Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-02

she WIS absent from tue room.
We looked the room over carefully
without result There was no chimney.
rat hole or mode of escape for man OI
beast of any shape or size. Ii waS Il
charming room. this dressing room Ot
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 chair and poked
my cane at a spot over the dressing
table look of intelligence came into
Rogers expressionless face.
What are you doing?" half laughed
Mrs. Goesby. Then she added. How
very odd"
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 Hath.
II guess Wen t1nd loose board mp
there in the room of your maid" sug.
gested Rogers.
LAS well as a long. slender stick
| with hook on one end" l added
briskly, for l 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 1t happened?" cried Mrs. Goesby,
| quite unnerved by the discovery we
had made. 81 cannot believe that Fee
lice would do anything OF that sort"
III you will accompany me up.
stairs" I 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
! / pulled up the rugs from the floor
and searched until l found the loose
/ board In her closet When ! pried II
/ up I could look right down on to the
dressing table, from which the dia.
mond necklace had disappeared.
How is this for a fishing pOle?" I
asked after a 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 morning. No one
had seen her since the belated break
fast hour. We obtained her descrlp-
ton from Mrs. Goesby, and, having
that lady's assurance that our disrov-
cries should remain a secret for the
time being. we went on Our way re-.
joicing. large visions of the $1,000 re.
ward dazzling our eyes.
IF you were n French maid and had
attached yourself to Il fortune in dia-
monds what would yon do:" / 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 stifiy 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 a heavy rosary Of large
black irregular beads. II swung from
her waist and swung in and out Of the
thick folds Of her skirts. caught all
this at a glance as they passed. and we
followed them abOnrd
was almost ashamed OF my suspI
cions. but Rogers was whispering in
my ear.
, Looks like black wooden beads or Jet
Ell? Caught n glimpse OF a sparkle
that would dazzle your eyes"
What IS II. JackT' breathed
THE diamond rope painted black
What do you think OF that: lust ster
ashore and call an officer. Telephone
to headquarters If you think best ~
watch here and see that they don't gel
away or suspect"
You're sure?" l insisted as / went
ashore.
Sure as guns" be said.
And he was right, When the heavy
black rosary vac taken from the de
FAINT. scratching. biting little French
woman and the beads were carefully
scraped with knife they revealed the
brilliant sparkle Of the GOeSby dia
, mOndS.
, Ii was n clever trick. and its dizcov
cry won us the - COO reward
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