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s 4.! WV! r. Ck of general :3 the largest and :5 ate m Lindsay We!» it is to your ad- g: lea! here for our nce and large buy. in us to give you .34 015 cheaper than -. pay for imferior Q Let us give yc 'd Hating *2 of artiS’JC :cellcnce. 15ch Tea t Wateror Heating IQ‘""U ’mctbno INDSAY In to pg Chains, other countries- vent to year t.) a such an it: out as friends to and mak- I6 LINDSAY .1901 iszic 3. sampies innil'“ m1 $0 70999999 9... o o o o o 0 0099000000090 0 o -9 11m!” med he did. If you don't be- at. askhim. I told him be was a mains, we live in a cynical 1338. men believe all they hear. 90 I l! expulsion of opinion made lit- pmion on him. " M] not keep you longer from his ll." nidthe princess. with freez- Inimeo much. I am just dy- Hneet him. for I know he hal hifigment interesting to tell me. :M‘hink yourself. princess. that Ifttsnther like a tool when be it Move?” “Ii! there was no reply, and the I Ht the room. Miss Jennie M her feet and almost ran to P! She (bind the prince walk- ?“ down the long room with a “manage in his hand. ”'30 amost wonderful young l'heaaid: “read that." I”been told so by more obeerv. ““3 Von. Prince won Steinhei- N the girl. taking the tele .Itmfi'om the manager of the ““9““. and it ran: “Special ’33 leaves with package by the Mm tonight. .. P ”,1 “laugh." said Miss Jen. '59ka never Refs the bank. b31908 idiots of servants which Mmmnd her didn’t know; Mtook away from ”Vienna and ””719“- Tben, when the dia- Fm Missing, they completely tieâ€"mot that any one in much wits to spare. I ‘f M an ilicompetent lot. " Whughed. flunk, Perhaps. I have not wits h 300 that my wife cares for that it? Is that why you gave on letters?" 3°“ “'0 well mated! The prin- does me the honor of being “Pm Think of than As if it . 3’1“?“ I_should take any in- m yon‘ fine-n f0! I live “far, no! Itaite '. ‘ {mg to 11* as the reverse be . ED: for mcfiupposed that I haw ' a ninny as you are. Eggheadg‘ud she has hanghti‘ :licy' I merely told her that you “fired me t en times the amount of Sh_eig paying me. You needn’t 1! some“! had shot off a gun e”- You know E you did make 0 er." ” confounded cried the m ~ :uu [0 apply the c!e:v~ ~3 to the 13mm- Hm mmtgg‘qu W8] an. ’ no If I r -n-...â€"pl2:h is you please. ” flattering yourself i ‘W ARDER. fluent. " What have you seen real men MAY O 070-6-‘-°-°.°-°A°-¢A.-°€' “You are not going tonight. I shall .peaktothe princess about it if that should be necessary. You mention of one diamonds reminds me that my re- spected father-in-law. Mr. Briggs, in- forms me that a celebrated detective, whom it seems he has engagedâ€"Cad- bnryTaylor, I think the name isâ€"will be here tomorrow to explain the dia- mond mystery. so you see you have a. competitor. ” “Oh. is Cadbury coming? That is too jolly for anything. 'I' simply must stay and hear his explanation. for be is a very famous detective, and the con- clusions he has arrived at must be most interesting. " In the morning the diamonds arrived per special messenger. who first took a formal receipt for them and then most obsequiously took his departure. By the same train came Mr. Cadbury Taylor. as modest as ever. but giving some in- dication in his bearing of the impor- tance of the discovery his wonderful sys- tem had aided him in making. He blandly evaded the curiosity of Mr. Briggs and said it would perhaps be better to reveal the secret in the pres- ence of the prince and princess. “Just wb-at I sfispeâ€"cted." muttered Mr. Briggs. who had long been con- vinced that the princehadstolen the stonea Tbe important gathering took place in the library. the prince, with the dia- monds in his coat podtet. seated at the head of the long table. while the prin- “Enough of this fooling. There are the diamonds !" cried. the prince. cese eat at the foot. as far from her hus- band as she could conveniently get without attracting notice. Miss Baxter stood near awindow reading- an im-I portant letter from London which had reached her that morning. The tall. thin detectiveand the portly Mr. Briggs mine in together. the London man how- ing gravely to the prince and princess. Mr. Briggs took a seat at the side of the table. but the detective remained stand- ing. looking questioningly at Miss Bax. ter. but evidently not recognizing her as the lady who had come in upon him i and his friend when they had entered the train. “I beg the pardon of your highness. but what I have to any had better be said with as few hearers as possible. 