Picture-Play Weekly (Apr-Oct 1915)

PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY 11 ! with everything else he possessed. So 3-ou've a clear title to it. Where are you going to put a treasure like that j when jou go to bed to-night?' "Oh. in the jewel case on the dressI ing table in my bedroom,"" Rachel reI plied indifferently. '"That will be safe enough, I fancj." I But the next morning she reported that the ^Moonstone was gone! And. strangely enough, when Frankline Blake, her fiance, of all others, ; tried to question her about the diaj mond's disappearance, she refused to answer anj" of his inquiries, but ran b\" : him in a sudden hysterical outburst of '' sobbing to lock herself in her own room. The theft of the Moonstone wrs iiijt the only discovery made in the crirder house that morning. Rc5::r. . I , Spearman came upon another whic'li : I ' her was equalh" startling. In making up one of the guest's beds, shie found a garment on whose sleeve as a smudge of fresh paint. Rachers cdroom door had been freshlj^ painted on the inner side on the day before. The owner of the garment had obviousIn gone into her room some time during the night. Rosanna rolled liie garment up and hid it under her apron, j going on with her work without saying I anything to anybody about it. And then Detective Cuff, of Scotland I Yard, arrived to solve the mystery of who had stolen the priceless Moonstone. He asked to be shown Rachel's bedr jom, the scene of the theft, first. And the first thing he discovered there was j a smudge against the still-damp paint j on the inner side of the door. The dc'i tective examined the spot under a microscope. Then he announced the resiil; of his minute inspection. "That smudge was made by a sleeve jl in passing," he declared. "We"ll look i' for a garment with a smudge of paint on its left sleeve, first." (Rosanna, listening outside the door, hastened away with something clutched I out of sight under her apron. Hastily ' donning her hat and cloak in her own -■ •om, she stole out of the house and set rf at a rapid walk for the Aillage, Detective Cuff saw her go. and he followed her. The maid entered a small dry-goods store, anJL made a purchase there. As she stepped out of the store, she came face to face with Detective Cuff. "What brought you here to the vil lage this morning?" he drawled pleasantly. "Anything special?"' Rosanna stepped by him to the letter box. "Yes," she answered. "Lad\ Verinder asked me to post this letter for her." She was about to drop a letter Avhich she produced from under her cloak into the box. Detective Cuff' seized her wrist, stopping l:cr before she cDuld drop the epistle through the slot. "I'd like to look at that," said he. "if you don't mind." Rosanna relinquished the letter. She had told him w^hat was partially the truth of why she had come to the village. The letter was one Lady Verinder had written, and asked the maid to mail in the village some time during the day. Recognizing her ladyship's handwriting on the envelope, the detective returned the letter to Rosanna, a-.id rubbed his chin as he regarded her. ■"Thanks." he said. Rosanna dropped the letter in the box. ■"You're quite welcome," she answered cheerfully. And, turning, slie walked back to the ^'e^inder mansion. In her own room once more, she locked the door and pulled down the shade. "If he onh" knew I'" she murmured to herself, with a smile. From under her c'oak she drew out two bundles — one that she had bought at the dry-goods store, and the other that she had used as a sample in making her purchase there. Getting her workbasket. she drew up a chair to the fireplace and began to sew. Late that same afternoon, she left the house again. This time she went down ''I'll trouble vou to let me see that letter," Detective Cuff said to the maid.