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Show SSSSaSaSSajaaMaiaS in iijBaMiaiiiM 111 SjhMAnCN BARBER, , fie "On the night of the opera, who was id with you when you put on the collar- 0- ette?" "Miss Holcomb, Mr. Orlswold, Mr. id Sands, and M!m March," the widow Informed Mm. "Did any of those present help you d. place It about your neck?" ." "No. Mr. Sand hnd taken the col-d col-d lnrette from the table, and was look- 1- Ing at It. I took It from him and r- fastened It myself." "After you took the collarette from . the aafe on those two nights, did any e servant enter the room?" "The footman, of courae, announced i Mr. Grlawold and Mr. Sanda. I re-i- member, too, that my East Indian d servant brought my new dress." "Do you believe Mlia Holcomb If i jr the thief?" suddenly fired Hrltz. j "I cannot believe her capable of It," r she ald. r "Then If we eliminate her," Hrltz retorted, "we muat look for the thief , among Mr. Sanda, Mr. Grlawold, the 9 footman, and the Eaat Indian aervant. I Mian March, of courae, la out of the j queHtlon." r "So are Mr. Sanda and Mr. Grla-, Grla-, wold," came In positive tonea from j Mrs. Mlssloner. Hrltz made no comment His eyes ! moved restlessly about the room, falling fall-ing finally In a steady gaze on the widow. k "How Ions haa the footman been In your employ?" be asked. "More than fifteen years," aha responded re-sponded promptly. "And the other aervant?" "About a year. He came vary high- corrected the detective. ""We must allow all suspicion to be directed toward to-ward her." "Hut It Is cruel. It Is Inhuman, to keep her In prison," protested Mrs. MUsloner. , "It is necessary," assured Hrltz. "My dear mHdam, don't excite yourself. your-self. My blundering colleagues have done all the harm they can possibly do to Mlits Holcomb. Far more Important Im-portant than the recovery of the necklace neck-lace la the establishment of her Innocence In-nocence In the eyes of the world. With all the auspicious circumstances of thla case woven about ber, your mere belief In her Innocence will not clear her. Therefore, you will have to leave this entire matter In my hands." The widow bowed submissively. A shade of sorrow crept over her face aa she contemplated the plight of ber secretary. "May I go to the Jail and assure ber of my belief In her?" she asked. "That would be fatal," replied the detective. "Then what can I do I mast do something for ber," groaned Mrs. Missioned Mis-sioned "The only thing we can do for her Is to find the real thief." anld lirlti. "Kindly give me the addresses of Mr. Sanda and Mr. Ortswold." He wrote the addresses of the two men on the back of a card and left. Hrltz headed straight for Headquarters Headquar-ters and entered the oiTlce of the Chief. He threw himself wearily Into a chair with the air of one vainly ) A quick spark of memory kindled i her mind, and with the first flash, she - understood the import of his question. I "Mra. Mlsaloner told me the history i of the stono," she said. "I believe ' there waa some rcaudal connected with its purchase In India, She told me that when her husband obtained It, there was some talk of It having been stolen from a temple and that the provincial native government tried to regain possession of it. Mr, Mts-sloner Mts-sloner succeeded, however, In retaining retain-ing it as part of bis collection." "What opportunity did the Indian servant have of obtaining the necklace?" neck-lace?" "None at all," she answered hopelessly, hope-lessly, "unless he broke into tbo aafe, and I believe that waa not done." "Mrs. Mlsslouer informed me that on one occasion, when the nocklace waa lying on the table, the servant entered en-tered the room with a box. You were In the room at the time. Waa he close enough to the table to touch the necklace?" "I remember the Incident very well," she replied. "I took the box from him at the door and he turned around and went downstairs. I do not believe be was within ten feet of the table at any time," "I don't know what to think," lirlti said, after some reflection. "Almost