Arizona republican., 1912-03-04
The Vaurigard
 Diamond
 BY HORACE HAzELTlNE.
Copyright, 1910, by the Pearson
 Publishing Co.)
BY HORACE HAZELTlNE.

| over his breast bone. The immediate
 effect, however, on Mir. Gramercy Val | Braun was a momentary one of startled
 astonishment. The thing, whatever i
 was, had come hurtling. apparently | out Of the sheer, ethereal ambient o | Fifth Avenue, at two o'clock in tho 1 morning.
 Sauntering. somewhat leisurely. foI | the night was unseasonably mild, from nls club towards his apartment, his mood one of preoccupation. he had been brought 10 sudden stand by this then indistinguishable missile, flying not from above, but rather on an up ward slant from the level-into swift percussion with his broadly capacious
 chest; whence it had dropped. lightly enough now, to the pavement Holding his curiosity as to the na- lure Of the object rigidly in check, he made a nasty survey of his surround lngs. He had just crossed Forty-sec-
 ond Street, going northward: and he
 had the entire block to himself. Tn
 neither direction was there a single De-
 destrian in sight But. down the ave.
 nue, possibly half a block distant he
 saw the rear lights of what were evi-
 dently limousine and taXicab rap-
 luly fading into the night shadows.
 For an instant his gaze searched the
 recessed doorways of adjacent sbops
 Tor some lurking creature upon whom
 to fix the blame-some iovial reveler.
 perhaps-but the doorways were clear
 ly tenantless.
 A second or two accomplished this.
 and then, he picked up the thing that
 had struck him. To his added per
 pleIity, it was a lady's slipper: a very
 tiny one of white satin, and elaborately
 ornamented with seed pearls. An in. snIration. rather than suspicion. caused
 him to tear off a glove and thrust as much of his hand as this dainty piece or footwear would accommodate into its interior As he had fancied might be possible, the lining was distinctly warm. A minute ago. the slipper had encased the delicate foot of it's fair wearer.
 The discovery awoke in him an addi- tional interest. A score of questions now took the place of one. and clam. ored for answer. Who was she? Was she young? Was she beautiful? Was she in the limousine, or in the taxicab? Why did she throw the slipper away? Did she throw it at him? Or was it's him an accident? Was it DOS sible that she had recognized him? Dld she do # in a spirit of mischief? Did she have some serious purpose? Would he ever learn her name? Would - And so they multiplied.
 He was still propounding them as he turned the corner of Forty-fourth l Street. and noted the unmistakable | signs of a dance at Sherry's. He won tered whether she might have been l n attendance there, and going home l hus early. Two cloak-wrapped figures | were entering an electric brougham as 1 le passed.
 For six months or more. Van Braun lad been ranching in Wyoming. Only 'esterday. he had dropped quietly back nto town, and not more than a hand Ill Of his friends knew of his un- ieraided return. Otherwise he might ave been guest here. himself. He lad returned to his old rooms. in the 'egina, near the Bar Association, at he other end of the block And now. s he entered them and switched on he lights. he drew the mysterious slip CT from his pocket. and placed it. con picuously, atop little pile of books, n the center table. in his study.
 While in the act of removing his vercoat, the sudden, sharp. reverber- mt call of the telephone arrested him.
 A woman's voice came to him over ne wire: a rather light. thin voice. igh pitched. In vain, he made effort innntifU if inf tal k,, l s own rippling laughter, it ran spir- edly through its fancy-framed nara ve This is Cinderella speaking" It i as so the subject was introduced. Flying from a ball. at Sherry's, oh, , ng, long. unhappily long after mid. I ight, my crystal slipper was sped iraculously from my foot and trough the open window of my golden lariot, just an instant before that glo- Ous vehicle turned once more into e pumpkin from which it sprang :, nd you. my fair Prince Charming, If ! at cruel old witch, my fairy god other is to be believed, now have it in 'ur possession. Pray. o pray, dear rince, for the sake of romance. prom " g that you will not hold it as a keep Ii Ike, but return it to your poor little O Id woefully distressed Cinderella" II Young Van Braun hesitated just a f cath before he made reply. It k emed quite evident to him that the e, eaker was some one be knew: and i, t, so far as his recollection went, the Il ice was totally strange. r, You shall to prove your property, T III know" he told her. with teasing uckle. "It is a very tiny. fairylike pper; and to be quite exact. prosaic Drtal that I am. I may tell you at zee that it is neither crystal nor b. ass" al Lightly. her laughter flowed over the o' osafcally utilitarian wire. "Oh. you al osey gander," she chirruped Don't B u know anything about fairies at ar r? It was crystal when it left m, tn ot: but it might have been any one fo
 a hundred things when it reached St II. Fairies simply love to practise a 
 "Oh, see" he returned. as if thor ghly convinced. And can they ange the size, too, just as readily. n, ese twentieth century fairies? Glass To ppers always stayed glass slippers tb len I was boy. And their size ,t, yer varied" :.
 r. l.