1 «should be much obliged if this young person would read her correspondence I in another room. " “The young woman. ” said the prince coldly. “is secretary to her highnesa end, is entireyyrin her confidence. " The detective. apparently nnrnfiled by the disconrtesy he met. bowed pro- foundly toward the prince. cleared his throat and began. - - . fl .. ‘1‘ A‘fl‘A ‘uroa Ia uuu Wauu. “May I ask your highness.” he said. addressing himself to the princess. “how much money you possessed just before you left Vienna 'l" The lady looked up at him in surprise. but did not answer. “In heaven’s name, what has that to do with the loss of the diamonds?" rapped out the prince. his hot temper getting once more the better of him. Cadbury Taylor spread out his hands and shrugged his shoulders in protest at the interruption. He spoke with def- erence. but nevertheless with a. touch of reproach in his tone. - a a... t... fictnned to “In heaven’s name. What J do with the loss of the d: rapped out the prince. his I getting once: more the better -â€"_....‘11 Ant v- -vr--.,, “I am accustomed tobe with patience and am ge lowed to tell my story my your bigbnws. ” -‘ I 2.â€" A‘ 3:- £1 there by be? high' von Steinheimer. for money “ 9 the prince, spring- to be listened to m generally 31‘ v mv own way‘ She drove the two speechless men out ' before her and. closing the door. said to the prince. who was still standing be-‘ wildered at having his hand forced in this manner: “There! Two fools from fem-“leave two. Now. my dearsâ€"I'm not going to highness either of youâ€"you are simply two lone people who like each other _' immensely. yet who are drifting apart through foolish misunderstandings that I few words would W-‘fight if‘ either of you had sense enough to speak them. ‘ which you haven‘t. and that’s why I'm here to speak them for you. Now. ‘ madame. I am ready to swear that the E prince has never said anything to me E that did not show his deep love for j you. and if you had overheard us you would not need me to tell you so. He thinks Schaumhergâ€"not that I ever saw the poor man. but he is bound to be an idiot or the prince wouldn’t he I jealous of him. As nobody had stolen} the diamonds after all this fuss. so no one has stolen the afiection of either of 'mu from the other. I can see by «the way you look at each other that I won't need to apologize for leaving you alone together while I run up stairs to pack. " “There!” shouted old man Briggs. bringing his Clinchmi fist. down on m: oak. “What did I tell \on? I line“ it all along The prmce stole the dia- monds and in his excitement yanks them out of his pocket and proves it. I mid so from the firzt. ”Come. come.” cried Miss Jennie' Baxter. stepping energetically forward. ‘I imagine everybody has had enough of this. Clear out. Mr. Briggs. and take ‘Mr. Taylor with 3021.1 am sure he has not had any breakfast yet. and he cer- tainly looks hungry. If you hire detect~ ivea. Mr. Briggs. yOu must take care of them. Out you go. The dining room is ever somuch more inviting just now than the library. and if you don't see what you want ring for it. " “38 to ms was. ma ammonia vows ringing to the ceiling. “Do you mean to insinuate. you villain. that my wife stole her own diamonds?" “Oh. father, father!" moaned the princess. speaking for the first time. “How can you say such a thing? My husband couldn't do a mean action if he tried. The idea of his stealing the diamonds! Not if they were worth a thousand millions and detection impos- sible. " “If your highness would alldw me to Procged in my own"-e “Enough of this fooling. Therg are the diamonds!" cried the prince. Jffl'k' ing the box from his pocket and (1mg- ing it on the table. ”T‘Oh. but you are nét going to leave us!" cried the princess. “I should bé delighted to stay. I) there is no rest for the wicked. and must get back to qudon. " A WWilll that the girl ran toher room and there reread the letter she hadro- ceived. It ran: Dun Klee Barrenâ€"We are in s very considerable dilemma here. so I write to ask you to return to London without delay. :0 ing back to the Tyre! later on to finish the investigation of the diamond mystery. The Duchess o! Chiselhnrst ie to give a great ball on the 29th. It is to be a very swagger afl'air. with notables from every part of Europe. and they seem determined that no one connected with a newspaper shall be admitted. We have set at work every influence to obtain an invi tntion for a reporter. but without success. the reply invariably given being that an official account- will be gent to the prom New. I want you to not your ingenuity at work and gain admittance if possible. for { am determined to have an account of this ball written in such a way that every one who reads it will know that the writer was present. 