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PPSIS.,
: by \vi‘h a scream from
; L itsihe opera box of Mrs.
¥rrithy widow. It is oc
. BMissloner’s necklace
bl Wmonds all over
¢ Virlswold and Bruxton
Band gen Jf Jove with Mrs. Mis
sioner’ jthe gems. Griswold
steps’ & 3 “’L dto be the cele
brated | kand crushes it. A Hin
doo declaß ‘ot the genuine. An
expert laté o ‘%‘ 11 the stones
substitutes (goriginal. Detectives
Donnelly and "L fiestlgate, They
fecide -'*;:,,_:","@,;;_ g .ofethe original gems
was accomplishe j;« one in the
house. Miss WEiia¥r«tiolcomb, confldential
companion of NRlfs. Missioner, is sus
pected. One of the missing diamonds is
found in her room. Mrs. Missioner pro
tests that Elinor is inndcent, but she is
taken to prison. Meantime, in an up
town mansion, twogHindoos, who are in
America to recover the M&i\q‘ance, dis
cuss the arrest. ; ;
ot e e
CHAPTER Vl.—Continted.
“Elinor Holcomb!” cried the lieu
tenant. %
Donnelly and Carson, each with an
arm under her shoulder, propped her
sinking form.
“Lift your head” commanded the
Chief.
The order fell on deaf ears. She
seemed as one in the last agony of a
mortal illness.
“Lift it for her,” came in a voice
of mingled sternness and compassion.
Donnelly's hand flew to her chin,
tilting her face upward. For an in
stant she raised her heayy eyelids;
then recoiled as from a blow. 'The
crowd of masked spec#htors floated
before her eyes like hideous specters
of a horrid dream. A low gian, like
the last lament of a tortyred soul,
came from her lips. She sedtned turn--
ed into a mass of jelly. i
“Take her away,” co:ht‘t ndey the
Chief, and the two detectives’eagried
her out of the room. AR
“Accused of stealing the Misgione®
diamonds,” was the curt explanation
of her presence. In a harsh #iono
tone, the Chief read the various Head
quarters orders to the force, ans | then
the men not engaged on old work re
ceived their assignments: of new
cases. As abruptly as he had entered,
the head of the Bureau lgft the room
retired to his private office." Then
summoned Donnelly and Carson.
'akes it pretty bad, eh?” he asked.
7ike all the swell ones when
e nabbed the first time,” an
ered Carson.
: “Had to call the doctor twice dur
ing the night, the matron tells me,”
informed Donnelly.
“pDid she make any statement on
the way to Headquarters?” inquired
the Chief.
“Nothing but hysterics,” Carson an
swered.
“And she’s in no condition to be
questioned. now,” added Donnelly.
“Anyone been inquiring for her?”
the Chief suddenly snapped.
“Yes,” flashed back Donnelly. His
eyes lit with a crafty glow. “Some
guy who says he’s a doctor and en
gaged to marry her has been hang
ing around here all morning. Wants
to know how he can get her out.
Looks as ## he might be mixed up in
it, so I'm having him shadowed.”
“Good!” commented the Chief. “If
any lawyer callg, tell him she’s in no
condition to be seen. We don’t want
anyone to see her until we've ques
tioned her.”
It was late in the afternoon before
Miss Holcomb was Bscorted into the
{nquisitorial chamber. She had fallen
{nto a fitful slumber on the rude iron
bed that projected from the wall of
her cell, when Donnelly and Carson
opened the grated door and called her
out of her sleep. She gave a startled
gasp when she saw them, a convulsive
shudder racked her frame. A sudden
{nflux of painful memaries overwhelm
ed her with a pitiful sense of helpless
ness as she dragged herself to the of
fice of the Chief.
With a weak show of courage, she
eyed Manning resolutely, and then
sank into a soft leather chair close to
his desk. Donnelly and Carson oc
cupled seats at Ber elbow.
“What did you do with those stones?”
blurted the Chief.
Her lips framed a reply, but it died
without utterance.
“Come, come!” he cried Impatient
ly. “We don’t want any acting here.
I know you’re only a tool in this mat
ter. We've got the principal under
arrest and I'm giving you a chance to
save yourself. You turn State’s evi
dence against him and I'll see that no
harm comes to you. He’s the fellow
we want to land. Now tell me just
what you did with the jewels.”
