Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-09-08

claimed. Nothing but trinkets q
other little Observation-Disclosures OLD
romances, perhaps. Eth, its great 10
be a summer girl, Miss Holcomb. II
only you had jewels like Mrs. Mission
er's. you'd shine with the best OF
them. Gee. but that must be a beauty,
that necklace, If the imitation is so
pretty"
He stirred the contents OF ne box
idly. Nothing else remained to be
searched. He had ~ransacked the init
mate sanctity of the girls room. He
felt baffed and sorely irTitated. At
the thought of failure, he thrust his
fingers into the box with such v1o-
lence tina everything 1t held fell to
the floor. Carson stopped to pick UP
the scattered jewelry, placing 1t In
Donnelly's hand to be returned to tho
box. After recovering several bits OF
iewelry he laid in his big colleagues
greedy clutch a 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 III
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, lashe a diamond-an
unmistakable diamond-which Mrs.
Missioner and Dorothy and Elinor rec
ognized as one of he lesser gems
from the Maharanee mediterranean
smaller than the Maharanee diamond,
but twice the size Of an ordinary
stone. And it was a diamond even a
novice could tell was genuine!
All the blood left El1nor'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 he detective n
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, n can guess, But the mis-
cry in the girls attitude struck the
triumphant grin from his face, and
there was momentary compassion IN
the one in which he said.
Wed better go back to the library,
l guess. VIII you go with my side
partner. Miss Holcomb?"
Carson's advance to the secretary's
side was checked by the violence with
which she whirled toward Mrs. Mis-
sioner, again with o~utstretched hands.
This tip,o tho widow uaC C1nWar IN
meeting the appeal. She was stunned
by the detectives discovery. All the
finer s%ensibilities of her womanhood
YER benumbed. Astonishment, large
and compelling, was all she could feel
for the moment. Still, h took FL
inor's imploring hands in hers and
stood m~otionless, 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
beef 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 Elinor
not to give way to such torturlng
emotion.
But Elinor Holcomb, shaking, sob
bling, 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 10 the rudy
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 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 DOIuSlly udu lOuud-llaI
plainly was the unbearable thing in
the w%retched young woman's present
position.
You won't have to telephone the
chief, Mr.. Man" said Donnelly to
Sands with as direct a nee 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
dignant at such a setting. Sands
glared at the stone, Griswold gazed at
it. as If %spellbound. Ransoome pol
ished his glasses with much deliber-
alton and, adjusting them with equal
precision. looked at the gem f1xedly.
This ones the goods, eh?" the de-
tective went on. Ranscome. with
marked fa~stidiousness, took the Jewel
from his hand and examined 1t as If
his reputation as an expert depended
on his test. Reluctantly, he returned
the gem to Donnelly and said, gently,
with a plying glance at Elinor:
CTo BE CONTINUED.)
| sion to you alone, and must be regard
IL m .triotlu oop3d~rfi~1 re vop tall