Fame and Fortune Weekly, No. 801, February 4, 1921

CHAPTER III. – Dick Meets the Mason Family

The gentleman took Dick into the house by a side door and up a back stairs to his own room. Here he provided the boy with a pair of long stockings and his own slippers. Then he showed him where he could wash his hands and face and brush his hair. While Dick was thus employed, his host took his shoes and stockings down to the kitchen, and instructed the cook to start up the fire and dry them as soon as possible. He returned to his room and found that Dick had made a great improvement in his personal appearance.

"Now we will go into the sitting room, and I will make you acquainted with my family," he said. "They are greatly exercised over the robbery, for the thieves made a clean sweep of this floor, and took all the jewelry and other personal belongings of value, including a much-prized set of silverware which my wife inherited from her mother. The loss of the latter has made her quite ill, but when I tell her that we are likely to recover all our property through the information furnished by you, it will make her feel much better, and you will receive her thanks."

Mrs. Mason, her unmarried sister, and Miss Madge were seated in a bunch in the sitting room, looking very much dejected.

"Let me make you acquainted with Richard Darling, of New York," said Mr. Mason.

Dick bowed and the ladies acknowledged the introduction in a solemn way, expressive of the state of their feelings.

"You will be glad to learn that this young man has brought us a clue to the rascals who robbed the house, and the constables have gone off quite confident of capturing them and recovering our property," said the gentleman.

His words produced a considerable change in the ladies.

"Do you really think, John, that they will be caught, and that we shall get our things back?" asked his wife.

"I have strong hopes for it, for this lad's story confirms William's statement that Samuel Parker is one of the men. According to his account, the two rascals went over to Parker's house, where they proposed to hide the plunder in a dry well on his grounds until it could be safely taken away and disposed of."

Mr. Mason asked Dick to tell his story to the ladies, and he did so. They expressed their astonishment that circumstances should have brought him into the business, and declared that he was a fine, plucky boy. They said they were sorry that his mother and sisters would necessarily be worried about him, but he was sure to get home early in the morning, probably about half-past two, and then their anxiety would be allayed.

"In the meanwhile we will try and make your short stay with us as pleasant as possible," said Mr. Mason, "and I assure you that you are entitled to our grateful appreciation. We won't forget what we owe you for the clue you have furnished us, even if those rascals are not caught as soon as we expect. And now as you have missed your dinner, I will see that a meal is prepared for you at once."

The gentleman left the room and the ladies continued conversing with Dick. He was such a nice, polite boy, and gentle in his ways, as lads brought up in a family of girls usually are, that they took a great fancy to him. After a while Mr. Mason returned and told him to accompany him downstairs. Dick found a nice meal waiting for him, and as he was very hungry, he did full justice to it. While he was eating, the constables returned, bringing their prisoners with them and also the stolen goods. The ladies were pleased to death to learn that their property had been recovered and, of course, gave all the credit for it to Dick. After the office boy had finished eating he was taken outside to identify the rascals, which he did. The servant William also recognized them as the thieves. Bulger favored Dick with an unpleasant look and told him he hoped to get even with him some day.

The rascals were then put in a wagon and carried to the lock-up of the near-by village to be removed next morning to Carlin. Mr. Mason had his auto brought out of the garage.

"I am ready to take you to the station at Carlin," he said.

Dick was quite ready to go with him. He bade the ladies and Miss Madge, who had taken a decided liking to him, good-night, and he and his host were presently en route for that town, which they reached in ample time for Dick to connect with the midnight express. Thirty minutes later he reached Jersey City, crossed the river and took an elevated train for Harlem. He reached the flat where the family lived a few minutes before two and found his mother and sisters all up and in a great stew about him. He explained everything to them, and then the family retired to make the most of the few hours before morning called them to arise as usual, for the girls all worked in offices downtown and had to get away about eight o'clock. Dick reached the store on time next morning, in spite of the fact that his usual hours of sleep had been curtailed, and he turned the change of the $5 bill over to the cashier; also the receipt Mr. Goodrich had signed for the package. The office boy attended to his duties until Mr. Bacon appeared about ten o'clock, when he followed him into his office.