In the midst of this outburst, a door
opened silently and a sharp-featured,
smooth-shaven man of middle age en
tered and seated himself in an ob- |
scure corner of the room. His form |
seemed to merge into the shadow of |
the walls as he dropped noiselessly |
into his chair. Miss Holcomb did not |
see him enter. Her increasing terror |
gave her a fictitious energy and she
lifted her head with a sharp jerk. |
“I didn’t steal the jewels,” she sald. |
“I had nothing to do with thelr disap- |
pearance.” 1
The mocking laughter of three deep
woices sounded in the room. . ‘
| noes it welll” chuckled Donnelly. |
“Too bad she ain’t an actress,”
Jjoined Carson. ;
The Chief’s beady eyes narrowed on
her as if he would read her innermost
thoughts.
“There’s no use trying to lie to me,”
he snarled. “I know who's got the
diamonds. The man who hired you to
steal them is locked up now. He says
he didn’t know they were stolen—"
“Who says that?” she interrupted.
Donnelly and Carson nudged each
other in boisterous glee.
“She wants to know who says it!”
piped the former.
“Aln’t she the slick one!” laughed
his partner.
The Chief’s face hardened until a
menace seemed to lurk in every one
of its deep-cut lines.
“Now, you know who says it,” he
informed her. “I don’t have to men
tion any names. It's simply a question
of you going to jail or of sending him
to jail. I don’t take any stock in what
he says. He can’t tell me he didn’t
know you stole the jewels. I ain’t
as easy as all that! Now, I'm giving
you a chance to make & ‘ull confes
sion and save yourself. Will you con
fess?’ His tone carried the weight
of a threat, but her unresponsive mind
was unable to grasp its significance.
She stared blankly before her, as if
her eyes were chained to some distant
spot. ¥
“Will you confess?” the Chief repeat
ed with added menace.
As if roused from a long abstrac
tion, she gazed appealingly at her tor
mentor.
“I bhave nothing to confess,” she
murmured weakly.
The Chief drew back in studied an
| ger. His fist banged the desk as if
the blow was meant to convey a sud
den resolve.
“Very well!” he burst forth. “Go
right ahead and be the goat if you
want to. Look here, little girl, I was
just kiddin’ you when I said we had
the grinclpal under arrest,” he said
with a quick change of tactics. “You're
the only one that’s locked up. I don’t
believe there’s anyone else mixed up
in the case at all. I believe you did
the job alone. If there’s anyone be
hind you, you’ll have to show me.
There’s only one thief involved, and
that's you.” .
An expression, as of a hunted ani
mal); crept into her face. She turned
to the left and met the fixed stare of
Donnelly. Averting her head, her
eyes looked into those of Carson. Di
rectly in front, close to her face, the
cold gleam from the Chlef’s eyes fell
on her. So she turned around, only
to look into an impenetrable back
ground of gloom, sinister and depress
ing.
“I haven‘t done anything,” she
pleaded. “I don't know who took Mrs.
Missioner’s diamonds.” As if cut by
a sudden thought, Miss Holcomb bent
forward in her seat. ‘“She can’t be
lieve I did it?” she moaned.
“You bet your life she believes you
did it,” the Chief announced. “And I
know you did it. So what’s the use of
denying it?”
“I do deny it, I do deny it,” she pro
tested. “How can they think me capa
ble of 1t?”
The Chief opened a drawer of his
desk and brought forth the accusing
diamond. He held it close to her
face, permitting the rays to distribute
themselves on her features.
“Pretty fine stone!” he commented.
“A peach of a shiner! Looked good
to you, didn’t it? Came so easy it
was a shame to take it—eh? Now how
did it get mixed up with your trink
ets?”
“I don’t know,” she moaned.
The Chief turned from her wearily.
“You take her in hand, Donnelly,”
he sald.
The detective bent over the woman,
his face so close that she felt his
warm breath against her cheeks.
“Don’t try any nonsense down here,”
he snarled. “We got the goods on
you, and we ain’t going to stand any
fooling. Now, where are those dia
monds?”
She eyed him in mild protest.
“I don't know, sir,” she murmured
weakly. |
Donnelly shoved his clenched fist
under her chin. His face contorted
into an expression of tigerish ferocity;
he peered at her with an intensity
that chilled her blood.
“You're a liar,” he snapped. *“You
think you're a slick one, but you’ll be
gorry you was ever born if you don’t
cough up the goods. We know how to
handle customers like you down here.
We're used to ’em. We get 'em every
‘day. Now, just save yourself a lot of
trouble by telling the whereabouts of
‘the diamonds.”