11' you can nun- age this. I can hardly tell you how grateful spra: Jmnie Baxter in the ‘Schloss Stein- heimer enjoyed a most extended out- look. A door window gave access to a stone balcony. which hung against the castle wall like a swallow'e nest at the eaves of a house. This balcony wasj'ii'st- wide enough- to .- give- ampl’e splice for one of the easy rockingT‘chairs’ which the princess had imported from America and which Jennie thought were the only really comfortable pieces of furni- ture the old stronghold possessed. much as she admired the artistic excellence of the mediwval chairs. tables and cab- inets which for centuries had served ‘ the needs of the ancient line that had i lived in the schloss. The chair was as I modern as this morning's daily paper. I its woodwork painted a bright scarlet. ' its arms like broad shelves. its rockers as sensitively balanced as a marine compassâ€"in fact. just such a chair as one would find dotted round the vast veranda of an American summer hotel. In this chair sat Miss Jennie. two open letters on her lap and perplexity in the dainty little frown that faintly rufilcd "‘LA 1.1“:qu ----_- , v the smoothness of her fair brow: The scene from the high balcony was one to be remembered: but, although this was her last day at the castle. the girl saw nothing of the pretty town of Meran so far below. the distant chalk line down the slope beyond which marked the turbulent course of the foaming Adige, the lofty mountains all around or the farther snow peakS. dazzlingly white against the deep bit! of the sky. UL Ila-v uâ€"J â€" One of the epistles which lay on her lap was the letter she had received from the editor recounting the difficulties he had met with while endeavoring to make arrangements for reporting ade' quately the Duchess of Chiselhurst’fl ball: the other was the still unanswered invitation from the (inches to the princess Jennie was flattered to know, that already the editor. who had on cased her with uncuncealed reluctance. . came 7“ “Oh. no. no! It isn‘t that." “What. then? Don't you like me. after all?" “Like you? I love you. princess!" cried the girl impulsively. throwing her arms round the other‘s neck. The princess tried to laugh as she pressed Jennie closely to her. but there was a tremor of tears in. the laughter. “You must take this. little gift. 29 n ’Inenucnessm (imaginum'smfl. “0" expected net to accompnsn was! the entire staff was powerless to effect. She knew that. had she but the cour- age. it was only necessary to accept the invitation in the name of her present hostess and attend the great society function as Princess von Steinheimer. Yet she hesitated. not so much on ac- count of the manifest danger of discov- ery. but because she had grown to like the princess. and this impersonation. if it came to the knowledge of the one most intimately concerned. as it was almost sure to do. would doubtless be regarded as an unpardonable liberty. As she swayed gently back and forth in the gaudy rocking chair she thought of confessing everything to the princess and asking her assistance; but. ponder- ing on this, she saw that it was staking everything on one throw of the dice. If the princess refused. then the scheme became impossible. as that lady herself would answer the letter and decline the invitation. Jennie soothed her accus- ing conscience by telling herself that this impersonation would do no harm to Princess von Steinheimer or to any one else. for that matter. while it would be of inestimable assistance to her own journalistic career. From that she‘drift- ed to meditation on the inequalities of this life. the superabundance which some possess. while others. no less de- serving, have difiiculty in obtaining the scant necessities. And. this consoling train of thought having fixed her re- solve to take the goods the gods scat- tered at her feet. or rather threw into her lap. she drew a long sigh of deter- mination as there came a. gentle tap at the door of her room and the voice of the princess herself said. “May I come in 1" Jennie. a rapid blush flaming her cheeks. sprang to her feet. flung the let- ters on a table and opened the dopr. The visitor entered. looking charm- ing enough to be a princess of fairyland. and greeted \Iiss Baxter mcst gordially. “I am so sorry you are leaving.” she said. “Cannot you be persuaded to change your mind and stay with me? Where could you find a more lovely view than that from your balcony here?" “Or a more lovely hostess?" said the girl. looking at her visitor with undis- guised admiration