"You delivered the package to Mr. Goodrich all right, I suppose?" said his employer.

"Yes, sir. I handed the receipt to the cashier."

Then Dick surprised Mr. Bacon with the story of his adventures with the two thieves in New Jersey.

"You didn't have much sleep," said Mr. Bacon. "If you feel tired this afternoon you can go home at four o'clock."

"Thank you, sir, but I don't think that will be necessary. I'll have plenty of time to make up my lost rest by going to bed directly after supper. Mr. Mason told me that I will be required to appear in court at Carlin this afternoon when the men are brought up before the magistrate. He told me I should take the half-past twelve train down, and that he would meet me at the station. Can I go?"

"Certainly. I have no right to prevent you giving your testimony in court."

That ended the interview. Dick went to Carlin that afternoon, was taken to the court by Mason, and identified the men as the two thieves, telling his story in a straightforward way. The rascals were held for trial. Dick returned to New York by an express, reaching Jersey City at half-past five, and within an hour got home, just in time to sit down to supper.

CHAPTER IV. – The Missing Diamond

Although Mr. Bacon was a wholesale dealer, he also did a considerable retail trade as well. On the following morning a well-dressed man came into the store and asked to see some fine diamonds. The clerk who waited on him showed him a tray full of choice gems from two carats up to five. The customer looked them over carefully, made several selections, but the price was always too high for him to pay. He tried to get the clerk to reduce the figure, but that was out of the question, as Mr. Bacon had but one price for his goods. Finally the man said that he would have to go elsewhere. As he started to leave the sharp-eyed clerk noticed that a five-carat stone was missing from the tray.

"One minute, sir," said the clerk. "You forgot to return one of the diamonds you were looking at."

"I did? Nonsense! Do you take me for a thief? I only handled one of them at a time and after looking it over laid it down on the showcase, or on that mat."

"Nevertheless, one of the diamonds is missing," said the clerk, pushing a button under the counter which summoned the manager of the store. The customer waxed indignant and protested that he had no knowledge whatever of the diamond. The clerk insisted that he must have it.

"Well, then, you can search me, but I think it's an outrage," said the man.

The manager took him into his office and went through all his pockets, and looked him over for a secret pocket, but there was none and the diamond was not found on him.

"You see, I haven't got it," said the man. "Your clerk's eyesight is defective. I don't believe there is a diamond missing at all from the tray. He only thought there was."

Under the circumstances the customer was permitted to leave the store, though the manager was pretty well satisfied that the clerk had made no mistake. Dick had seen the man examining the diamonds, but had noticed no suspicious movement on his part to get away with a gem. In his opinion the man had been wrongfully accused. Once he had seen the man put his left hand under the outside ledge of the showcase at the bottom and hold it there for a moment, but he thought nothing of that. At any rate, he knew there was no place there where a diamond could be lodged even temporarily. The clerk looked over the floor on the outside of the counter, but without result, so he felt sure that the customer had managed to get away with it somehow. In about half an hour a lady entered the store and went to the same counter. She wanted to look at some new style rings. While the clerk was producing a couple of trays, Dick, who was close by, saw her place her hand under the bottom ledge of the showcase and run it along there about a foot, an action the office boy thought strange. When she removed her hand she fumbled for her pocket. A moment or two later she was looking at the rings the clerk placed before her. At that juncture the manager called Dick and sent him down the block with a message. As he was coming back he saw the man who had been suspected of taking the diamond standing near the curb about a hundred yards from the store. He seemed to be waiting for some one.

Down the street came the lady whom Dick had left examining the rings. She went directly up to the man and handed him something. Dick saw him hold the article up and pick at it. In another moment he tossed something away and put his finger and thumb into his vest pocket, then the couple walked away. The meeting of these two persons struck Dick as having a suspicious bearing on the missing diamond, though just what the connection was he could not say. He looked at the place where he had seen the man toss what the woman had handed him and saw a small, dark object. He went and picked it up. It proved to be a wad of chewing gum. Dick was disappointed with his discovery and was about to drop it when he noticed a deep impression in it that looked like the imprint of a diamond.

