The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1920-01-22
CHAPTER XIV.-contlnued.

steamer--how she'd gone abroad to
hunt new psychics for her seances and
the circle meeting at her house, of
which she was a sort of priestess, and
how she had thus come In contact with
the Duval girl. This girl had ''wcn-
derful gift Of prophecy" and at a pri-
Vate sitting with her had gone into a
trance--and had given out that Mrs.
Delario was zone Of the chosen"-one
of the disclples-elect of the Mystic
Cult Of the Crystal Sphere, whose
headquarters were lamasary In
Tibet, and had then predicted that she
was shortly to receive the mystic
sign Of Initiation" and a gift-con-
veyed through space by spirit lnflu-
ences-of seven blood-red gems, which
she was at liberty to dispose Of and
convert Into cash If she deslred-the
sacred masters not dealing In lucre but
only Its sublimated equivalents-an1
apply to her personal needs and the
furtherance of her work for spiritual
len,
on being pressed by Mrs. Delarlo to
tell more-name the time and place
of the gift-the girl had declared thnt
the stones would be in small oblong
box which Mrs. Delario would "dlS-
cover among her things when the time
came" and that she would receive
them -secretly-without NOR
tal knowledge of how they got there
and they would probably be given to
her In Paris. Beyond this the girl was
unable to go.
But Mrs. Delario accepted the pre-
diction and, greatly elated and excited,
watched for the hour that was to mark
her initiation into earthly wealth and
occult glory. The hour did not come
In Paris, and she returned to America
a trife disappointed but still expec-
tant.
She unpacked. She found a slipper.
Where could be Its mater Absent
mlndedly she thrust her hand into II
and found-her gift
"And you see the prophecy was full.
f1lled," she told me. 81 had been cho-
sen-as the Duval girl said. Every
thing came out precisely as she pre-
dicted-the diamonds really came to
me In Paris, though l didn't know It
at the time; there were seven; they
were worth enough to make me flnan-
cially Independent, so I can 60 on with
my work for spiritualism; they came
without human knowledge; l found
them among my things--every detail
was correct"
1t was q frank, straightforward
story, told with a heat of conviction
that think prevented her reading the
establishment that must have kept
growing In my face all the time.
1t was amazing every way | looked
at 1t; the thing that struck me most
was how her memory had slipped one
little cog and allowed her belief to
roll smoothly Off and land her--In
Tibetl She thought the box had been
sent to her IN Paris. but she had
worn her slippers on lhe steamer
j was about to remind her of this as
fhe first step to what l saw was GO
ing to be a very painful revelation,
when she burst out, But how could
he have known about the diamonds2-
that j had them in Paris. The only
way I can explain 1t is that either the
Duval girl told him-and she was in
a trance and wouldn't have remem-
bered her prophecy--or he's wonder
full psychic himself. But the
audaclty Of the thanksgiving he put
them In my. slipper"
"Clalre did," corrected, by way of
beginning.
ITS the same thing. What a lie
TO say they're hisp
hurried on: "Claire did II on the
steamer-the night before we Ianded.
That was how she had been set to
smuggle them through the customs
house. She didn't know what was in
the box-she thought II cipher on
tissue paper to save Ter fathers life,
and If 1t was found on-her he'd be
put to death; but If it was found on
you or me--all right-we couldn't ex-
plain, for we didn't know anything"
sand do you believe that?" Mrs.
Delario demanded, her face a picture
OF amnZement-at mel
With that | went through the wbola
story Of my experiences with mon
sieur. adding no comments on her
story, but telling only his and ClaIre's
and the legend Of the diamonds.
1t took long time-it took a long
nerve. While ! talked ! did not once
look at her-i would not witness the
defeat Of her deep religious convic-
tons and the dissolution of her hopes.
ended apologetically. $50 you see, ac-
eOrdlng to that. the diamonds really