Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-01-19
CHAPTER Ix,-(contlnued.)


Al the detective left the office. he
eould not help a feeling Of depression
AZ the slow progress of events. AS yet,
ne intricacies of the mystery were
,aguely outlined IN his mind. He saw
them as a floating mist, heavy with
disabilities but charged with delusive
dsns OF reckoning trails that he in
effectively knew led to nowhere. He
v,s still treading lightly the mazes
A the case. One false step might be
fatal and he preferred to remain In
4 crouching attitude OF watchfulness,
ready TO spring from cover at the
roper moment
Much as he deplored his enforced
inactivity, he nevertheless had faith
n tie nnai outcome. A quick mental
sorvey Of the case convinced him that
ne first necessity was to find the
maker Of the paste stones. Whoever
made the duplicate Maharanee would
surely recall having done so. There
we're few Europeon firms that could
have made the stone. II was doubtful
whether any American manufacturer
could have turned out a substitute to
fooI the eyes Of Mrs. Missioner, even
for night. It is hard enough to get
the compact brilliance of the diamond
A small paste gem; infinitely more
fificult Is II to manufacture a coun-
lsrfeit Maharanee. Britt knew that
whoever copied the cut and luster Of
that marvellous stone was an expert
o. high caliber. No faint simmer of
glass could have availed to deceive
Ms. Missioner. The laboratory fire
that cleaned from the duplicate was
ne work Of years OF experiment, and
only In Paris, Britt believed, was the
at Of manufacturing paste gems suf-
hciently developed to bring forth q
satisfactory duplicate of the Mahara-
zee
Three weeks, at least, must elapse
before vord would come from Logan.
The emissary sent abroad was himself
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
sbroad, Logan would find the manu-
iscturer without delsy. Britt had
fkith in his man, and he waited inn
patiently through three weeks Of tor
nent for the first cablegram. II came
finally. and he opened 1t with nervous
fingers.
Missioner necklace manufactured
nom drawings By three firms. Orig
inal never in possession Of manufac-
tnrers."
Britt let the telegram futter to the
noor
7 knew It'll" he burst forth. They
wouldn't have dared to take the orig
hal out Of the tafe without immedi-
siely replacing II with the duplicate. /"
lie picked up the message and
burst into the Chiefs room.
Read IT," he exclaimed.
The Chiefs eyes drank in tbs
words. but bis brain failed to grasp
heir underlying meaning.
I don't see that this proves any
hing" he remarked.
II proves everything" volleyed
Britt TT proves that the thief was .
sierer draughtsman. It proves that
ae spent weeks sketching the neck
nee, stone by stone. and It proves,
700. that he went to Paris to have the
oiiplicate made"
1T proves all that" agreed tbs
Vnief. But who had the opportunity
see the necklace a SUFFICIENT mum
Der Of times and long enough to make
me sketches? Who but Miss Hol
comb?"
! will find someone who had al
noa as good an opportunity" Brit1
Hturned confidently.
And II you do, what viii II meanf'
asked the Chief.
II win mean something to work
W the detective said.
The next twenty-four hours Britt
.pent In the quiet Of his home
ne mind focused on the prob
nm before him. trying to map out his
me Of procedure Plan after plan be
discarded as worthless. He could have
truck out blindly In the hope OF
stumbling on a trail. but that was not
1',tx's method Crime mysteries were
" a'm scientific problems to be solved
Z scientific means Step by step ne
vent over the ground already covered
saa then swept the outlook with the
ven tearchlight of his mind
V process OF elimination he tried
kut the real thief from the erour