RED OLOUD. NEBRASKA. CHIEF A. I i m ft fc . a Matrimonial Adventures Birth Stones BY George Kibbe Turner Anttior of Tlio TiwkmaMora." "Mrmorlm of a Undor,' "Tlir Lflflt Christian." "Ilusui'g HwuU.""lVUlto blioulder,"elc. Copyright by Onltd Taturi Syndicate " -.-.? GEORGE KIBBE TURNER Urorge Klbbo Turner started hl.i )IU rnry career when he Ilrst tnmo out of coIIckb. Ho Joined the staff of tlio HprlnKflcltl lU-publU-nn ut a very inodcat salary Ills noxt stop wua to the Ulark t'at, In that duy iv thin llttlo ningnslno which print' fd Kiir(irlilriKly Interetitlnn ntorlca. TlK'ii ono tln, an tho t'taraua Ih, lint iiltu different In fact, Mr. Turner wrote a novel for itcCluro's MiiKRzinr, It had a New England netting, and a political uncle, and It irrolved wldn and Important touirnt-nt. Therrafter for nine years Mr, Turner wan one of the lltt-rury Ktaff of McCIuro's Mann 2lno mid he wroto both articles and fiction an a erent variety of Olllljd tH. Mr. Turner Is tho author of many looln, short stories and articles, but "HnK.ir'fi Hoard," a story of the yellow fevnr cptdomlc In Mem phlH, Tenn., filled with fact and dramatic Incident, and "Whits Hhouldcru" are guaranteed to Iteep Mr. Turner conspicuously to tho front In our literature. In the story that follows, written for the Star Author Buries of Matri monial Adventures, the husband Is drawn ns only a man keen In un dtrntnnil!nK of men could picture hltn. Tho side of marriage that Mr. Turner presents in "Illrth .Stones" Is novel and at the same time universally appealing. MAUV HTBWAHT CUTTING, JII. These jewel brokers are nil over the city In Maiden Lane, on the Bowery, up n rutin tl Fifth avenue nil kinds, for nil kinds of business buying or selling! They're n wise crowd. They huve to be. They set BOiue dangerous propositions put up to them and Mime wild ones, particularly In hard times. They had some extra wild ones In thnt llnnnclal cave-In nfter the war especially the Fifth avenue ones. Hnlf the upper West side was fighting to drive the wolf from the new limousine door. It wns n j,cnr ago last March at Hie worst of It when this ono I'm telling you of drifted into Harry Volpo's place on Fifth avenue in the late afternoon. Volpo was aloneIn the ollh e, staring down out of his sec--wd-story window on the two streams jf niiloiiiohlie tops on the avenue. "You the proprietor?" asked this (ttrnngcr back of him at the entrance a big, red-faced husky, with big shoulders and a small nose and a red necktie. Volpo ligurcd him right away then as some sort of a con tractor. "Sure," he said, coming over, dust ing Ids hands. "What'll you have?" "My mime's Coognn Dan Coogtin," said the big man, Introducing himself. "Olnd to know you," snld Harry Volpe, lzlng him up. "What can I do for you?" "What would you say this was worth?'' Jald the stranger, reaching in and dragging out a big diamond neck lace that seemed to be lylug loose, without ony case. In the right-hand lower pocket of his coat. "Wha you paid for It or what you could rwtllzo?" Volpe asked him, still sizing him up the way you have to In that buolness. And went ovei It with his glass and told him what he might iirobably get If lie got n buyer. "But sou'd hnve hard work finding one Jut now for anything as big as that. I know I wouldn't buy It not now I "Yon couldn't not If you wanted to!" PnJd the other man. "I wouldn't sell l for all the money In Wall street. ' And tie looked as If he meunt.lt. "But here's the thing I want to know," he snld. "Could you pull out enough stones from tills to stand for a pledge for a ten thousand-dollnr lonn?" "Why yes probably," said Volpe. "Though we don't generally want to handle unset stones. "Because you know !" "They're apt to be stolen, huh? Is that It" said the big mnn. "Ycfili. They break them up out of their settings, so they int be Identi lied." "But you've got your setting here." "I wasn't talking about this," said Volpe. "I wns Just telling you." "Well, about how many would you Bay?" the customer asked lilm. And he told hi in about a third of thcpi. "Now the next thing," said the man, antlslled apparently, "is could you take this; could you take that amount of stones out of their settings, and put back substitutes In their place good ones, to they wouldn't be no ticed?" "Why yes probubly. If I had the Itlme." "Now then another thing," he said, Iflxlng his little blue-gray eyes on him as If this wns Important. "How long would bo the shortest time you could do It In If you had everything all ready and waiting to do It with? Take ese out of their BeUlrujs nuil puj the phoney ones in? Could you do It In a day?" "I might," said Volpe, looking them over, seeing they were