The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-09-16

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 creyice in
| which even a pin could lodge. 1--WE
are shut in on all sides with three
foot siding. There is no place for the
gem to be concealed"
"All CT which proves that 1t is not
here. doubt If 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 flurried
tone. you have heard me speak Of
him. He's just arrived from Hamburg"
ooh, 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 Anality. He bent to remove
the light chain of fine gold which still
chung to the gardenia, and made
casual examination of 1t.
"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, suppose, on the way
from the carriage to the entrance?"
81 was bit anxious" she admitted,
turning up her flushed face. II pressed
the jewel tightly through the scarf.
Now that you speak of 1t, l did feel
something cold touch the back Of my
neck for an instant. but 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 clever hand, =
added Poe. TT 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 of your guard. The stone
slid down, and dropped the moment
] you threw the wrap back and leaned
forward; but, naturally, you did not
notice it 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 1t disap-
pear" replied Poe. II was watching
| the curtain myself; 1t did not move.
| There was 10 one In the passage-way
behind the Lox, 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 I have
that 1t is stolen" answered Poe, bend
ing his short waist, and picking a
small splinter of wood, not a 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
/ stopped to find it."
LAS 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 out in differ
ent parts of the house.
Father! They must leave the lights
onn cried the girl 1--WE can't find the
jewel in the dark"
1t . Qult0 uS6iSSS, duSW0ACu 4 OCs
with careless shrug of his shoulders.
THE stone is probably on it's way to
Montmartre by now. You see, Blon-
dell,a he turned to the wavering ia
Their, "the floor slants down to the
framework in front; it 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 it seems impossible declared
Blondell, lowering his voice, as the
curtain went up, and the audience
found itself with diverted interests, the
majority more concerned in tie stage
box tableau.
1T couldn't have bounced up three
feet and over onto the stage, it couldn't
have been picked up by the gentleman