aa soon aa a new clew bobs up, It falls down and I have to begin all over again. I have no nioro questions to ask to-day." Fitch accompanied the detective out of the prison, begging vainly for soma word of encouragement. Hritx answered an-swered his questions with monosyllables, monosyl-lables, aa if be feared to commit himself him-self with regard to the outcome of his investigation. Just before parting, however, Hrltz aald: "Every line that develops In thla case, you can rest assured, will be followed fol-lowed to the end. So far, nothing baa been discovered that changes the aspect as-pect of the case in the slightest degree." de-gree." The detective walked to Headquarters Headquar-ters and entered the office of the Chief. "Haa Donnelly or Carson reported anything new?" be Inquired. "Nothing," answered the Chief. "And you?" "Nothing that throws any light on the case." "Urltz," the Chief remarked, as though delivering some weighty conclusion, con-clusion, "I think you're working on the wrong hypothesis. You seem to have decided that Miss Holcomb Is Innocent In-nocent If you will survey the case as It stands, you will have to acknowledge acknowl-edge that absolutely everything iu it points to ber guilt. I do not undertake under-take to say what her motive was in stealing the jewels, unless It was simply sim-ply the feminine lust for ornaments. I feel certain, also, that she was not alone In the crime. My belief is that she took the necklace out of the sale, turned It over to Dr. Fitch, or someone some-one else, to have the duplicate made, and then returned the faUo jewels to the safe." "Hut where were the paste gems made?" Inquired Urltz. "That's for you to Dud out," snapped the Chief. "I have personally visited every manufacturer of paste gems In this city and in Philadelphia, Hostou, Buffalo, Buf-falo, and Washington. My men have been to all the places In the smaller cities. Manulacturers In all the other cities of the country have been visited vis-ited by the local police, and I feel absolutely ab-solutely sure that the duplicates were not made In this country. Logan la on the way to Paris now, and until w hear from him I don't think we are safe In venturing any opinion as lo the identity of the thief. I am receiving re-ceiving dally reporta of the movements move-ments of Sanda, UrUwold, the butler, nd the Indian servant, but they show nothing." "Why. do you think Logan will disc-over anything? Has the real necklace neck-lace ever been abroad?" "Mrs. Mlssloner had It with her on :he other side, but I don't know that t ever left her possession." The Chief's Hi colled Into an muted smile. "Kind o' looks as if you're on the srong scent" he baited. "Walt till we bear from Paris." ilrltz returned. (TO HE roVTIN't'KD.) Ii, I lB f"!J eSJ .1 I I No Longer Could Shs Find Solace In Tears. f 8YNOPSI3. Tha story opons with a sTam frn Imroihy Marcha In the opora box of Mi Mlssloner, a wimlthy widow. It In u 'iiMomil when Mrs. Mlssloimr's necklit treaka, scattering tho (llamomls ull ov thn floor. Curtis OrlHwolil and liruxt. Kamls, society man In lova with Mm Ml HloitHr, KHthr up thn ir!ins. Urlawo Step Oh Wllllt In aiippoKnil t') tlA tllH (-'! l'tMt"l Mnlutrnnea ami crushes It. A III !' ileclaraa It waa not tlm Renulna. enpnrt later pronouncea till tha atom stiiiMtll utoa for tha original. Ih(cIIvi 1'i.nnally ami I'araon In v( I stat. Th decide that tlm theft of tha original ami wan -! ii pi i r h-l by soma una In II Iiouhh. MIhm Kllnor ifotrnmt), eonft'lnntli companion of Mra. M!lonr, la am tifrii"l. Una of tha niiaHlna 'Hamnnfla foiiml In htr room. Mra Mlaalonur pri tenia that Kllnor la liuiornnt, but ahx tnkon to prlaon. M'-nnllm, In an ill town iniiimlon, two lllmlooa, who arn I AniHrli'a to raoovar th Mahiranaa, lli ruaa tlia arreat I ii oc-i I v Itrlti tk"a u thn raaa. I la avlilarit ly tmtlttvca Kllnor In iMH-ant anij aaka tha ro-opHratlon of 1i Iviwrnnci Fitch. hr flancs, III runnln down tha roul criminal. CHAPTER VIII. Brlti Takes Action. Lieutenant Ilrltz occupied a unlqm position In tho