishment, large
and compelling, was all she could feel
for the moment. Still, she took Ell
inor's imploring hands In hers and
stood motionless, listening to the
girls passionate entreaty not to be-
lieve the evidence of her eyes, not to
believe her kindness could be out
ragged IN such a way, not to believe
that Elinor for all the jewels in the
mines of the world could be tempted
from the high honor in which she had
been reared. Clasping the younger
woman's locked fingers In her own
soft palm, she slipped her arm about
Elinor's waist and walked with her
to the lift. Dorothy. crying almost
childishly, controlled her voice once
or twice long enough to beg E1inor
not to give way to such torturing
emotion.
But Elinor Holcomb, shaking, Sob
bing, wildly beseeching, was oblivious
to the silent Watchfulness of the cent
raj Office men, the covert glances from
Blodgett's mask-like countenance, the
amazed stare of the liveried youth In
the elevator All the way to the room
in which Sands and Griswold and
Ranscome waited. all the way across
the old English library TO the ruddy
zone before the fireplace, she CON
tinued her prayers to Mrs. Missioner
to hold her guiltless That was the
one thought that shaped her thoughts:
that the woman to whom she owed
the shelter of her later youth should
not think her capable Of such ignoble
ingratitude. There was no slightest
shade of appeal to the detectives, no
regard for the conclusions others in
the room might draw. But that Mrs.
Missioner should give credit to the
cold accusation that glittered in the
diamond Donnelly had found-that
plainly was the unbearabIe thing in
the wretched young woman's present
position.
'You won't have to telephone the
chief, Mr.. Man." said ,Donnelly TO
Sands with as direct a sneer as he
thought advisable "This has been
one Of our easiest cases."
His fat hand was extended toward
the millionaire. In the crease Of the
palm, the diamond blazed as If in
aignant at such setting. Sands
glared at the stone. Griswo1d pa1ad az