The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-09-23
CHAPTER N.-(continued.)

. SFTAF iN.--(
As the detective left the Office, he
could not help feeling Of depression
at The slow progress OF events. AS yet
the intricacies of the mystery were
vaguely outlined in his mind He saw
tha:m as a floating mist, heavy with
possibilities but charged with delusiVe
signs of reckoning trails that he in
stinctiyely knew led to nowhere. He
was still treading lightly the mazes
fatal, and he preferred to remain in
a crouching attitude of watchfulness,
ready to spring from cover at the
proper moment.
Much as he deplored his enforced
inactivity, he nevertheless had faith
an the final outcome. A quick mental
survey of the case convinced him that
the first necessity was to find the
maker OF the paste stones. Whoever
made the duplicate Maharanee would
surely recall having done so. There
were few Europeon firms that could
have made the stone. 1t was doubtful
whether any American manufacturer
could have turned out a substitute to
fool the eyes of Mrs. Missioner, even
for night. 1t Is hard enough to get
the compact brilliance of the diamond
in small paste gem; infinitely more
difficult Is it to manufacture a coun-
terfeit Maharanee. Britz knew that
whoever copied the sut and luster Of
that marvellous stone was an expert
of high caliber. No faint simmer OF
glass could have ayailed to deceive
Mrs. Missioner. The laboratory fire
that cleaned from the duplicate was
the work Of years Of experiment, and
only in Paris, Britt believed, was the
art Of manufacturing paste gems suf-
fciently developed to bring forth
satisfactory duplicate of the Mahara-
nee.
rs Three weeks, at least, must elapse
before word would come from Logan.
The emissary sent abroad was himself
a diamond expert Before entering
the Detective Bureau, he had been a
foreign agent of the United States
Treasury Department. If the dupli-
cate necklace was manufactured
abroad, Logan would find the manu-
facturer without delay. Britt had
faith in his man. and he waited i'm
patiently through three weeks of tor
ment for the first eablegram. 1t came
finally, and he opened 1t with nervous
fingers.
Missioner necklace manufactured
from drawings by three firms. Orig
inal never in possession of manufac-
turers.
Britt let the telegram 1utter to the
floor.
Il knew it," he burst. H2gth. "They
wouldn't have dared to take the orig
fnaI out Of the safe without immedi-
ately replacing it with the duplicate"
He picked up the message and
burst into the Chiefs room.
Read i'll" he exclaimed.
The Chiefs eyes drank In the
words, but his brain failed to grasp
their underlying meaning.
i don't see that this proves any
thing" he remarked
1t proves everything" yolleyed
Britz. 1T proves that the thief was a
clever draughtsman. 1t proves that
he spent weeks sketching the neck
lace, stone by stone, and 1t proves,
too. that he went to Paris to have the
dupiicaae made"
1T proves all that" agreed the
Chief. But who had the opportunity
to see the necklace a sufficient num-
Der of times and long enough to make
the sketches? Who but Miss Hol-
comb p
7 will find someone who had al
most as good an opportunity Britz
returned confidently.
And il you do, what will 1t raean?"
asked the Chief
It will md N something to work
u the deteS be said.
The next tWenty-four hours Brftz
spent iii the quiet Of his home,
lis mind focused on the prob
en- before him trying to map cut his 4
wv eff procedure. Plan after plan he
as worthless. He could have i
Bguck oat bIiu61y in the hope OF
fasta1 Hing On q trail. hut that was not
'.3itsz met had Crime mysteries were
i Isflls seierl9iiffllc problems to be solved |
i scientific means. step by step he
.ent f1ysser the ground already covered,
i'd then swept the outlook with the
cen searchlight OF bis mind.
by q process OF elimination he tried |
, sit the real thief f'~~~', the group |