Detective Ilureau. IIli official grade whs the same as that o Donnelly and Carson, but, by shee force of his ability, he had llflod himself him-self so far above them that whei working on a case they accepted hli orders like subordinates. Ilrltz wai one of the four or Ave men of th entire detective force who could no be classed as a "stool pigeon man.' That Is, he did not depend on the um of stool-pigeons for hi results. II needed no staff of thlevea to Inforn; him of tho doings of other thieves Ills detective ability was developed lo a hlh degree, combining an acute analytic setiHO with reniarknblo Indus' try. Thene talents were reinforced by a rare detective Instinct, which often led Mm irreslHtlbly to the goal of his pursuit. , He was a bundle of twitching nerves bene-ith a placid exterior. Nature hnd endowed him with an Inscrutable countenance, an Iron will, and a rest-it rest-it as energy that seemed to flow from an inexhaustible Inner fountain. He matched his resourcefulneHS against the tricks of the criminals he pursued and, having the keener mind, he Invariably In-variably won. Hrltz's enthusiasm never bubbled to the surface. He carried himself with an appearance of masterly easw, as if he held bis Impulses in complete subjection. sub-jection. There waa nothing striking in bis stature, yet he left an Imprcs-tlon Imprcs-tlon of hidden strength as of a steel framework behind a light coating of plaster. Ills eyes, deep set beneath tho arched outline of his eyebrows, seemed to emit a mysterious. Inexplicable Inex-plicable current that circled around one and drew one closer within Its constantly narrowing circumference. The shade of melancholy that gloomed tils nature was not hidden by the tii iHk of superb Indifference that rested rest-ed on bis well defined features, with their crowning breadth of lightly furrowed fur-rowed forehead. It revealed Itself with the slightest twitch of his facial muscles as well as In the drooping line of bis mouth, fly some peculiarity peculi-arity of the blood, his complexion ran a yellow Ivory, never varying Its color under the stress of the strongest emotions. emo-tions. It required superhuman courage cour-age to nifet the steady gaxe of his eyes and lie to him. Though somewhat some-what abrupt of manner and speech, th're was something engaging about him. some subtle ninglc of personality that brought one under the thrall of bis mind. Almost without the utterance utter-ance of a syllable, he could bend wenk natures to bis will. Only the strongest strong-est persons were able to resist bis domination. He was'one of those strange beings who live mostly within theincelves, yet there were times when he felt a desolation of heart, a longing for companionship, for Intimate association associa-tion with hU fellow beings. On such occasions, hla life seemnd to lack something of the beauty of other lives, as If It had been cast In a more somber som-ber hade. He could fel a wave of melancholy coming on him, and to svold its depressing Influence, he turned turn-ed bis mind resolutely to his work, feasting on the crime at hand as on some tempting dish. Without knowing why. the Mlssloner diamond robbery held for him a fascination more powerful pow-erful than that called up by any other rrlm within his memory. He recog-rtred recog-rtred surface Indications of a d-ep cunning In the conception and execution execu-tion of the theft His experienced eye saw that no Ignorant or vulgir n.lnd had engineered the substitution of those marvelous diamonds. The vursuit of the criminal fairly sparkled wl'h exciting poaalbMtles, and Hritx felt the thrill of the chsse even before be startfd the pursuit. Urlta paced nervously up and down his room, revolving the Incidents surrounding sur-rounding the discovery of the theft in his mind, but he was unable to pick a clew on which to work. Nor did the occurrences In which Donnelly and Carson partb Ipated furnlah any promising prom-ising material. "I'll begin at the very bottom." he murmured, "and work gradually to the top lie sauntered out of the