o. good stand ard cut. "Whnt'll It cost the whole thing? Ten thousand for three months," asked the tunn, his eves boring In still. And Volpe llgured out a good thing on It nnd told him what he'd do. "Hut now It's understood," said the man "you'll hnve to have It ull done In a day when I bring It In!" "Why what's the great hurry?" asked Volpe, looking at him, starting wondering a little then. "It's my wife. She'll want to wear them. You know how women are!" Volpe nodded. He knew some things about tho women and their freaks and whims. You do, handling Jewelry. "And don't call nic up at the apart ment, either. I'll bring them In some day soon I can't be sure Just when. But I don't want you calling up my wife. You know how women are about such thlng !" he said again, looking nervous Volpo noticed at tho time. He noticed thnt. You keep your eyes open In thnt business and the deal was queer on the face of It. But It was no queerer than others he'd had. And of course, If anything sus picious came up when he came In again, that next week, Volpe would bo right there watching before any money passed. But next week when the big man showed up nguln with his big neck lace in his pocket, to get his money nnd have the substitution made, Volpe was surer than ever of the thing for one reason from tho way he acted about the stones that were coming out to lie there us a pledge for the ten thousand. "You'll have them all here tho Identical same ones when C come after them?" he asked looking red nnd anxious. "There's no danger they'll get mixed up any way?" "Not a danger," Volpe told him. "For It would mean something to me If there was 11 mix-up on this" h said. "They're our luck." "Lucky stones, huh?" snld Volpe, and Btnlled to himself when he had gone surer thnn ever about tho thing though curious nnturally on what It wns nil about. About two weeks afterward the man showed up ugaln and wanted another ten thousand on another third of the 6 tones. Thnt was different. "I thought you said ten thousnnd was all you'd need," said Volpe study ing him, thinking fast. "I thought it was myself. And It will be this time. But you know how the contracting business is especially now. Up and down. Mostly down! But It will be ull right this time I can promise you that." "I guess you can when you get It!" said Volpe to himself getting under way behind thut soft, sweet Jewelry salesman's smile. "Have you got them with you?" he nsked htm, smiling. "No," snld the other man getting red anil bringing in a new idea now. "And I've got to gut you to do some thing else this time. I've got to have you iniike Unit next substitution of stones for nit some night." "Some night 1" said Volpe after him. "Yes," he said, getting redder still. "You knofr how women are when they get an Idea In their head." "What's tVIs?" said Volpe to him self, with a sudden sinking spell wondering what it was he had run into. "All right," he snld nloud smiling more sweetly thnn ever. "Bring them in." "What night?" asked Volpe, more and more pollto. "I'll cull you up tills evening Just before six o'clock, and tell you," he said, "I might be able to get In to night. I hope so." "How'd ho strike you?" Volpe asked hlB stenographer. She was mnrU) him give np where It hnd come from get somo reward In odvnnco for turning up a sixty or seventy thou-snnd-dollnr gem robbery. He was all up In the nlr on the thing nnd It was getting every min ute nearer six o'clock. He was Just about to tnke up the telephone and call the detective bureau when the bell rang Just beforo six and this Coogan's voice cnnie, saying he'd be down around nlno o'clock as nearly as he could and to have eerythlng ready. "I'll have everything ready, don't fret!" said Volpe which he did down to the detective from police headquarters that he planted In the next room. "You'll find probably he's n bad one," said the detective, "most likely." "He don't look so." said Volpe, "at that. And we can't afford to force things not till wo know." "I know." "Ami he's n big husky brute, you want to take thnt Into consideration." "Well, he don't want to get too gny." snld this McConnell this detec tive from the headqunrter's squad, who wns quite heavy around the shoulders himself. And Just then the elevator door clacked and their man's step came echoing down the hnllwuy to the door. He camo In a hurry still looking nnxlous and excited, wiping off his fotoheud with his handkerchief. "Well, I'm here," he snld to Volpe, as If he'd hud a hard time getting there. Volpe looked at hlrii agnln nnxlous about him, ulwuys, when he wns out of sight; nnd puzzled more, when ho showed up nguln. He didn't look like a Jewelry thief anything