The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-02

tions, besides giving us something in
common, enabled me to be good deal
with her. / hoped, If l madetany fur
ther progress, to lead my assistant to
think that it was her ingenuity or
perceptive faculty that was doing the
work and not mine.
II have made a discovery" said
Miss Sweet to me one day, with great
glee.
you don't mean it" l replied.
"Have you found where the gem is
concealed?"
"No. | have discovered that Mrs.
Jernegan's nursemaid shares her Sc
cret with her"
How so?'
"They know that we are watching
them. Whenever the nurse sees me
looking at her she quails.'
Its two against two, isn't it?"
Yes, and we'll beat them yet"
"No doubt of It,"
"Have you anything to suggest?'
well, no; not just now
We saw the nurse go out with her
charge and knew that every afternoon
she took the child to little park In
the neighborhood. Treusdail should
not have permitted this. but he said
that it wouldn't do to keep the little
girl In the house. l proposed to Miss
Sweet that we walk out, follow the
nurse to the park and see if we could
learn anything She consented, and,
getting her hat and wraps, we sailed
forth.
We soon saw the nurse walking
slowly, the child trotting alone, either
beside or behind her, carrying a toy
balloon. We measured our pace to
suit theirs. and they entered the park
without knowing that we were near
them. a moment later the nurse turn
ed and, suddenly seeing us, gave an
involuntary start.
The plot thickens,' l remarked to
my companion. ''I'll bet that this
nurse, being permitted to leave the
house, will get rid of the diamond"
Suppose she has it with her now 2"
said Miss Sweet
It's possible"
Il have never seen her SO agitated
| as when she turned and saw US be
! hind her
! You are on the track. You made
| the discovery that she was in league
| with her mistress. Suppose we let hel
! our faces that we are watching her
! II i,"y drive her into doing something
, inst will expose her"
~ this time the nurse had taken q
! , =. - Z hgnrh, while the child played
! r.. Il With her balloon. On several oc
/ aSions she let go the string, the bal
loon rose, and the nurse caught j only
in time to save it. We walked Sy the
woman and as we did so stared at he,
ominuuSly. She trenbled like leaf
We walked on short distance ant
turned The child's balloon had es
capped ana was caught i'll the branche,
of tree overhanging the seat wher,
the nursa sat. The child was crying
for her toy. and the nurse was trying
to quiet her.
I'll buy YOU another dearie." sh,
said. THAT one has gone where on,
can't get it,
The nurse spoke the truth. Only
long ladder would enable any one t,
reach the toy. 1t had lodged som,
thirty feet from the ground AS
walked past the tree | looked UP at il
l neticel that the string attached to i
hung straight. | suggested nothing a
first. but presently | asked my com
panion:
"Do you notice how straight tia
string hangs? Is it caught On Il bran h
and does the balloon keep il taut:"
"No; the balloon Is against a bough
But there Is something-very small
tied to the end of the string"
$50 there is
l glanced at the nurse. who knew
we were talking about the balloon. an,
saw she was holding her breath fron
suspense. l called some boys VIII
were Isaying near and offered anv o
them n quarter who would climb th
tree and bring down the balloon. On
of The boys took my offer and In
few minutes | was In possession of tn
: toy At the end OF the string was
bit OF tissue paper. In the paper wa
the diamond
1 looked around Cor the nurse. Sh
, had vanished.
The delight both of myself and Mis-
Sweet may be imagined We starte
to the house with the little girl. Fa
down the street we saw the nurse rur
y ming ahead of us. 1t did not occur +
o us what she was going to the house 70
4 till we got there. when we discovere
that she had warned her mistress an
i gone on. Before saying a word TO an
e one | took the stone TO Treusdail. an
: we had long consultation. We ha
e no proof against the widow, and sine
/ she was connection of Jim's he d,
r cided to tell her that her maid ha
stolen the diamond and not intimat
b to her that 'she herself was suppose