The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-02-20

part in finding Of the jewei-~nd tho
thief
"I4al" cried Barbara. smiling enig-
matically, How unfortunate that the
necklace has been returned and the
thief arrested without your assist
ancei"
Arrested" her auditors exclaimed
together, but In very different tones.
Lord Beachcombe's vibrated with graf
ified hatred, Prue's trembied with dis
may. The color dropped from her
cheek. and but for Peggie's prompt
trayed her beyond concealment. She,
however, had been lowering on the
threshold trying to attract her cousins
attention, and now ran forward with
great vivacity, and by a torrent OF
eager questions, drew attention TO her
self N gave Prue time to recover
from her perturbation, though not be-
fore IL had been observed with malic-
ious inference by Lord Beachcombe.
Why. truly, / scarcely expected to
bring news to h fountain head,
Barbara ran on. "Yet tbs a fact, my
very commonplace finale. 'Tis no dash
ing exploit Of a bold highwayInan,.
after al, no hairbreadth escape from
a robbers den, but merely the out
come OF an intrigue between a cham
bermaid and a scrivener's clerk; and
a mt Of vulgar jealousy ha pricked the
bubble of your romance, my Lowell"
Greatly to the establishment of both
her visitors, Prue's face, instead of
falling in dismay, became irradiated
with the loyeliest expression OF JOY.
Her eyes. softly luminous, swan In q
r~apturors mist and dimples played in
the damask that suddenly drove the
nnlInT from haF 4nroaHHr GrYnh % fro nq.
formation could hardly fail to aston
ish even those most accustomed to the
swift variations of this creature OF
caprice. .4 .a.A ,tl,. .... 4.
"Tell us quickly, dear Barbara she
cried, with a little tremolo of excite
near midnight when the duchess
brought me home, and I vas so tired
i slept until noon-all my visitors this
morning have come to seek informa-
tion--not to impart 1t. Do, pray. tell
me what has happened"
La Prue, / thought you would be
mortified to death at such a tame end
ing to your romantic adventure, and
you seem delighted" replied Barbara,
with pique. "One OF the serving
wenches at Marlborough house, finding
the royal firing room for a moment un-
guarded, took her sweetheart in, and
not content with gazing, they must
needs carry their audacity to the point
or lingering her majesty's toilet arti-
Giles, and so come upon the necklace in
in its case, which SO dazzled them, 1
presume, that they turned crazy, and
hearing voices at one door, ran out Of
another and found themselves back in
the servants quarters with the neck
lace in their possession. The girl
sWears they did not mean to steal Ii,
but did not know how to get il back
unobserved. and finally the lover, in a
panic, fled from the house. carrying the
perilous pelf with him"
"A probable story, indeed" cried
Beachcombe scoffingly. 1T might ac-
count for the disappearance Of the
jewel, but scarcely for it's restoration"
oh! that was a case OF conscience,
a thing quite incomprehensible Of
course to an esprit fort such as your
lordship" retorted Barbara. THE girl
suffered fortunes, 1t appears, during
which she was a dozen times on the
pointl OF confessing, but hesitated for
fear OF discriminating her lover. Then
came the story OF the return of the
necklace, which, by the time 1t reached
the still room, had grown to the wild
est OF marvels. After that, no one
seems to know exactly what happened,
but possibly, between fear Of her own
part in the affair and rage at the
treachery OF her lover, the wretched
creature lost what few sense she had
and actually forced her way into the
presence or the duchess, where she
groveled on the floor, confessing and
accusing and Lord knows what besides,
n was carried out raving and foam
ing at the mouth"
"And so she confessed tina she and
her lover had stolen, o. at any rate
carried off the necklace" commented
Prue thoughtfully.
Then how do you account for It's
restoration by Robin Freemantle ?"
Beachcombe inquired, with his stealthy
eyes upon her.
do you persist, even now, in con-
Meeting him with this AFFAIR."" she re-
torted, facing him defiantly. $For my
part, l am now thoroughly convinced
that II was q very vulgar matter n
that I have been made a fool and a
tool Of by a pack OF low wretches. Do
not let any who does not wish to
offend me, ever mention my part in
IT again" 49,. J,%
"On the contrary" Barbara was be-
ginning. when Peggie, from the win
dow, uttered a cry Of admiration. b
Us that your new chair at the door,
BarbaraT' she cried. Sure, it's the
finest in town..
twas but to display 1t came here
this afternoon-to show that and to
scold Prue for a faithless. friend"
They all followed her to the window,
and in the street below stood a most
superb sedan chair, all carving n
gliding, lined and curtained with Grim
SON, and borne by four strapping foot
ment in liveries TO match.
"'Tis truly magnificent" cried Lord
Beachcombe. An the world admires
the taste OF Lady Barbara Sweeting,
but this time she has given US m
thing to marvel at"