“They ain't going to do you any
good,” interjected the Chief. “They
don’t wear diamonds where you're go
ing to. The less trouble you give us,
the less trouble we’ll make for you.
And we can make more trouble for
you than you can make for us.”
A look of such utter helplessness
overspread her face that even the de
tectives realized the utter futility of
their attack. She seemed as one un
der the influence of a torpifying drug.
Her capability for new feelings had
been crushed out of her by the crowd
ed incidents following her arrest. All
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AN NN N NN NN NN NININTN NN NNNNINT NN
| she felt was a dull paln of body and
l mind.
. “Don't sit there like a white mum
p | my,” burst forth Donnelly. *“Come,
, | now,” he added impatiently, “don’t
exhaust our patience; we haven’t treat
_| ed you roughly, but we know how to
bring you out of your silence.”
; He seized her wrist, his clenched
| hand squeezing it until she uttered a
sharp cry of pain.
y “Are you going to answer my ques
tions?” he blurted.
| She sank back in the chair with a
r despairing moan. Her heavy eyelids
| dropped, a tremor contracted her
brow, then her head fell limply to one
, side. ;
| “I guess we won't gain anything by
: going any stronger with her to-day.
l Take her back!” commanded the
l Chief.
; Donnelly and Carson shook her into
s consclousness. They steadied her as
) she dragged herself through the dark
l corridor and down two flights of nar
| row iron stalrs to her cell.
When she was out of the room, the
E silent visitor cam& out of the ob
scurity of his corner and seated him
self in the chalr vacated by Miss Holy
" | comb. ¢
: “What do you think of it, Britz?”
' | asked Manning.
| Detective-Lieutenant Britz stared.
" | hard, as if trying to concentrate his
' | thoughts. His keen face, screwed
E into an expression of uncertainty, con
trasted sharply with the big heavy
' | features of his superior. Side by side,
| the two men suggested the delicate
surgeon’s probe and the heavy black
' | smith’s sledge.
. “It's a great mystery,” Britz .de-|
| elared. “A great mystery,” he repeat
| ed in a tone of deep conviction. “The
' | most puzzling case that has ever
come under my observation.”
: “Very well,” the Chief drawled. “It’s
| Donnelly and Carson’s case, but you |
5 go out and solve it—you go out and |
get the goods.” ‘
: CHAPTER VII. . |
» Remanded to the Tombs.
I Lieutenant Britz, seated at the flat- |
' p desk of his office, peered steadily |
| at the ceiling, as if he expected to |
find written there the solution of the |
| great mystery into which he had been |
called. A worried expression was on |
| his face, as if anxiety had taken pos- ||
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session of his soul. He became sub
merged in deep meditation, in which
he sought to arrange in consecutive
order the Information gathered by
Donnelly and Carson. The conviction
forced itself on his mind that Miss
Holcomb’s arrest- was based on cir
cumstance from which more than
one Inference might be drawn. The
fact that she knew the combination or
Mrs. Missioner’s safe did not mean, of
course, that she took the jewels. On
the surface, it looked as if hers was
the exclusive opportunity to possess
herself of the gems, outside of Mrs.
Missioner herself. But Britz felt that
the depth of the case had not been
sounded; in fact, that the surface had
not even been penetrated.
The only thread that conmnected
Miss Holcomb with the theft was.the
diamond found in her room. But to
Britz’s experienced mind, this circum
stance pointed r%her toward inno
cence than guilt. For, he argued, if
she had taken those jewels, she would
not have been so careless as to leave
one of them in her boudoir. That dia
mond, Britz was convinced, was
placed there intentionally and with
sinister purpose by a hand other than
Miss Holcomb’s.
Britz rose from his seat, donned his
topcoat and hat, and made his way te
the tier of cells one of which held
'Miss Holcomb. He encountered Don
‘nelly and Carson on the way.
“What time are you golng to ar
raign her?” he asked.
“Right now,” Donnelly replied. “We
got the magistrate to hold court an
hour longer for us.”
A turnkey swung open the iron door
of the cell. The detectives found Miss
Holcomb huddled in a corner, the
wan light of the corridor falling on
her tear-bathed face.
“Don’t take me back! They want
to harm me! I haven't done any
thing!” she cried, when she saw the
visitors. Britz stepped forward with
an air of command and waved the
other detectives back. He scraped his
shoulders through the cell door and
sat on the rude cot, facing the woman.
“Miss Holcomb,” he said pleasantly,
“there will be no further inquisition
in the Chief’s office, no more third
degree methods wiil be applied to you.