hut I And yet you can't tell some of tho best of them are that wuy. Innocence Is their slock In trade. "Got It with you?" asked Volpe and got the thing In his hunds again. It was ull the sumo as he had left It the same fake stones among tho real tho sumo odd setting every thing I "Now, I tell you," said Volpe, stnrt Ing after It. "I haven't had time to get that ten thousand yet. It was too into when I got nround to the bank." "You can give mo your check for It," said the mini gazing at him, "can't you?" "I might, yes," ho answered, work ing along. "Only my bnlunco won't let int. not Just now. I'll hnve to go and get tho money myself tomorrow, maybe." "Tomorrow! Mnybe!" suld Coogan ufter him, his voice rising. "And besides," said Volpe, "there's another thing come up. My workman didn't show up that I counted on com ing to do the resetting for me." "Didn't show up?" said the big man, looking ugly now. "So I can't pull the thing off for you tonight." "Not tonight!" said the man. "I've got to have it tonight! That's all!" "Say, listen," said Volpe next. "What's tho hurry In this thing?" "I've got to have the money, right off that's what in my business! Or I go broke. Bight now. Tomorrow?" "I understand." said Volpe. "That's all right. That's easy on that neck lace, If everything Is the way It looks on the surface. But what I mean Is what's the hurry about this work of mine on the necklace? Why must I have It hack alwas on the minute?" And he got no answer. "In other words," said Volpe, com tin' stronger, "what's the Idea of your sililln in here bv nlclit with this tiling, and having It to take away with you in the morning?" "It's my wife," said the big man finally. "Your wife!" "I wouldn't hnve her know about tills now not for tho world !" "What is It hers, and not yours?" snld Volx. "No. It's mine. That Is, I paid for It, afld gave It to her!" "Oh!" said Volpe. "A'i(l Just as soon about as wise as he was, seeing them i com, right In my coming In nnd going out. "He's like tho rest of them nil over the lot like the dandelions. He's got something on his mind ull right. But he's straight enough, I'll say. He's too thick to be anything else. "Will he be back again?" Volpe asked her. "He suro will. The battle fleet couldn't chnse him away. He's got to have thut money. Right now!" Volpo thought the same. And the man still looked honest to him, some how. "But why nt night?" ho suld to him self, when the girl was gone. "And why this stull about the woman hav ing' to have them? Does she wear them at breakfast?" He sat and flipped nwny a lot of cigarettes out the front window Into the avenue looking down, thinking, as the lights came on wuitlng for six o'clock. And then he Jumped up on his feet with n new Iden. "Here," he said, getting hot In the head. "Supposo this wlft business was till u stall! Suppose he was somewhere In a museum, or a store, where he could hnve this thing Just so long. And hnd to get It back nt such a tlmol Thnt might be It!" "He might Just hnvo 41 me enough to have Just so many changes made In the setting at night for Instance, like tills and have It buck when things opened up In the morning. And then later he'd take another bite of It!" said Volpo to himself, stnrlng at his cigarette stnrtlng figuring the chances of getting any of that ten thousand dollars back If It was stolen goods and they traced them buck to him. ITe might get u chance to dicker as collections business I'll Mnybo you straighten It all out." "Mnybe you will. wor't." "VImt do you mean?" "'J, mean we'll know bettor when we rut thut up to her!" "IUit you won't put It up to her!" said th big man, sticking out his Jnw. "You'll Wt me huve It buck now!" And V'Mpe stepped nwny from him. "You'll ict mo hnvo It," snld the big husky stepping toward him. "Now!" "Yes, 1 will. Yes," snld Volpe rais ing his voice, so the detective In the next room would get It. "When you put rrty ten thousand back In my hand." "You'll let me have it! Bight now!" snld tho big mun getting red and reaching over and starting to break off tho hand Volpe had It In, Rt the wrist. That was the cue for the detective In the next room. "Just n minute !" he said, stepping out. And the big rough-neck looked buck at hltn over his shoulder. "What are you" snld McConnell, "gelling threatening?" "Who are you?" said the mnn who claimed he owned the necklace, set ting his small blue eyes on him. And the ofilcer showed hl). He stopped there, after a minute his breath coming hard, and his face getting mottled tho way those full blooded ones do, "Now, wliut's your gniiio?" said tho otllcer. "You slip In here with seventy-live thousand dollars' worth of Jew elry loose in