The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-04-24

at Mrs. Porter Mason handling them suppose she didn't get a fair look at them"
 Gracious sakes, then what i the meaning of it?' asked the as tonished Jacqueline.
 "Ill tell you the story if you like, since you've been ore of the actors in it. It's an anonymous story--no names, no pack-drill.
 "Once upon a time there was man who had made big fortuna from small things, and in a boast fui moment he promised his wife that he would buy her string of diamonds for her neck on her fif- tieth birthday, and he would not pay less than 10000 pounds for t
 T don't know how old he was when he made that promise. Net so very old, guess. And I don't suppose at the time he made it that he ever expected to have 10000 pounds to throw away on d.a- nlonds.
 "But the man mace money. He is not exactly millionaire now, but getting on that way, should say. Anyway he doesn't have to worry about where the next meal is to 2, come from. But even millionaires are sometimes hard up for few thousands of ready money; and it happened when his wife's fiftieth birthday came around, this man found himself very tight indeed for ready cash,
 4 so, instead of confessing the truth, he bought an imitation dia- mond necklace and presented it to her, leaving her under the impress sion that it was worth 10000 pounds He quite intended as soon as he could to buy a real honest to-goodness string of diamonds and present it to her with and ex- pianation and confession. l "But two or three years went by, and money was still tight. He had harum-3carum sort of a son, and had to clear up his debts from time to time as most men do. That Iran into thousands.
 "Then one night the old gent took his wite to Circo's by way Of a little excitement It was the night of the raid
 l "The rest you can guess. The lady wore her diamond necklace, and of course early on in the pro- ceedings Mrs. Porter Mason spot ted it, and kept it more or less in view, which she would do instinct lively as a matter of habit.
 Then, when the raid came and the lights went out, Paula or Mrs. Mason couldn't resist the temptation to steal the diamonds
 "After wards she planted them on you. She knew that the police would go over her with fine- toothed comb, as they did; but she hoped that you might get away with it.
 Ever since the theft the old gentleman who bought the fake necklace has been in mortal terror that the worthlessness of his gift will be discovered by his wife, who would never forgive him. He has implored us to hush up the matter, which we would have done. So you see that even in Scotland Yard we have our little romances."
 And what about Mrs. Porter Mason?" asked Jacqueline. "Is she still in prison?'
 sYes.. We convicted her on an- other count. She'll be absent for another eight months or So. You see she has rather a bad record"
 "Oh dear. And what about the old gentleman? Has he bought his wife a real necklace yet?"
 He hasn't done so up to the present, to my knowledge. But I have no doubt he will do so, and when he does he will pretend it has cost him another cool 10000. Of course, his wife will adore him. Hes a wicked old man." mur- mured Jacqueline, "and should like to give him piece of my mind"
 When she went out of the aus tere red-brick building, Scotland Yard had no further terrors for her. But when she left the Yard be- hind she became abruptly serious again.
 | It was getting dark and she was very. very hungry and faint.
 She had been out all day trudg- ing the streets in search of work, and she had had nothing to eat since breakfast. That meal itself had been a very sketchy affair of < bread and margarine, with an in digestible concoction described as , coffee.
 That night she was afraid to go home-or to what she called home for want of a better word. In the morning the landlady would pre- F sent her bill, and what would hap pen when she was told there was not shilling to pay it with, Jac- queline dreaded to think.
 Copyright, 1880, Richard Starr)