Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-03-04
The Mystery of
the Bou1e Cabinet
B BURTON E. STEVENSON
Copyright, 1915, by Burton r. Stevenson.
Copyright. 1918, by Burton e. Stevenson.

I want a souvenir, too" l said. I'D
like awfully well to have that letter.
BESIDES" 1 added, ut will be a 1 of
receipt, you know. if anybody ever
questions my giving you the cabinet"
Godfrey laughed and threw the letter
across the table to me.
Its yours" he said. And I'll send
for the cabinet tomorrow. / suppose it
is still at the s%tation?"
Yes: l haven't had time to put in
a lain for 1t. But Godfrey" added.
when did La Bretagne sail?"
"A week ago today. She is Tue at
HaVre in the morning"
Did you warn them? ?"
Warn them Of WHAT"
That Crochard is after the dia-
monds. They went back on La Bre-
tagne. l suppose?"
"Yes-and Pigot went with them. So
why should / warn any one? Surely
they know that Crochard will get
those diamonds II he a 1t has be-
come a sort Of point of honor with him,
l imagine: 1t is up to them to take care
of them"
That oughtn't to be difficult" j said.
The strong room OF a liner is about
the safest place IN earth"
Yes" Godfrey agreed. and blew a
meditative ring toward the ceiling.
And presently he went away 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.
ana when opend my paper next
morning, l more than half expected to
be greeted with a black headline an
%nouncing the looting OF the strong
room OF La Bretagne. But there was nc
such headline, and with a sigh, half Of
relief and half Of disappointment, I
turned to the other news.
But two weeks later, q black head
line did catch my eye:
MICHAELOVITCH JEWELS FALSE!
French Detective Takes Back Paste
limitations from America.
FRAUD Discovered When the Grand
Duke Michael Sends Them to q
Jeweller to be Reset.
l had no need to read the article
which followed, for I saw in a flash
what had occurred. L saw, too, Why
Crochard had retained the paste jewels
he he had q use for them! How or
where the substitution had been made.
certain; h two weeks which had
elapsed before the theft was dis
covered had given him ample op-
portunity to dispose of his plumber. 1
felt sorry for the Grand Duke; sorrier
still for that admirable NJ. Pigot; but,
after all, one could not u admire the
cleverness of the man who had de-
spoiled them.
Who, I wondered. had bought the
Marzarin? SNrely there was a dia-
mond most difficult to sell. 1t could,
Of course, be cut up-but 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 the personal column Of LeMatin,
appeared a notice. Of which this is the
English:
To M. 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
liant to you. with my compliments, pro-
vfded his highness, the Grand Duke
Michael. who preceded me in posses
sion Of the diamond. will join me in
the gift. Should he refuse, 1t will be
my melancholy duty to cleave the dia-
mond into a number OF smaller stones,
as it Is too large for my use. But I
hope that he will not refuse.
"Crochard, LInvincible!"
What could the Grand Duke do? To
nave refused, would have 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 d.
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 1t in
the place OF honor in the glass case in
the center OF the gallery of Apollo, with
an attendant on guard beside 1t. But
already the circumstance Of its res
toration are fading from the public
memory.
And Crochard? 1 do not know. Each
morning, ] read first the news from
Paris. searching for L'Invincible in
some new incarnation. I have his let
ter framed and hanging above my desk
and every day I read it over. One SEN
tence, especially, is forever running in
my head:
II trust that, at some future time.
it may be my privilege to be again en-
gagged with you-the result is certain to
be most interesting"
And I trust that it may be my priv
ilege. also, to be present at that en-
gagement!
(THE FND)