your side pocket. And you want to huve it replaced by other fako stuff. All In a night I So joti can take theso substitutes right back. too If ho got, him back in there und And wheu this niuu asks you for an cxplnnntloR you beat him over the hend and stnrt taking It nwny from him- to run off with. What's the Idea?" The big man looked up nt him, with his little eyes red like a cornered bull's, and said nothing In answer. "Now listen," said McConnell, the detective. "You enn do one of two things. It's up to you. You can show us- take us around to your wife now, at home. Or you can come with tne, and have her give her explanation to headquarters I" And the blj fellow gave a groan, too loud, almost, to be natural. "I won't. I can't," he said. "It might kill her. She don't know any thing about this. She thinks we'ie on the top of the world yet instead of Just scraping bankruptcy 1" "Tlu'te's others," said the detective, watching hltn, "that have had to hear It before!" "Not the wny she Is," said the man, who had Introduced himself ns Coo gan. and went on and told them how It was with her. "I can't have her know," he said, "I won't. Not till she's over It '." "At thnt." said McConnell. gMng Volpe a look again, "there's other women have gone through with It without being millionaires!" "I know," he came back, "but It's the s-jdden bump, coming Just now when she's been thinking up to date I ever thing Is going wonderful for us. And then all ut once n rati irotn tne top of the world I I enn't have It not now. You know yourself how women are on luxury, nnd all that! How much more It means to them und all that. "And then you've got to remember another thing," he said, going oy when nobody answered arguing, with the sweat pouring down his face. "You know how It Is with the Ilrst one! They're Beared to death, afraid they'll die I" "What does 'tho doctor say?" asked McConnell, the detective. "He don't seo It quite so bad as she docs. But ho admits himself we've got to bLV.careful. Help all we can! You seo -you see how I'm fixed," ho Bnid, arguing. "I wouldn't take a chance with that little girl for the world I" And then he stopped for a minute. "But where do tho diamonds come in?" McConnell, the detective, asked him. "The nocklnce?" "That's our luck, she claims." "Your luck?" "Our lucky stones I You know lmw women are about thlrrgs like that! Superstitious all of them. I never knew one that wasn't yet. And es pecially now now ut times like this. And then her fntlicr wns n sporting mnn too. A kind of a high-class sporting mnn." "I see," snld McConnell, keeping his face still. "And so?" "So you see, don't you? You know how women are over anniversaries and all that. Diamonds were her btrthstone. So naturally I gave her diamonds. When I wns way up! I gave her tills this necklace. Just to show her and the rest of the world how she stood with ye. You know how women are how llioytv got to show the neighbors tho !." women If things are going right If you'te prosperous. And what their hus bands think of them! "And there Is another turn to If that she worked out In her head, be sides what It meant to her giiod luck and all that!" "And thnt wns?" said MeConr.ell. "That was that I was born In Apr'il. too." "April!" "You know. Diamonds are the blrthstone for April." "No," said McConnell, the detective. "I guess they forgot to tell me about that." "And then again," he was going nlonjr. "You know. Next month! That'll he April, too." "I get you," Miid the detective, giv ing Volpe another look. "So there's three times It's said to lie our lucky stone. You know the way they figure the women on things like that I" And the detective and Volpe swapped looks again. "So that's how It Is about the neck lace. It's her mascot. She's got to have It with her all the time now. From now on especially! That's why I've hnd to como sneaking In here, when I snw the chance." "Oh, Hint's It," suld McConnell, the detective, giving Voloe a comical side look. "For she's got to have It with her. And more and more every day now, of course. And then, naturally, she's got to have It on her or she'll Just natural ly die." "Well, she can have It, can't she If you can prove this up?" said the de tective, looking over nt Volpe. "Sure," nald Volpe. "What good will that do after she knew? She might as well have glass bottles," said the man, and wiped the sweat from his face. And McConnell looked nt Volpe and Volpe looked back. "That's u new one," snld McCon nell. "Don't you believe It?" suld the big one, bristling up. "I might, and then again I might not. But thnt don't ninke any differ ence what I believe. I don't hnvo to believe. It's simpler than