The Washington herald., 1913-06-08

Ninon the striking diamond ring on his
third finger.
She moved forward on the divan, bent
over the ring, touched the stone ever so
lightly and exclaimed in childish pleas
ure, oh, Eet ees such a grand one. So
beeg, so bright. Eet ees worth very
much she sighed wistfully.
'oh, it's not priceless" Armstrong
smiled. Il like it though. 1t would be
better in a gypsy setting. You see, the
stone is rondeIle cut, that makes 1t a
bit top-heavy, it's worked little loose,
you see, in these slight Tiffany prongs."
Ninon touches it again ever so lightly
and agreed that IL was loose.
You must be careful. Eet ees a very
grownup stone. eet has an historic per-
haps?" she leaned forward raptly. like a
child looking at a beautiful picture and
waiting to have a fairy tale woven
around il.
Armstrong laughed, shrugged his
shoulders inexpertly and replied, "Oh,
they say it's part of the, Great Dia-
mond Table that Tayernier saw in Col
cOnda, in 1872 It's since disappeared.
you know. OF course l don't really
think this was cut down from the table,
but one can't help feeling that-Hello."
He cut OF short as the electric bulb
in the bosom of the rose shade snapped
out, leaving the room in utter darkness.
oh" cried Ninon, catching at Arm
strong's extended hand in alarm.
1T must have burnt out, I'll find the
trouble!" Armstrong stood I'D. showed
the hand Ninon had touched in sur
prise into his trousers pocket and
brought out a match box. In an instant
he had lighted a match and stepped to
the rose silk shade.
On inspecting the little electric light
bulb it was found to. be loose, and on
screwing 1t in tightly Armstrong COM
pleted the connection and the room was
again warm and light in the rose flow.
As the light came on Nlnon jerked
Il disarranged pillow into place. sank
back against il in a futter OF excite
ment and exhaled a relieved breath.
You were saying" she began as
Armstrong busted his fingers and sat
down.
'Oh,-about the ring" he smiled, ex-
tending his hand again.
Ninon looked at the ring and started
back among the pillows, crying, Mon
D!eu,'
Armstrong stared at the ring and sat
up stiff and immovable.
The splendid diamond was gone-the
band was there on his finger, but the
setting saped empty.
armstrong was tne IrSI 10 move he
swallowed hard and forced a smile. 1T
must have dropped of when l reached
for my Matchbox Pushing back the
chair he made a searching survey of the
floor. 1t was highly polished hard wood.
but no glitter of a diamond greeted his
gaze.
Lift zee rug. Monsieur cried Ninon,
jumping to her feet
He caught up the antique Oriental rug
dropped to the floor. He pushed back
lounge, dropped to his knees. and looked
under it. Ninon carefully shook out the
pillows on the lounge and searched for
the gem. There was no crack or crevice
where it could have lodged.
Maybe in your trousairs pocket eet
dropped when you reach for zee match?'
suggested Ninon. much excited and very
sympathetic.
Armstrong examined all his pockets
and shook out the wrinkles in his vest.
No, 1t could not have caught in his
clothes.
Possibly in yours, MademoiseIle?" he
suggested hesitately.
Non! Nom" she cried in alarm. I'M
possible" But she shook her skirt and
the silken folds to her waist.
Your hair?" Armstrong suggested be-
pin he had picked up when he shook out
the rug.
How could eet jump into my hair?'
she said chidingly with an anxious
laugh, shaking out a curl or two and
feeling carefully all over, around and
beneath her beautiful bronze couture.
After an hours rigid search Armstrong
was fully assured that the gem was not
in the room.
Your maid?" he finally made bold to
suggest.
oh! Non! Impossible!' she cried pet
ulantly. She ees out zee whole after
noon. Monsieur is provoking"
Il beg your pardon. 1 shouldn't have
suggested it" Armstrong took up his
hat to go. I'm sorry to have caused |
you so much annoyance"
''Oh, eet ees nothing-and we shall
search for eet always
Il hope you will come across 1t sooner |
than that" Armstrong tried. to appear |
easy. ''Of course, it's not so much its
intrinsic worth. My father wore 1t thirty |
years, you know. l would pay hand |
some reward Tiff your maid found itr' |
"Oh, impossibleI' she cried excitedly, |
her face flushed. "Eet shall be found, |
Monsieur. Eet must be foundr'
As Armstrong glanced UP at the rose
,urtained window when he had reached |
he street he saw Ninon Nicolette, her |
iorehead puckered with worried wrin-
dies, examining the window ledge, shak-
ng the curtains, still searching for the
stone
He went at once to his own apart
nents. There he calmly bathed his
iushed face and changed to the after
loon suit his man had laid out on
he bed for him. He felt somewhat
efreshed after the change, but found
impossible to compose his mind.
30 he flung out of the door and
truck off toward a more modest part
II town. There he entered a COM
ortable apartment house and walked
Up one flight, stopping before a door
which bore card reading, Christo-
her Poe. The same Christopher Poe
vho, in New York, was a banker of
Ugh social position with n fondpeaa