Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-03-10

III you VIII SNOW 10 nm TINS letter. Ina
cabinet is not only interesting In it.
self. but will be doubly so to you be-
cause OF the part it has played in our
little comedy. And i should like to
know that it adorns a corner of your
home.
It'll we meet again. dear sir, believe
me your sincere admirer.
"Crochard ~L'Invincible."
Hes a good sport, isn't he?" asked
Godfrey. as l silently handed the letter
back to him.: What do you say about
the ~cabinet:"
Crochard bought It," 1 said.
SO that it is mine now"
Yes; but I'm going to solicit a bribe."
Go ahead n solicit it,"
IT want a souvenir, too" 1 said. "1G
! like awfully we'll to have that letter
besides.' l added, lit will be a kind 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. SuppOs it
! is still at the station?'
Yes; ! haven't had time to put in
when did La Bretagne sail?"
"A week ago today. She is due az
Havre in the morning."
Did you warn them?"
Warn them OF WHAT"
That Crochard Is after the dia-
monds. They went back or La Bre-
tasne, 1 suppose?"
"Yes-and Pigot went with them. So
they know h a Crochard will set
those diamonds II he can. 1t has be-
come q sort Of point OF honor with MIN,
1 Imagine: 1t Is up to them to take care
of them"
THAT oughtn't to be difficult" ! said.
l The strong room NJ q Nrar TO ahn,,<
the safest place on 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 / thought OF 1T, the
more the infection he had given that
word seemed an Interrogation rather
than an affirmation.
And when l opend my paper next
morning. l more than half expected to
be greeted with a black headline an
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, I
turned to the othar news.
But two weeks later, a black head
line did catch my eye:
MICHAELOVITCH JEWELS FALSE!
limitations from America.
Fraud Discovered When the Grand
ACAsAS A0 N3OA4S i LlOI11 10 a
Jeweller to be- Reset.
I had no need to read the article
which followed, for / saw In a flash
what had occurred. I saw. too. why
Crochard had retained the paste Jewels
he had a use for them! How or
where the substitution had beer made,
could only guess; but n thing was
certain; the two weeks which had
elapsed before the theft was dis
covered had given him ample op-
felt sorry for the Grand Duke: sorrier
still for that admirable M. Pigot; but,
after all. n could not but admire the
cleverness OF the man who had de-
spoiled them.
Who. wondered, had bought the
mond most difficult to sell. 1t could.
OF course, be cut up-but that would
be sacrilege!
mat question was answered. be-
fore long, In an unexpected way-a way
pers, which delighted the comedy low
Ing French. and which gave Crochard
a unique advertisement. One morning,
In n personal column of LeMatin,
appeared a notice, OF which this is the
English:
ITO. NJ. the Director Of the Museum OF
the Louv
ut has been my good fortune to come
into possession of the rose diamond
known as h Mazarin. It Is my wish
to restore it to your collection, in or
sary to delude the public with an ilni-
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 nj in posses-
sion Of h 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 o large for my use. But I
hope that he will not refuse.
"Crochard, LInvincible!"
Via could the Grand Duke do? To
have refused, would have made him the
butt Of the b~oulevards. 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
rector of the Louvre discovered a
packet upon his desk. HI 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 II. Eut
already the circumstances Of it's res
toration are fading from the public
memory.
And Crocharro ] do not know. Each
morning. I reA1 first the news from
Paris. searching for L'Invincible ia
some new incarnation. I have his let.
ter framed and hanging above my desk
and every day 4 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 tr,yuf that n may. Ia r,- -r:,-