that." "Simpler?" "I'll know soon enough when I see herl" "But you won't seo her!" snld the big man. "Not If I know It." "Oh, yes, I will either with you with mo friendly; or with you down at headquarters whichever you like UiSt!" "You'll kin her," he hollerei "Thnt's nil." "Probably I will," said McCotniel the detective, looking at Volpe, "I there's anybody there to kill I" But the big man took no notice ot that crack, "And If you do If you hurt her any wny," he went on, "If you hnrm her uny wuy, I'll get you I'll smash you some duy, If I spend my llfo nt It!" "Come on," snld McConnell, tho de tective. "Don't stnrt getting eurelrsi again. You're not fixed right to get rough. It's up to you. You can start n war, or we cup all stroll over like friends." ( "But she's In bed, with a headache." , "She'll have to get up then," said McConnell, tho detective. And finally he gave up, and th three went over on the bus to Blver- ' side mid up Into the apartment nil parlies watching tholr step, not know ing Just what wns coming. It wns ull right so far. It was hla place all right and he had It fixed up In stjle, too servants and all that! "Tell your mistress I've got to hnvo her come out. Dress and come out and see a couple of friends," he snld to the maid almost chvklng over the last word. For McConnell, tho detective, wouldn't listen, naturally, to bin go ing In to seeing her alone to friitiic up any story between them. And finally, nfter some talk, sho came out all silk and ribbons ono of those light-hearted, heniiu-hulred ones, that roll their own. But her eyes kind of scared nt that. "Oh Dan," she said, "what Is It? Is anything wrong?" "No, Hon." he said, putting her on the shoulder. "No. Just some friends." he said, choking on the word ugaln. "All It Is, I wunt you to Just tell them about your necklace." "But what what " she said, chasing her big brown eyes from ono to the other. "It's all right, Hon," said the big fellow, calming her and looking over at the other two with red murder In his eyes. "You go ahead and I'll ex plain to you Inter." So she told them flnnlly about the necklace nnd showed them the bill of sale, anil the check she'd paid for It. Her check he'd given her the money! And they saw finally they were In wrong. She stood facing them looking like a frightened kid. "But who nre you?" she wanted to know. And her husband told her looking first-degree murder at them while ho talked, for she acted now as If she was going to pieces. And they wore afraid they'd got In n mess especial ly McConnell, the detective. And suddenly she broke down seemed to throwing her nrms nround the big man's neck. "Don't, Honey.: said the big con tractor, patting her with his big fin gers. "We'll be all right. We'll mnko It all buck ngnln." "Sure," said Volpe, stepping for ward, with the necklace In his hand tr.vlng to fix It up with them. "And If he wants the money the extra ten thorium! It will be nil right '." And she didn't say anything, hut Just burled her head deeper In the 'big boy's shoulders anil murder burning redder and i odder In his eyes as he looked at them anil patted her. "Ami If von want It the necklace I to use to wear any time!" snld Volpe. holding It toward her. like candy to a kid, "you can huve It! We can fit !t up all light If you want to wear It as your mascot!" He held It up to her und touched her nnd she pushed It nwny. "! don't want It !" she wild. "Take It away! I wouldn't wear tne darn thing on a bet!" Aiwl all the three stood waiting for her. "Don't cry," said the big mnn, like soincoody talking to some young kid. "Don't cry. It's all right." At that she looked up, and she wasnt crying at all. She looked up, hanging onto the buck of his neck, staring Into his eyes. "Did you do all that for me?" she said, staring. "What wouldn't I do for you, Hon!" "Take tho chance of going broke and till thnt?" "But he won't" said Volpe, break ing In again. "He'll be nil right. And for the necklace," he said, offering it to her again "we'll fix" "Take It away!" she said, pushing It off ugaln. "The darn tiling. I never want to see it again !" And the big man looked queer. "How foolish you were," she said In a kind of a sharp voice. "How crazy, to tnke a chunco like thut Just to keep me satisfied with that fool thing!" she said In a kind of a harsh voice. "I never want to see It again!" Then before they got over thnt, all nt once while they stood around looking, she threw herself on hltn again, and started crying as If her heart would break ! And he putting ' her. nnd trying to comfort her to I keep her from tearing herself to pieces. "Don't I Don't I" no snm. 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