It is necessary under the law to bring
you before a magistrate within twen
ty-four hours after your arrest. Now,
brace yourself, please, for the ordeal.
If you are innocent, you have abso
lutely nothing to fear. You will have
an opportunity in court of consulting
with your friends and engaging a law
ver. ' Your interests will be protect
ed.” b,
Instinctively, although in the gloom
of her surroundings she could make
out only a dim outline of his face, she
felt a confidence in the detective that
braced her like a tonic.
“l have a carriage walting for you,
Miss Holcomb,” Britz informed her.
“It will enable you to avoid the many
curious eyes in the street.”
She murmured her thanks as she
stepped out of the cell and followed
Britz and his companions through a
maze of corridors to the street. They
were driven rapidly to the Jefferson
Market Court and ushered into the
private room of the magistrate. A
crowd of reporters was already on
hand for the hearing. The curious
eyes aimed pitilessly at her inspired
in her a terror that made her shrink
behind the broad shoulders of Don
nelly. The magistrate motioned her to
a seat close to his desk, and said:
‘ “Madam, it is your privilege to en
gage counsel. I would advise you to
do so at once, for anything you say
| may be used against you.”
“l have done nothing wrong,” she
: murmured.
. “You had better get a lawyer,” the
| Magistrate urged.
As if in response to his advice, the
| door opened abruptly and two men
entered. One was sharp-faced, gray
haired, nervous, with the unmistak
able air of the lawyer. The other was '
a young man, his face marked with}
heavy lines of worry, as if he also
had passed a sleepless night. At sight
of him, Miss Holcomb sprang forward
and threw herself in his arms.
“Oh, Lawrence!” she exclaimed.
“How I have missed you!”
“Don’t worry,” he soothed. “Every
| thing will turn out all right. I have
| engaged a lawyer for you. I believe
{in you implicitly.”
Donnelly and Carson asked for a
week In which to work up the case
against the prisoner.
“We are Informed that the stolen
jewels are worth close to half a mil
lion. There was one big diamond in
the bunch that is said to b th
quarter of a million alone. flhm
she ought to be put undex e
bonds.”
“On what grounds do you base your
accusation of theft against this young
woman?” demanded the lawyer.
Donnelly displayed the diamond he
had found in her room.
*She was the only one, outside of
Mrs. Missioner, who knew the combi
nation of the safe,” he said. *“We
found this diamond, which is one of
the original stones, in her room.”
“Does Mrs. Missioner charge this
girl with the theft of the collarette?”
asked the lawyer.
“The police make the accusation,”
Donnelly replied. “Mrs. s~ gsioner is
too upset to appear in court to-day.”
Following the usual course, the
magistrate adjourned the case for a
week, and held Miss Holcomb in SSO,
000 bail. There being no bondsmen
present, she was committed to the
Tombs.
“May I speak with Miss Holcomb in
private a few moments?” asked the
young man into whose arms she had
fallen.
‘“Who are you?” grufly demanded
Donnelly.
“I'm Dr. Lawrence Fitch, the fiance
of Miss Holcomb.”
“You can see her in the Tombs,”
Donnelly retorted.
Lieutenant Britz did not accompany
Donnelly and Carson with their pris
oner to the jail. When the court hear
ing was over, he returned to his office,
surgmoned two subordinate detectives,
and gave them hasty instructions.
Then he sauntered slowly to the
Tombs.
As ‘the barred steel door swung
open to admit Britz, Dr. Fitch crossed
the stone-flagged courtyard that sepa
rates the women’s wing of the prison
from that of the men.
“Was it Dr. Fitch who called to see
the prisoner in the Missioner diamond
robbery?” he asked the doorman.
“Yes,” came the prompt response.
Britz waited in the shadow of the
massive gray front of the jatl until
the young physician came out. He
observed the pallor of the doctor's
cheeks, his uncertain gait, as if the
turmoil of his mind had exhausted his
physical energy. The detective noted,
also, the clear-cut, straightforward
features of the physician, the resolute
aspect of his face, and the purposeful
gleam in his clear eyes.
*Just a moment, doctor,” Britz said,
tapping Dr. Fitch on the shoulder.
“What can I do for you?” asked the
doctor.
“I am Lieutenant Britz, of Head
quarters,” the detective explained. *I
am in charge of the active work on
this case. I want your help. You can
be of great service to Miss Holcomb.”
“How?” quickly asked Dr. Fitch.
“By following my orders,” flashed
Britz.
