| Show I T True rue r s Detective Stories t l 2 THE DEVONSHIRE i DIAMONDS Copyright by The Tho Wheeler Syndicate Inc Ioe Lad Lady Alberta Devon not yielded yield yield- HAD JAD ed to temptation at the last moment moment mo mo- ment meat and stepped omit out of at her boudoir to secure her sisters sister's opinion upon the effect of her latest fittest Parisian creation It Is quite possible that Inspector Inspector In In- John Sweeney of Scotland Yard would not have ha had the opportunity opportunity opportunity of proving his detective genius In a peculiarly striking manner Lady Alberta was absent from her room for tor less than ten minutes b buu but during that time occurred an event which for tor several hours threatened I to disrupt several of the highest social I circles In England It was the night of the Devon ball I Iteld held t In the big old old house Inthe in inthe the center of the Devon estate As was only to be expected the list of guests read rend like a section from Burkes Burke's Burkes Peerage a Peerage a fact which made Inspector Sw Sweeneys Sweeney's ene s work distinctly more difficult difficult cult when the loss of ot the f enious necklace necklace neck neck- lace lac of ot Devonshire De was reported to Scotland Yard Early In the time evening Lady Alberta had dismissed her maid with the statement state tate statement ment that she would complete her toilette toi totI lette herself but just as she was about to put ut on her necklace necklace necklace-an an heirloom which had llad greatly increased In value alue b because ause of Its historic connections connections- she thought It would be well to secure an unbiased opinion as to the effect of at her gown which had Just arrived from Paris When she returned from her rs r's room r C few minutes later she Bhe- h reached for the necklace only to discover that It had vanished Positive e that she had h had bad ad it In her hands less than ten minutes before she searched the room and thin the n summoned her husband whom she told of the mysterious loss There Is only duly one thing to do declared declared de de- Glared his lordship after his wife's statement that the jewels were missing and that Is to the po- po lice Uce I Inspector S Sweeney Seney eney reached the Devon I house shortly after atter midnight while the ball was still In progress and E secured cured the meager details of at the case directly from her ladyship Did you ou notice any anyone one In the hallas hall hallas as you ou passed through on the way to your four sisters sister's room Sweeney Sweney asked No one at all nil How lIow long has your mild maid td been wl with you oU 1 Less than two mont months months but but hs-but but she came rame well recommended Finally In spite of protests the op op- I e from Scotland Yard gave gac orders orders orders or or- ders that no one was to leave leae the grounds of the time Devon estate without his permission and as the ball baU formed forme part of a weeks week's festivities It was pos bible Ible to arrange this without mentioning mentioning mention mention- ing ng the reason for the request to the time guests Armed with a list of ot those present with their servants Sweeney then repaired to Lady Devons Devon's boudoir tu to commence active Investigations His knowledge of London society sufficient to Inform him that throat at nt least three of the guests despite their titles might easily have been guilty of lifting the necklace If tin opportunity fad presented Itself The Time question is Is muied Sweeney VeDe who ho could have known that Lady atly Devon would have been out of the time room for just those few moments She wasn't summoned b by an any message and It would therefore appear that some someone someone someone one was hiding In the hOl hope tC that an opportunity opportunity op op- would present Itself That would seem to eliminate the guests guests- but not the servants Working along this tills line Sweeney made n a careful examination of the toilet articles on the time dressing table where the diamonds had hall been placed After a n thorough scrutiny of ot the perfume perfume per per- fume tume bottles pieces of silver sHyer and other articles which were highly polished the detective made his iris n way downstairs and sent word to Lady Devon that he lie would like to speak to her for a mo mo- ment meat Your ladyship he be said will you kindly press time the tips of your our fingers lightly on this and he held out one of the hand mirrors from the time boudoir No o he lie added Im not suspecting you ou of ot making awn away with your our own diamonds I I merely wish to discover which prints finger are yours Then a n moment later luter Thank you I thou thought ht as much mucus Now 1 lie he continued I want you to Instruct your butler butler whom whom I understand wither under stand has been with you OU for a number of Dt years to years to secure secre the prints 1 f all the servants un under your our roof root Tell rell him to make any excuse e for It that ho wants to but I eust 1 t secure a 11 complete r Kindly have hue them sent to tom tomy tomy m my room the first thing in the morning Meanwhile hUe dont don't o worry orry o If f my In MeaD are rigidly curried out out lUI necklace ce should be discovered before rune nine But Sweeney underestimated h bj some sonic two hours It was eleven o'clock on the following morning before he re hed the complete set of fingerprints finger finger- fingerprints prints and ten minutes later a pair pall ol ot han handcuffs was dangling from the wrists if f William Sinclair valet of ot one of at tl the titled guests and as It afterwards de- de J a man with a lengthy pt prison Ison record The necklace was discovered stowed away In the false fulse bottom of ot Sinclair's trunk trank Ac As Sweeney started back toward London with his prisoner he cautioned him to be more careful In the future not to attempt a Weft theft unless he his wore I gloves |