and quite ignoring the view. The princess laughed, and as they now stood together on the balcony she put out her hands. pushed Jennie gently into the rocking chair again. seating herself jauutily on its broad arm. and thus the two looked like a pair of mis- chievous schoolgirls. home at vacation. thoroughly enjoying their liberty. “There! Now your are my prisoner, about to be punished for flattery. " cried the princws. “I saw by the motion of the chair that you had just jumped up from it' when I disturbed you. so there you are back in it again. What were you thinking about? A rocking chair lends ituelf deliciouslyto meditation. and we always think of game one very particular as we rock.“ 4‘ __Al_ O “Iâ€"um no exception to the rule.' sighed Jennie. “I was thinking of you. princess. " - - .0,. ____1 ‘- "How nice of you toeay that. and. as one good turn deserves another. hero is proof that a certain young lady has been in my thoughts. " uâ€"-. -v- v As she spoke the princess took from her pocket an embossed case of Russia leather. opened it and displayed a string 0! diamonds lustrous as drops of liquid light A-.___ 2.. her pocketâ€"an embossed case of Russia 4Well. Miss Baxter n he said u on leather. opened it and displayed a 8.“ng g have been extraordinar'ily succeeefuly in ‘I’i‘ almonds lustrous as drops of lxqmd ‘ solving the diamond mystery. and I con- g“I want you to wear these stones in ‘. gratulate gm My letter reached you. ‘ remembrance of out diamond mystery; '3 :31?!) e problgx‘: $2: $11: ingzgrgzggfi also I confess that I want you to think ! Can you get us a full report of the 2f :vne ezzagfiea’xfr $333: :2; 1:: g Duchess of Chiselhnrst's ball. written 0 co ‘ : no convincingly that all the guests who a: mfengottenzmat is why I chose (1111- read it will know that the ,‘t z. ' .1 ‘9 3‘. present?” 7 Lâ€"â€" -__ -nm . - ' _- â€"â€"-â€"A‘l‘ Jennie took the string. her own eyes for a moment rivaling in brilliancy the sparkle of the gems: then the moisture obscured her vision, and she automatic- ally poured the stones from one hand to the other. as if their scintillating glitter hypnotized her. She flied once or twice to speak. but could not be sure VI .‘v-‘cv â€"' _ of her voice. so remained silent. The princess. noticing her agitétion. gently lifted the necklace and clasped it round the girl's white throat, chattering all the while with nervous haste. .uv v- w--v “There! You can wear diamonds. and there are so many to whom they are unbecoming. I also look well in diamonds: at least so I've been told over and over again. and I've come to believe it at last. I suppose the young men have not concealed from yen the fact that you are a strikingly good looking girl. Jennie. Indeed. and this is a brag. if you like. we two resemble one another enough to be sisters. nearly the same height. the same color of eyes and hair. Come to the mirror, Miss Handeomeness, and admire yourself. " She dragged Jennie to her feet and drew her into the room. placing her triumphantly before the great looking glass that reflected back a full length “Now confess that you never saw a prettier girl. ” cried the princess glee- fully. “I don't think I ever did." admitted Jennie. but she was looking at the image of the princess and not at her own. The princess laughed. but Miss Baxter seemed too much affected by the unexpected present to join in the merri- ment. She regarded herself solemnly in the glass for a few moments. then slowly undid the clasp. and. slipping the string of brilliants from her neck. handed them back to the princess. “i'idirlrzxfe vets}. very kifid. but I can- not accept so costly a present; " an I 1 uvv “'V“" v_-_ “gannot? .Why?â€" have I offended you yflanythmg I have said since you came? “($511.1 1:0. ‘nc! It isn't that." “ a . taen? D n' " afterall‘!" o t you Me me. ni~ souvenir or your 7131': With me. 1 use reallyâ€"very unhappy when you came, and ’ nowâ€"well. you smoothed away some misunderstanding; :71 u: weary grateful And it isn ’hnatnmlrform woâ€" man to refuse diamonds. )Jeimiw" “I know it isn'.t and wIwonlt (mite refuse them I‘ ll postpone. It is possi- blethat something I shall do before long may seriously oflend you. If it does. then goodby to the necklace! If it doesn’t. when I have told you all about my misdeedâ€"I shall confess cour- ageouslyâ€"you will give me the din. monds." “Dear me. Jennie. what terrible crime are you about to commit? Why not tell me now? You have no idea how you have aroused my curiosity. ” “I dare not tell you, princess. not until my project proves a success or a failure. We womenâ€"some have our way made for 