house, walking with the air of one trying; to lengthen momenta of reflection. In front of the Mlssloner home he stopped, surveying the massive stooe alls, ss If trying to figure the poasl- "Not all," he returned, "there Is ont . whose faith Is unshaken. I talked wttt the lawyer to-day. He says they have , n't sufficient evidence to convict, anc that while the case looks ugly. tber la nothing to fear. He Is In favor ol a speedy trial." "Then even If I am set free my name will remain smirched." she de clared. "Your name will be cleared of all suspicion." "It Is so good to have you neat me." she said. "I feel as if no harm could come to me." They became vaguely conscious of a man's form outlined In the murky light of the room. As the figure gradually shaped itself to Fitch's eyes, bla hand slipped from her waist and he rose to his feet "Lieutenant Ilrltz!" he exclaimed. The detective came out of the obscurity ob-scurity of the opposite wall, and. doffing dof-fing his hat, respectfully addressed themt "It Is unusual, I know, for a police officer to ask Information of a prisoner prison-er held for the Grand Jury. Hefore Miss Holcomb replies to the questions I am about to ask, I think It might be well for ber to seek the advice of counsel." "Miss Holcomb will answer any questions you may ask." Fitch replied. "She has nothing to hide." The Impenetrable face of the detective de-tective gave no Insight to his thoughts. He drew a chair close to the expectant couple, shifting his gaze from Fitch to the fac of the young woman. Though he gave no sign of It, he read the acute suffering she felt. "Miss Holcomb," he began, "when were you last in Europe with Mrs. Mlssloner?" "A little loss than a year and a half ago," came the the quick response. "Was that before or after the East Indian servant entered the employ of Mrs. Mlssloner?" "He waa cniaged after we came back." "Did you meet Mr. Sands or Mr. Grlswold abroad?" "We met both of Uiem In London and Paris." "Did Mrs. Mlssloner have the collarette col-larette with ber? I mean the one with the Maharanee diamond?" "She did." The detective settled back In bis chair, bis chin In bis hands, as If lost in deep thought The strange pallor of bla face, shaded by the waning light gave him tho appearance of a dark clay Imago. Miss Holcomb looked look-ed inquiringly at him, seeking some explanation of bis puzzling questions. "The case is more baffling than ever," he said in response to her questioning ques-tioning look. "When I began my Investigation. In-vestigation. I was firmly convinced of your Innocence " "And now?" Interrupted Dr. Fitch. "I am seeking the light." "Do you wish to ask MIsa Holcomb any further questions?" Fitch asked. "She Is only too anxious to eulighten you." The detective's eyes narrowed on the young woman. "There Is some Information that I want, Miss Holcomb; I believe you can supply It." After brief reflection, be asked: "Mr. Sands and Mr. Grlawold Grla-wold are frequent visitors at the house of Mrs. Mlssloner?" "ISoth call very frequently." Miss Holcomb replied. "And their visits are Inspired by a Feeling that Is stronger than friend-ihlp?" friend-ihlp?" Miss Holcomb looked at Fitch as If In doubt what to say. "lie perfectly frank." he advised. "I believe both have proposed marriage mar-riage to ber," she Informed him. "And Mrs. Mlssloner she prefers which one?" "I don't know," came the prompt response. "You mean she has never Indicated her preference to you? Come now, urely In a burst of confidence she , dropped some hint ss to her Incllua-I lions?" It waa plain to Drltz that Miss Hoi- , comb revolted against violating the Intimate confidences of her employer. To reveal the secrets that had come , lo her through association with the woman w ho seemingly bad turned her , tack on her now was so Inconsistent lth MUs Holcomb's entire character j that Ilrltz recognized the necessity 3f urging his question. "I am not asking this out of any motive of Idle curiosity," he said, "it a of vital Importance I should be In- I formed of Mrs. Missioner's relations 1 sith Mr. Sands and Mr. Grlswold, aa il as of the opportunity each bad for obtaining tit diamonds." : "I am sure neither of them would ' r could have taken them," Miss Hoi- t omt) sftld, "That msy be perfectly true," re- Mied l!ri:z. "I do not say either of 1 hem took the diamonds, but I must ollow every line of Inquiry that re- 1 reals Itself to me. Now, Un't It a t art, MUs Holcomb, that Grlswold was i he preferred suitor?" 