“What are your orders?” asked the
doctor. '
“It is absolutely necessary that all 1
suspicion be directed toward her. No |
| effort must be made at the present
| time to clear her.”
| ‘““What!” exclaimed Dr. Fitch. “Per
| mit my fiancee to suffer the tortures
| of this prison and live under th
ma of this terrible accusatiou® '~ fi
L “It is necessary,” assureg RuFy. ';q
| “The two detectives WEH Sitested
| her seem to be convind&¥ gl her
.| guilt,” Fitch said angrily. “{They ine
fiicted tortures on her that might
, | have crushed a stronger woman; she
) told'me as best she could what took
| place at the inquisition in Police
Headquarters.”
r “Very well,” said Britz. “I am
| working independently, regardless of
| anything Donnelly and Carson, the
- |two men who made the arrest, may
| do. They blundered grievously when
| they arrested the young woman. We
| must overoome that blunder, but the
| time is not ripe for her release. If
| she leaves the Tombs, it must be with
| her name cleared of suspicion.”
| Dr. Fitch returned to the priscz snd
| was permitted to see the prisoner in
the little reception room on the ground
fioor of the women’s wing. Her law
yer had left instructions that , the
physician be allowed to consult with
his fiancee at any tlme. On his firs¢
visit, he had found her distraught,
hardly able to tell a coherent story.
His call had a cheering effect on her,
however, and she entered the recep«
tion room with a firmer step.
“I hope you have brought good
news,” she called.
“I have just talked with Lieutenans
Britz, who is in charge of your case,”
he replied. “He has assured me he
will do everything to prove your in
nocence and find the real criminal,
but he wants you to remain here until
you can leave with your name entires
ly cleared.”
“You believe me, don’t you?” she
murmured. \
“All those who know you must be
lieve in you,” he answered. “The very
innocence of your nature is sufficient
reply to the accusation against you.”
As he hastened down the steps of
the prison, he again met Britz. The
two men walked to Broadway and up
that thoroughfare to Twenty-third
‘Street. When they parted, Britz knew
the life history of Miss Holcomb.
She been born in good circum
shes. was & graduate of Smith
Cellege. + life, she had been
reared t lef that her future
Was We for.. As the only
child of a banker, she lived in
an environment of tranguil ease that
seemed her permanent heritage in
life. Her father and mother died
within a year of each other, during
the stress of a financlal panic. When
the estate came to be settled, it was
found insuficient to meet the outs
standing obligations of tba father,
Left penniless, amid the luxuries of
her birth, she found employment as
a governess, and two years before the
discovery of the substituted paste
jewels, she was engaged by Mrs. Mis
sioner as secretary. -
Fitch met Miss Holecomb in Boston,
and their friendship was renewed in
New York. Their engagement was ane
nounced only a month before her ar
rest. Britz, trying to square the cim
cumstances surrounding her arrest
with the conclusion of guilt, decided
that if she took the jewels, it must
have been in a sudden temptation
born of the luxury of her past
But, on more mature reflection, he
concluded that her birth, her breeding,
all the training of her life placed her
above any such temptation; and when
he entered his home to study the case
in the quiet of his library, he was pos
sessed of the strong conviction that
Miss Holcomb was guiltless. of the
charge entered against her on the rece
ords of the Court.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
STYLE IN ENGLISH NECKWEAR
Broad-Ended Tie Has Been Rage for
Half Decade and Is Likely to
Continue.
For the last half decade the broads
ended tie made from the piece has
been the rage in England, and habemr
dashers will not look at anything else.
Its vogue is likely to continue for
another year or two, particularly as
it is to the interests of both manufac
turers and dealers to keep it going
as long as possible. This type of tie
has a maximum length in England of
42 inches, the average for such four
in-hands being 36 to 38 inches.
A good grade of Irish poplin tubw
lar tie retails at about 50 cents, the
highest quality Irish poplin, howeven
which comes in the piece, when made
up, retails at about 75 cents., Othet
styles are priced at 60, 45 and 3%
cents, and ties of these classes are
to be found in the men’s furnishings
stores of any of the larger British
cities. Wholesalers pay about $2.9¢
per dozen for ties that retail at 42
cents each, and sell them to the deal
ers at $3.40 per dozen, less (twe
and one-half per cent.
Unpleasant Suggestion.
“I've called my new song ‘Falnn“\)
Dew. “Then, my boy, it will never
'be popular. It is too strongly sug
gestive of housekold bills and come
-merclal notes.” : Sy