113: others have our own way to make. I am among the others, and I hope you will remember that. if you are ever angry with me- " “Is it a new kind of speculation. a fortune made in a day. gambling-Y" “Something of that sort. I am going to stake a good deal on the turn of a card: so please pray that luck will not be against me. ’7' “If pluck will make you win. I am sure that you will carry it through. but if at first you don' t succeed, try. try again. and if you haven' t the money I ll supply the capital. I know I should like to gamble. Anyhow. you have my best wishes for your success." “Thank you. vprincess. I can hardly fail after that. " The time had come when the two friends must part. The carriage was waiting to take Miss Baxter to the sta- Jennie set about the construction of a ball dress. tion. and the girl bade goodby to her hostess with a horrible feeling that she was acting disloyally by one who had befriended her. In her hand bag was the invitation to the ball. and also the letter she had written in the princess' name. accepting it. which latter she posted in Meran. In due course she reached London and presented herself to the editor of The Daily Bugle. “It is all Hardwick. ” "Most things are. Well. we are pre- nared to spend money to get just what we want.” “How much 1" “Whatever is necessary." “That’s vague. Put it into figures.” “Five hundred pounds. £700. £1,000 i! need be. ” “It will not cost you £1,000. and it may come to more than £500. Place £1,000 to my credit, and I shall return what is left. I must go at once to Paris and carry out my plans from that city. ” “Then you have thought out a dcheme‘! What is it. ‘g” -... ,‘L “any... “I have not only thought it out. but most of the arrangements are already made. I cannot say more about it. You will have to trust entirely. to me." “There is a good deal of money at stake. Miss Baxter. and our reputation asanewspaper as well. I think I should know what you propose to do. " uâ€"v.. -__._- d - “Certainly. I propose to obtain for you an accurate description of the ball written by one who was present. " The editor gave utterance toa sort of interjection that always served him in place of a laugh. “In other words. you want neither interference nor advice. " ‘ ' ‘ ‘7,â€" IHHVLLu-vg-vv â€"vr “Exactly. Mr. Hardwick. You know from experience that little good comes of talking too much of a secret project oot yet completed. " , ,1 __:4.L L3,. “mania Lude- â€"v. d , _ The editor drummed with his fingers 011 the table for a few moments thought- fule. “Very well. then; it shalLberad yon say. [should have been verfigglad - 1'- ehare the responsibility of failure wit. l you. but if you prefer to takefthe whole risk yourself there is nothing more to be said. The thousand pounds shall he placed to your credit at once. What next ‘l" “On the night of the ball I should like you to have three or four expert shorthand writers here. I don't know how many will be necessary. You un- derstand more about that than I do. But it is my intention to dictate the report right along as fast as I can talk until it is finished. and I don't wished to be stopped or interrupted; so I want the best stenographers you have. They tuu uuu- ~‘.â€"VO__‘ ,, are to relieve one ianéther just as if they were taking: down a garliamqntary is all a question-otiaz ‘ “You are very sanguine, Miss Bax- ‘ ter. I wish I felt as confident. How- i ever. we will hope for the best and. i! we cannot command success we will at least endeavor to deserve it. ” ’ Jennie, with the £1,000 at her dis- posal. went to Paris. took rooms at the most aristocratic hotel. engaged a maid and set about the construction of a ball dress that would be a dream of beauty. Luckily. she knew exactly the gown making resources of Paris. and the craftsmen to whom she gave her orders were not the less anxious to please ha when they knew that the question 0! cost was not to be considered. From 'Paris she telegraphed in the name at the Princess von Steinheimer to Cla- ridge's hotel for an apartment on the night of the ball and asked that a suit- able equipage be" provided to convey her to and from that festival. readiness at midnight. I shall be here as soon after that as possible. If you. will kindly run over their typewritten manuscript before it goes to the com- positors. I will glance at the proof- when l have finished dictating." “Then you hope to attend the ban yourself 1" “Perhaps. ” “You have just returned from the Tyrol. and I fear you don’t quite up- preciate the dimculties that are in the way. .This is no ordinary society func- tion, and if you think even £1,000 