Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-04-12

serves.
"Your powers of deduction are truly
marvellous, Britt" said Manning with
a short laugh, in which Britt thought
he heard q faint note of mockery.
Now, let's don't do any kidding.
Chief" Britt rejoined with Just
shade Of acid in his voice. This IL
a pretty serious case, and I've been
up few nights without any too much
sleep. I'm not on the witness stand
now, recollect, and I don't feel as II
I'd got to parcel out my words when
I'm talking to friends" There was
the least little lift of his eyebrows as
he uttered the last word.
Manning laughed again-apologetic-
ally this time, and the lieutenant.
once more unruffied. continued:
so Griswold had to make sketches
and diagrams of the widows necklace.
Even that couldn't have been easy. for
I guess he had to use his pencil when
Mrs. Missioner wasn't In the room.
It isn't likely she gave him many op-
portunities Of being alone with tina
jewels she priced above all the Others
Id her collection. You see. when her
husband gave her that necklace and
told her about the Maharanee dia-
mond, he made up a pretty little fairy
story that probably gave the big stone
much greater value in her eyes than
II she'd really known the truth. wom-
en-" said Britt solemnly, ARE funny.
They are about the funniest things In
this little old world of ours-particu-
larly when II comes to jewels and
gowns, with the Jewels leading by =
city block"
Fitch, in his capacity as a lover.
became somewhat FESTIVE under the
detectives cynical summing up Of
the sex, and relieved himself with the
remark:
III women are any funnier than
men, I'd like you to show me how.
Your experience is all very wen. leu
tenant: but I've seen them in their lit
tie white cots in hospitals-both
kinds: and I have seen them on the
operating table. and can tell you
the woman has yet &c be born that
can do as many fool stunts as the
average mani" After this burst Of
romance-born frankness he subsidized.
well. we won't quarrel about the
sex. DOCTOR" said Britz, though ]
must say I don't like to hear you get
ting on these suffragette sentiments.
Anyway. it's safe to assume Mrs. Mis-
sioner didn't let Curtis Griswold have
time to drape that necklace Of hers
on an art model when he started In TO
sketch 1t. He made those drawings BY
FITS and starts, and 1t must have taken
him a good many weeks to nnish
them"
Unless he drew the necklace from
memory" suggested Manning.
THAT sounds too easy" Britt re
turned. He'd have to have memory
like a daylight flm to carry all the
different sizes and shapes Of those
Jewels in his mind-to say nothing OF
their fire. The fact is. the drawings
he made were not only accurate &c
the smallest degree Of outline. but the
luster Of every stone seems to have
been reproduced with skill that would
keep 'em guessing at the Academy Of
Design. tell you, Curtis Griswold Il
an artist in more ways than onel'
Pausing little. Britt went on:
And that's what he did; he made
the drawings at first hand. and prob
ably colored them In the same way
Then he took them over to Paris and
farmed out the contract among sew
eral firms, taking care to split up ths
drawings so that no one manufacture
OF paste Jewels might know they wer'
reproductions Of the famous Mahara
nee necklace. Logan traced all thu
drawings In gay Paree. and sent then
to me. Here they are" He took sew
eral small sheets of cardboard from
! an inner pocket and spread them Oh
his desk.
There's something missing from
the center" Manning commented
when he had pieced the slips together
This is a picture Of necklace will
hole In the middle"
Brftz smiled.
"Yes," he said. that's where tn
Maharanee diamond was. You see
Griswold was too foxy to have al
imitation Of that celebrated ston
made anywhere in Europe. He kne,
there wasn't man on the Continen
Identified in any way with the trad
who wouldn't recognize a drawing Q
that diamond on sight Though tn
diamond is not so well known to tn
public, it's as familiar to every jew
eler in Europe as the Kohinoor. tn
, Hope. or any other of those grea
sparklers."
where could he have gone. ther
. to have the big stone reproduced
asked the Chief
ASK the doctor there. II he's hal
the detective | think he is. he know
as well as do"
I Fitch smiled nervously. then hi
face became grave as the realizatio
| of what all this meant to Elinc
J surged back on him
, .T fancy" he said to Manning
) Lieutenant Britt has concluded tn
, false Maharanee diamond was mad
! by harmless lunatic we traced TO til
: asylum"
[ Fright you are. doc." said Brit
) brusquely. "You guessed It the yer
; first time. Little old Mr. Martin wa
' the gentleman He did that Job ,