Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1915-09-17

"Too bad you didn't see the item in
yesterdays paper; but | suppose you
don't read any more French than you
have to-" Christopher Poe went on
casually. They announced the first
appearance of the gem. Half the jewel
thieves in Paris are in the audience"
"But the ruby can't be stolen! /
saw no announcement The stones
here. In this very box! See!" he in
Dictated the hardwood floor, without a
rug and with no possible crevice in
which even a pin could lodge. I'VE
are shut in on all sides with q three
foot siding. There is no place for the
gem to be concealed"
'All OF which proves that it is not
here. / doubt IL it is even in the thea
ter at this moment. 1t was clever, very
clever" replied Poe, stepping to the
side of the young lady, on her knees,
still searching. There Is no use," he
said to her.
This is Mr.. Poe, Christopher Poe"
her father introduced In a fiurried
tone. you have heard me speak of
him. He's just arrived from Hamburg"
"Oh, yes. You saw the stone drop
just now?" the girl asked quickly, her
eyes still searching.
Yes; but, really, there is no use
looking" Poe's tone possessed a
strange finality. He bent to remove
the light chain of fine gold which still
| chung to the gardenia, and made a
casual examination of it.
"Nipped Off with pair of pliers" he
smiled. "A common trick, easily exc
cuted by fifty men in Paris. Your
| tightly pinned scarf prevented it from
dropping or being stolen in the crowd.
You felt nothing, l suppose, on the way
from the carriage to the entrance?"
81 was bit anxious" she admitted,
turning up her flushed face. 81 pressed
the jewel tightly through the scarf.
| Now that you speak of 1t, did feel
something cold touch the back of my
neck for an instant, but l felt quickly
for the chain and found 1t safe, only
protruding slightly above my scarf in
the back.
"And already severed by pair of
pliers concealed in a clever hand,
added Poe. 1T has happened often,
this nipping. You were pressing the
stone with your hand on the scarf. The
thief knew he could not get the gem
In the crowd; he waited for you to un-
pin the scarf when you were safe in
the box and off your guard. The stone
slid down, and dropped the moment
you threw the wrap back and leaned
forward; but, naturally, you did not
notice 1t at the exact instant of fall
| ing; several seconds passed before the
discovery, and that was all the thief
needed"
Absurd" laughed Miss Blondell.
"You don't mean that the thing is
stolen. It's surely here somewhere. 1t
couldn't have disappeared from the
box in that instant"
Certainly no person saw it disap-
pear" replied Poe. Il was watching
the curtain myself; it did not move.
There was 70 one in the passage-way
behind the box, and surely no thief in
side it."
Then how could the stone have
| Disappeared" cried the girl You
can see at glance there are no cracks
or crevices it could have slipped
through or lodged in"
That's the only assurance l have
that 1t is stolen" answered Poe, bend
ing his short waist, and picking
small splinter of wood, not quarter
of an inch long. from the leg Of chair
near the doorway.
But it's absurd to think that any
one could have stolen the jewel in the
second it dropped to the floor before
l stopped to find it,"
"As much as ten seconds elapsed
after the jewel had struck the floor be-
fore you began looking for it, Miss
Blondell. Much can be done in that
space of time But the performance
Is beginning!" He broke off abruptly,
as the lights were turned cut in differ
ent parts Of the house.
Father! They must leave the lights
on!" cried the girl. I'VE can't find the
jewel in the dark"
It's quite useless" answered Poe,
with careless shrug of his shoulders.
The stone Is probably on its way to
Montmartre by now. You see, Blon-
DELL" he turned to the wavering ia.
Their, "the floor slants down to the
framework in front; 1t is quite bare.
The stone could not have rolled up
hill and out into the passage-way, so
common sense tells us it's gone alto
gether. AS the chain was cut on the
way from the carriage to the door, we
must believe the stone is stolen"
But 1t seems impossible" declared
Biondell, lowering his voice, as the
curtain went up, and the audience
found itself with diverted interests, the
majority more concerned in the stage
box tableau.
1T couldn't have bounced up three
feet and over onto the stage, 1t couldn't
have been picked up by the gentleman