will gain admittance to an uninvited gnat you will find yourself mistaken. " “So I understood from your letter.” Again the editorial interjection did duty for a laugh. Arriving at Claridge's. she was aware that her first danger was that some one who knew the Princess von Steinheimer would call upon her. but on the valid plea of fatigue from he: journey she proclaimed that under no circumstances could she see any visitot. and thus "shipwreck was avoided at the outset. It was unlikely that the Prince. von Steinheimer was personally known to many who would attend the ballâ€"in fact, the princess had given to Jennie as her main reason for refusing the in- vitation the excuse that she knew no one in London. She had been invited merely because of the social position of the prince in Vienna and was unknown by sight even to her hostess. the Duchess of Chiselhurst. It is said that a woman, magnificent- ly robed is superior to all earthly trib- ulations. Such was the case with Jen- nie as she left her carriage. walked along the strip of carpet which lay across the pavement under a anopy and entered the great hall of the Duke of Chiselhurst’s town house. one of the huge palaces of western London. Noth- ing so resplendent had she ever wit. nessed or even imagined as the scene which met her eye when she found her- self about to ascend the broad stairway. at the top of which the hm stood b receive her distinguished guests. Early as she was, the stairway and the rooms beyond seemed already thronged. Splen- did menials in gorgeous livery. crimson the predominant color stood on each step at either side of the stair. Univ forms of every pattern from the gov- geous oriental raiment of Indian princes and eastern potentates to the more sober but scarcely lem rich apparel e! the diplomatic corps ministers of the empire and ofiicers. naval and unifi- tary, gave the final note of magnificent and picturesque decoration. Like trop-’ ical flowers in this gardenof color wen the ladies, who. with easy grace, moved to and fro. bestowing a smile here and a whisper there, and yet, despite her agitation. a hurried. furtive glance around brought to Jennie the convic- tion that she was perhsne the hut gowned women among that assemblage of well dressed people, which recogni- tion eomewhat calmed , her palprtatmg .nvâ€" 'vâ€"' .V __ heart. The whole environment seemed unreal to her, and she walked forward as if in a dream. She heard some one cry. “The Princess von Steinheimer!" and at first had dificulty in realizing that the title, for' the moment, per- tained to herself. The next instant her hand was in that of the Duchea of Chiselhurst, and Jennie heard the lady murmur that it was good of her to come so far to grace the occasion. The girl made some sort of reply which she found herself unable afterward to re- call, but the rapid incoming of other guests led her to hope that if she had. used any unsuitable phrase it was ei- ther unheard or forgotten in the tension of the time. She stood asideand formed one of the brilliant group at the head’ of the stairs, thankful that this Em ordeal was well done with. V “V“. v Her rapidly beating heart had now opportunity to lessen its pulsations, and as she soon found that she was practi- cally unnoticed her natural calmness began to return to her. She remember- ed why she was there, and her discern- inz eve enabled her to stamn on a reten- tive memory the various particulars of so unaccustomed a spectacle, whose very unfamiliarity made the greater impres- sion on the girl’s mind. She moved away from the group. determined to saunter through the numerous rooms thrown open for the occasion. and thuS. as it were, get her bearings In a short. time all fear of discovery left her. and she began to feel very much at home in the lofty. crowded salons, pausing even (v :~--fny a selection which a military I partly concealed in the foliage. \ under-Tug in a vacatefly manner, led by Lin-11;“! i' mans iznpresario of the day. The mule 1.;uh3bility of meeting any one here who knew the princess re- assured her, and there speedily came over her a sense of delight in all the kaleidoscopic dazzle of this great en- tertainment. She saw that each one there had interest in some one else. and. to her great relief, found herself left er- U_.__-. 1 - v ___ (, tirely alone, with reasonable assumme that this remoteness would continue ta befriend her until the final gaudet avf leave taking had to be runâ€"a trial still to be encountered, the :12: ::-_:;2.: x-f which she resclutely put away {um bv. r. trusting to the luck that haul mm.- 12.9 not deserted her. ed next mar-H