1 "I do not think so," she said In a i ow voire. 'You mean she preferred Sands?" f Ye" , "MUs Ho'comb. do you know the t jlatory of the Maharanee diamond?" le auddenly fired. 1 blllty of nocturnal Intrusion. Th front door was of heavy bronze au m was swung open by the butler In r sponse to the ringing of the bell, a "Is Mrs. Mlssloner at home?" askei n ,,riU- - The butler eyed him suspiciously. M "who wlBhes to see her?" he asked n- "Lieutenant Hrltz, of Headquarters.' ,J After a long delay, he waa usheret na Into tbo same room In which the Incl "J dents preceding Miss Holcomb's ar in rost bad occurred. J) "I have come to Inquire more ml la nutely Into the disappearance of the Jewels," he explained. .- Mrs. Missioner's face showed Ilnea of deep sufleting. Heavy rings en p circled her eyes, deep furrows scarred ' her forehead. t "I am more than anxious to supply you with all the Information In my possession," she said. "It Is meager enough, and 1 almost despair of ever seeing my Jewels again." "Madam, no case Is hopeless," Drltz 9 soothed. "The Immense value of the diamonds will make their recovery all f the easier. I feol safe In surmising r that none of them, or only a very few " of them, have been disposed of as yet 1 Now, do you recall the last time you wore the collarette?" 1 "It waa a week ago, at dinner In ' my home," she replied. "And when before that?" "About two weeks before, at a dance In the home of a friend." "How long have you owned the col- laTette?" "About ten years." ' "It was a gift from your husband, I 1 believe?" Ilrltz akcd. "It was," the widow answered. "Where was It purchased?" "The Maharanee was bought In India. In-dia. The other stones were gathered from time to time, and were strung together in the form of the collarette at Tlffany'a." "That was ten years ago?" "It was." "Since then, has the collarette been out of your possession at any time?" "I recall only one instance," she replied. re-plied. "When was that?" he asked. "About two years ago. I sent It to Tiffany's for resetting." "The substitution was hardly made there," he smllod. "You are absolutely abso-lutely sure the collarette, with that one exception, has been in no ouo else's posseaslon?" "Absolutely sure," the widow answered. an-swered. "May I examine the safe?" be asked. Through a magnifying glass he studied the steel door of the compartment, compart-ment, after which the widow set the combination and swung open the safe. The Interior was aa bare of suspicious marks aa the exterior. "Donnelly arid Carson are right to thla extent. It Is an Inside job," he pronounced. "Wo must ascertain the day of the robbery as closely aa possible." he said. "Two years ago Is too remote a time on which to begin work. I understand un-derstand that you called In Mr. Itans-come Itans-come the other night? Has any other expert seen the Jewels in the last two years ?" "No other expert, but Mr. Ranscome and I looked over the collection before be-fore I went abroad eighteen months ago. He saw the collarette at that time." i "Good I" flashed Itiitz. "Of course, he said nothing as to the Jewels being paste?" "Nothing," answered Mrs. Mlssloner. Mls-sloner. "Then It Is almost certain that the real Jewels were in your safe then." pronounced Hrltz. "Since then, who una been with you when you wore the collarette?" "Mr. Grlswold and Mr. Sands were my escorts to the dinner two weeks ago. They and Miss March alao were my guests at the opera." "Now. please tell me exactly, who was In the room when you put the collarette col-larette on and when you took It off on coming home two weeks ago?" Hrltx Inquired. "Miss Holcomb