The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-03-04
The Mystery Of
the Bou1e Cabinet
BURTON e. STEVENSON
Copyright, 1918, by Burton e. Stevenson.

like awfully well to have that letter
BESIDES" I added, ut will be a kind Of
receipt, you know, II anybody ever
questions my giving you the cabinet"
Godfrey laughed and threw the letter
across the table to me.
TITS yours" he said. "And I'll send
for the cabinet tomorrow. I suppose it
is still at the station?:
Yes; I haven't had time to put In
a claim for it. But Godfrey" I added.
when did La Bretagne sail?"
"A week ago today. She is due at
Havre in the morning"
Did you warn them?"
Warn them Of WHAT"
That Orchard is after the dia-
monds. They went back on La Bre-
tagne, / suppose?"
"Yes-apd Pigot went with them. So
why should I warn any one? Surely
they know that Crochard will get
those diamonds If he can. 1t has be-
come a sort Of point Of honor with him,
of them"
THAT oughtn't to be difficult" I said,
he safest place on EARTH"
Yes" Godfrey agreed, and blew a
m~editative ring toward the ceiling.
And presently. he went way with
out saying anything more.
But the more I thought of 1t, the
more the infection he had given that
word seemed an Interrogation rather
than an affirmation.
morning, more thar half expected to
be greeted with a black headline N
nouncing the footing Of the strong
room OF La Bretagne. But there was no
such headline, and with a sigh. half Of
relief and half OF disappointment, +
turned to the otbar nawS
But two week. later, a black head
line did catch my eye:
M1CHAELOVITCH JEWELS FALSEl
French Detective Takes Back Paste
limitations from America.
Fraud Discovered When the Grand
Duke Michael Sends Them to a
Jeweller to be Reset.
l had no need to read the article
which followed, for / saw in a flash
what had occurred. I saw, too, why
he had a use for them! How or
where the substitution a been made,
l could only guess; but one thing was
certain; the two weeks which had
elapsed before the theft vas dis
covered had given him ample op-
portunity to dispose of his plumber. I
felt sorry for the Grand Duke; sorrier
still for that admirable M. Pigot; but
after all, one could not but admire the
cleverness of the man who had de
spoiled them.
Who, 1 wondered, had bought the
Marzarin? Surely there was a dia-
mond most difficult to sell. 1t could,
or course, be cut up-bu that would
be sacrilege!
That question was answered, be-
fore long, in an unexpected way-a way
which filled many columns in the pa
pers. which delighted the comedy low
ing French, and which gave Crochard
a unique advertisement One morning,
/ In tho nrCn,n ~ 80 T Ma.
appeared a notice, of which his is the
English:
ITO NJ. the Director of the Museum Of
the Louvre:
1T has been my good fortune to come
into possession OF the rose diamond
Known as the Mazarin. 1t is my wish
to restore it to your collection, in or
der that it may no longer be neces-
sary to delude the public with an imi-
tation Of colored glass. 1t will give
me great pleasure to present this bril-
liant to you, with my compliments, pro-
vided his highness, the Grand Duke
Michael, who preceded me in posses
sion Of the diamond, will join me in
my melancholy duty to cleave the dia-
mond into a numbe of smaller stones,
as it is too large for my use. But /
hope that he will not refuse.
"~Crochard, L~'Invincible!"
What could the Grand Duke do? To
have refused, would ave made him the
butt of the boulevards. Besides, he
was, after all. losing nothing which he
had not already lost. So, with a bet
ter grace than one might have ex-
pected, he consented to join in the
restoration. Two days later, the di-
rector OF the Louvre discovered a
packet upon his desk. He opened it
and found within the Mazarin. When
you visit the Louvre, you will see it in
the place of honor in the glass case in
the center of the gallery of Apollo, with
an attendant on guard beside it. But
already the circumstances of It's res.
toration are fading from the public
. memory.
And Crochard? I do not know. Each
! morning, I read first the news from
!. Paris. searching for L'Invincible II
: some new incarnation. I have his let
n ter framed and hanging above my desl
r and every day I read 1t over. One sen.
: tence, especially, is forever running IL
: my head:
i. II trust that, at some future time
1t ma be my privilege to be again en-
gagged with you-the result is certain tt
, be most interesting"
: And I trust that it may be my priv.
!, iiese, also, to be present at that en-
, gagerpent!
CTHE ENDO