The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-02-20

part in finding of the jewei-and tho
thief"
La" cried Barbara. smiling eng
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.
fled hatred, Prue's trembled with dis
may. The color dropped from her
cheek. and but for Peggie's prompti-
tude, her agitation would have De
trayed her beyond concealment. she,
however, had beer lowering on the
threshold trying to attract her Cousins
attention., n now ran forward with
great vivacity, and by a torrent OF
eager questions, drew attention to her
self and gave Prue time to ecoVe
from her perturbation, though not be-
fore it had been observed with maiic-
ious inference by Lor Beachcombe.
Why. truly, l scarcely expected to
bring news to the fountain-head,"
Barbara ran n Yet It's a fact, my
poor Prue. that o romance has a
very commonplace finale. 'Tis no dash
ing exploit OF a bold h~ighwayman.
a robbers den, but merely the out
come of an intrigue between a cham
bermaid and u scrivener's clerk; n
a fit of vulgar jealousy has pricked the
bubble OF your my love-
Greatly to the establishment of both
her visitors. Prue's face. instead OF
falling in dismay. became i~rradiated
with the loYelisSt expression of JOY.
Her eyes, softly luminous. swan in q
rapturous mist and dimpleS played in
the damask that suddenly drove the
pallor from her heck. Such a rams
formation could hardly fail to aston
ish even those most accustomed to the
swift variations of this creature OF
caprice.
Tell us quickly, dear Barbara" she
mem in her voice. You know twas
near midnight when the duchess
brought me home, and I was SO tired
l slept until noon-an my visitors this
morning have come to seek informa-
tion-not to impart it. Do, pray, tell
me what has happened"
La! Prue, l 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 firing room for a momen I'M
guarded, took her sweetheart In, and
not content with gazing, they must
needs carry their audacity to the point
of lingering her majesty's toilet arti-
cles, n so come upon the necklace in
IN Its case, which so daZzled them, 1
presume, that they urned 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 it,
but did not know how to get it back
unobserved. and finally the lover, in a
panic, fled from h house, carrying the
Derilous pelf with him"
"A probable story, indeed.' cried
Beachcombe scoffingly. 1T might ac-
count for the disappearance Of the
jewel, but scarcely for its 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. it appears, during
which she was a dozen times on the
point of confessing. but hesitated for
fear of discriminating her lover. Then
came the story of the return of the
necklace, which, by the time it 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
treachery Of her foyer, the Wfetched
creature lost what few sense she had
and actually forced her way into the
presence of the duchess, where she
groveled on the floor, confessing and
accusing and Lord knows what besides,
and was carried u raying and foam
ing at the mouth"
And SO she confessed that she and
her lover had stolen, or at any rate
carried off the necklace" commented
Prue thoughtfully.
Then how do you account for it's
restoration by Robin Freemantle? p"
Beachcombe inquired, with his stealthy
eyes upon her.
do you persist, even now, In con-
meeting him with this AFFAIR."" she re-
.torted, facing hin defiantly. For my
part. l am now thoroughly convinced
that it was a very vulgar matter and
that l have been made a fool and a
tool of by a pack Of low wretches. Do
not let any n who does not wish to
offend me, ever mention my part in
1t again"
ginning, when Peggie, from the win
dow. uttered a cry of admiration.
|. rs that your new hair at the door,
Barbara" she cried. Sure, tits the
finest In town.
"Ah! I had for the moment forgotten
twas but to display it I came here
this afternoop-to show that and to
They all followed her to the window,
and in the street below stood a most
superb sedan chair, all carving and
gliding, lined and curtained with Grim
son, and borne by four strapping foot
ment in liveries to match.
"'Tis truly magnificent" cried Lord
B~eachcombe. "Al the world admires
but this time h has given us
thing to marvel at"
CONTINUED Next Week.)