Evening star., 1917-11-04
-1>0 0OU haven't heard ont
90 w outside has heard-of th'
strange illness and the rob
& harv ~ NV Amnloyer Mr.

III strange illness and the rob-
& berry of my employer, Mr..
Mansfield Diamond Jack Mansfield,
you know"
- Our visitor was a slight. very pretty.
hut extremely nervous girl. who had
Given us q card bearing the name Miss
Helen Grey"
illness - roobery?" repeated Ken
NEEDY. at once interested and turning a
Huick glance at me.
tive. Neither the Star nor any OF the
other papers had had word about 1t.
why. what's the trouble?' he con-
hnued to Miss Grey.
-...'You see." she explained, hurryins on.
sTm Mr. MansHeid's private secretary.
snd-oh. Prof. Kennedy. don't know,
but I'm afraid 1t II q case for a detec-
Tive rather than a doctor" She paused
a moment and leaned forward nearer
10 us. II think he has been poisoned"
The words themselves were startling
enough without the evident perturba-
tion Of the girl. Whatever one might
think. there was no doubt that she
firmly believed what she professed to
escted = deeper feeling in her tone than
merely loyalty to her employer.
Diamond Jack" Mansfield was known
In Wall street As successful promoter,
on the white way as an assiduous first-
keen plunger. But OF all his hobbies.
none had gained him more notoriety
than his veritabie passion for collecting
diamonds
He came by his sob.squet honestly.
remembered once having seen him,
and he was in fact, a walking De
Beers mine. For his personal adorn-
1nent. more than million dollars
worth Of gems did relay duty. He had
scores Of sets. every one of them f1t
not alone In his love OF and sheer af-
esotion for things beautiful. Not love
Of display or desire to attract notice
- himself hAd prompted him to col
iSf ovninU them. Of associating with
stAsn. II was Q hobby.
II was mot strange. therefore. to sus-
Dset that Mansfield might, altar all.
have been the victim Of some kind Of
attack He went about with perfect
mat crooks must have possessed about
his hoard.
what makes you think he has been
rtoisonedr' asked Kennedy, betrayin =
no show Of doubt that Miss Grey might
Ion. It's so strange. so suddens" she
Hurmursd.
sBut how do you think it could have
6ApponeAf' he persisted.
ut must have been At the little sup
Per party he gave at his apartment
last night" she answered thoughtfulIy.
then added. more slowly. "and yet, 1t
was not until this morning. eight or
kan hours after the party. that he be-
came ILL.," She shuddered. "Paroxysms
Of nausea. followed by stupor and such
cred him and sent for DR.. Murray
and then for me"
,."How about the robbery prompted
Kennedy, as II became evident that IT
was Mansfield's physical condition
Miss Grey's mind.
oh. yes"-she recalled herself-"l
suppose you know something Of his
gems? Most people do" Kennedy
nodded. He usually keeps them in a
which he will get whatever set he
feels like wearing. Last night II was
he one he calls his sporting set that
he wore. by far the finest. 1t cost over
800, 900, and 10 one of the most curious
Of all the studies in personal adorn-
of the purest blue-white and the set
fs entirely based on platinum.
But what makes 1t most remarkable
is that 1t contains the famous M-l27a'
held. and the figures represent the
number of stones he had purchased
pp to the time he had acquired this
huge one"
~"How could they have been taken.
as you think? ventured Kennedy.
II think the wall safe must have been
opened somehow" she returned.
Kennedy mechanically wrote the num-
her. M-1273. on q piece Of paper.
~"It has . weird history" she went
on. observing what he had written
eand this mammoth biue-white dia-
mond in the ring 10 ~ blue az the ia
NOUS Hope diamond that has brought
misfortune throug half the world
This stone. they say. was pried from
the mouth of = dying negro in South
Africa. He had tried to smuggle II
from the mine. and when he was caught
cursed the gem and every one who
should ever own II. One owner In Am
sterdam fsilsd: another In Antwerp
committed suicide: Russian noblsman
was bsAishsd to Siberia and another
went Bankrupt and lost his homo and
family Now here IL is in Mr.. Mans
Aeld's life. III hate it!' ! could not
tell whether II was the superstition OF