Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-08-14

"She is FrenchE' | asked.
"Yes; she has been with me for five
years and is most reliable"
"Where is she nowY'
''In the house somewhere-perhaps In
her own room. She was much upset
by the robbery as we'll as by the police
command that no one leave the house. -
THAT is a detective in the lower
hall?"
"Yes. He came a half hour ago. l
have felt easier since he has been on
duty"
Mrs. Goesby showed us the dressing
table whereon she had laid the rope of
diamonds which had so mysteriously
disappeared during the few minutes
she was absent from the room.
We looked the room over carefully
without result. There was no chimney,
rat hole or mode of escape for man or
beast of any shape or size. 1t was a
charming room, this dressing room of
fashionable beauty-the walls paper
ed with trellised roses that rambled
over the ceiling and almost appeared
to hang in clusters over our heads.
The ceiling attracted me strangely.
When | stood on a chair and poked
my cane at spot over the dressing
table a look, of intelligence came into
Rogers expressionless face.
What are you doing?" half laughed
Mrs. Goesby. Then she added. How
very oddT
1t was curious, odd, absurd, any
thing you care to call 1t. for my cane
had poked right through one of those
lovely pink roses on the ceiling, and
there Topped down to the carpet the
cut out rose itself and left up there an
ugly little hole through ceiling, plaster
and lath.
81 gliess well find loose board up
there in the room of your maid" sug-
gested Rogers.
"As well as a long, slender stick
with hook on one end" I added
briskly, for could see that $1,000 re-
ward in the distance, and it looked
good to me.
"Oh. do you believe that that is the
way it happenedT' cried Mrs. Goeshy,
quite unnerved by the discovery we
had made. II cannot believe that Fe-
lice would do anything of that sort
"If you will accompany me up
stairs" suggested. leaving my part
ner in the dressing room on guard.
We found the door Of the maids
room wide open and the bird flown,
by what underground route we never
found out.
l pulled up the rugs from the floor
and searched until l found the loose
board in her closet When pried it
up l could look right down on to the
dressing table, from which the dia-
mond necklace had disappeared.
"How is this for a fishing pole?" |
asked after search of the room, and
| brought forth two strips of bamboo.
perhaps six feet each in length. Once
they had formed part of a bamboo
porch screen. On the end of one strip
there was fastened piece of wire
firmly twisted into a strong hook.
When one pole was fitted into the 9th
er and thrust down the hole we were
enabled to fish up almost anything
from the dressing table below.
Now that the method of robbery had
been solved, it remained to catch the
clever maid who had disappeared
with the diamonds. search Of the
house resulted in nothing No one
had seen her since the belated break
fast hour. We obtained her descrip-
ton from Mrs. GOesby. and. having
that lady's assurance that our discOv-
cries should remain a secret for the
time being, we went on our way re-
1oicing, large visions of the $4,000 re-
ward dazzling our eyes.
IF you were French maid and had
attached yourself to fortune in dia-
monds what would you doT" i asked
Rogers the next morning
I'D make tracks for the French
line pier" he exclaimed, and was
with him instantly. So we were soon
whirling down Houston street to the
French line pier.
Passengers were struggling aboard,
and for several hours we watched
there. finding no one who came within
mile of the description Mrs. Goesby
had given us of her maid Felice.
Two black garbed nuns hastened
past us, and Rogers grip ON my arm
brought me to instant attention.
One OF the nuns fitted the descrip-
ton of Felice. We could not see her
hair because of the stitfly starched
linen.
The other woman was stout and
commonplace looking. but somehow
they did not have the serene express
sion of the sweet sisters OF the church.
The small. dark one. like her COM
panion. wore heavy rosary of large,
black, irregular beads. 1t swung from
her waist and swung In and out of the
thick folds of her skirts. caught all
this at glance as they passed. and we
followed them aboard.
! was almost ashamed of my suspi-
cions. but Rogers was whispering in
| my ear.
''The short one-notice her rosary
Looks like black wooden beads or Jet.
eh? Caught a glimpse Of sparkle
that would dazzle your eyes"
What is 1t. Jack?' breathed.
'rThe diamond rome painteu black