was la the room wheu I opened the combination of the safe. I believe the collarette lay on the table until I was fully dressed. Then Mr. Sands and Mr. Grlswold arrived, ar-rived, and were shown Into the room. I recall that I had difficulty In adjusting adjust-ing the clasp, and Mr. Grlswold snapped snap-ped It shut." "Were you out of the room for even a moment while the collarette lay on the table?" "No." Mrs. Mlssloner answered. "Did you observe anything suspicious suspici-ous In the movements, actions, or conduct con-duct of Mis Holcomb that evening?" "Nothing " "What occurred after you came home? Who he'ped you to undress?" "My maids were asleep, said Mrs. Mlssloner. "snd 1 call, d M,s Holcomb. Hol-comb. who occupies the room next to nine. She helped me take off the jewels jew-els and she saw me place Uwsu In the safe." "And with the exception of yourself, your-self, MUs Holcomb Is the only one who knew the combination of the safer Ilrltz flashed. "Only MUs Holcomb." responded the widow. ly recommended, and I do not see how he possibly could have substituted the paste necklace for the real one." 'Neither do 1," agreed Hrltz. "Did either Mr. Sanda or Mr. Grlswold ever have opportunity to pass through Miss Holcomb's room?" "Not that I am aware of," replied Mrs. Mlssloner. Hrltz eyed the woman Impressively. "We must bear In mind." he said, "that whoever stole the jewels must have been In possession of the real necklace long enough to have a duplicate du-plicate made. Either that or he must have been so familiar with every stone In the setting as to enable him to have duplicate made from description. descrip-tion. The only reasonable supposition Is that the duplicate was made directly direct-ly from the original. It Is barely possible, pos-sible, however, that some other means were employed." "That Is the most puxrllng feature of tho theft," said Mrs. Mlssloner. "How long have you known Mr. Sands?" asked Hrltz. . "From girlhood." "And Mr. Grlswold?" "About five years." "Hoth saw the necklace on you frequently?" fre-quently?" "Very often." After several thoughtful moments, I'.rl'x remarked: "The only one w ho could have taken the necklace out of the safe without your knowledge was Miss Holcomb. One of the original diamonds was found In l.er room. It U absolutely clear to me that she is Innocent" "lo you really think so?" the widow wid-ow aked eaaerly. "it Is aa certain aa that someone stele the necklace." answered Hrltz "Then we must get ber out of Js 1 at once!" exclaimed the wUlow "W must do nothing of the kind." a trying to discern a glimmer of light In the enshrouding darkness. I "It's going to be hard work." he said. "I expected It would be when I put r you on it." the Chief replied. Krtta recounted the Information he 1 had gathered from Mrs. Mlsaloner and then walked Into his own office. ' Summoning two subordinates, he directed di-rected them to go to the Mlssloner f house and trail the footman and tho East Indian servant. Two other men were assigned to shadow Sands and ' Grlswold. "That's all I can do to-day," he mur- mured. I CHAPTER IX. t i Word From Logan. t A week of agonized suspense In the ' Tombs seemed drawn Into an eternity 1 of Buffering to Mlsa Holcomb. Con- c scions of ber own Innocence, she had. nevertheless, ceased to struggle t against the relentless fate that mark- ' ed her as Us victim. Her sensitive ' nature recoiled from contact with the f miserable creatures Into whose midst 11 she waa suddenly thrust. No longer f could she find rolace In tears, for the long drain had exhausted the supply, o The gloom of her surroundings pene- c trated the Innermost sanctuary of her soul. F Doctor Fitch wan. In the reception t room. , f A groan, as of physical pain, came v from Fitch as he beheld Miss Ifolrtimb f; In the wan llht that filtered through t the window. Her distress reacted rn hla sensibilities; be could utter no ! word of encoursgerrwnt. "It Is awful." he moaned, as be led her Into a corner of tha room. -And they all believe tu guilty r h t she asked despairingly. I b |