Then the truth came to his bright mind like a flash of inspiration. The missing diamond had been stuck in the gum. Still that didn't explain to his mind how the diamond had got there, or how the lady who had been in the store half an hour after the man had come in possession of the diamond. The matter puzzled him greatly, but of one thing he was confident, and that was that the missing diamond was now in the man's pocket. Under such circumstances he believed that it was his duty to follow the pair. The couple turned into Nassau street and walked leisurely northward. Dick kept on behind them in a rather doubtful frame of mind. They kept straight on, passing the Tribune Building and the other newspaper offices of the Row, and so on under the Brooklyn Bridge entrance to the corner of North William, a narrow and short street that cuts into Park Row at that point. They crossed the head of this street and walked into a well-known pawnshop that stood there.

"I'll bet the man is going to pawn that diamond," thought Dick. "Well, I'm going to see if he is."

He immediately followed them into the public room. He found them standing before the long counter. A clerk came up to them.

"How much will you advance me for a month on that diamond?" asked the man, taking the unset stone out of his pocket and laying it down on the counter.

The size of the diamond corresponded with the missing one, and on the spur of the moment Dick glided to the counter and grabbed it before the clerk's fingers touched it.

"I don't think this shop will advance you a dollar on a stolen diamond," he said, stepping back defiantly, ready to maintain his employer's claim to the stone.

The woman gave a stifled exclamation and looked frightened.

"Give me that diamond!" cried the man.

"No, sir. Will you send for a policeman to settle this matter?" said Dick to the clerk.

"Do you want me to send for an officer?" the clerk asked the man.

"No; I can settle my own business without a cop butting into it," replied the man savagely.

"Call an officer for me, then," said Dick. "I accuse this man of stealing the diamond he asked you to fix a price on."

"How dare you call me a thief!" roared the man.

"Because that's what you are," answered Dick defiantly.

Customers coming into the pawnshop stopped to see what was going on. As the case stood, all the advantage lay with Dick, for he had the article in dispute, and possession is nine points of the law. As the racket was highly undesirable in the pawnshop, the clerk decided to telephone for a policeman to come and straighten things out, since neither Dick nor the man showed any signs of giving in. The man himself realized that things were growing desperate. The lady said something to him in a low tone, but he shook his head impatiently. Evidently somebody had told a policeman of the case, for just at this time an officer appeared.

CHAPTER V. – Dick Carries His Point

"Well, what's the trouble here?" asked the officer.

"The trouble is that man stole a five-carat unset diamond from our store and came here to pawn it. I followed him and got it away from him. I expect the manager of the store here any moment so I want that man detained till he comes," said Dick.

"It's a lie. The diamond is my property," said the accused wrathfully.

"He brought a lady with him and she has just run away," said Dick. "That looks suspicious."

"She was frightened by the trouble that you raised, you young imp."

The policeman turned to the head clerk and asked for the facts as far as he knew them. The chief clerk told the officer all that had happened from the moment the parties to the dispute made their appearance.

"This boy has the diamond, then?" said the policeman.

"He has," answered the pawn clerk.

"Hand it to me, young man."

Dick took it out of his pocket and turned it over to the officer.

"You charge this man with the theft of the stone from your store?"

"I do."

"Did you see him take it?"

"I did not."

"Then how do you know he stole it?"

"Because circumstances point towards him."

"What do you mean by circumstances?"

Dick explained that the accused had called at the store and asked to be shown some diamonds. A tray of the stones had been submitted to his inspection under the eyes of the salesman. He looked over quite a number, and finally said the prices were too high for him to pay. Then he started to leave, but the salesman called him back because he noticed that one of the diamonds was missing. The man finally submitted to a search in the manager's office, and the diamond not being found on him, he was allowed to go.

"You see," said the accused, brightening up, "there is no evidence against me."

"You admit, then, you were in our store?" said Dick quickly.

"Yes, I never denied the fact."

"Is that so?" returned the boy. "A few minutes ago you said before this clerk that you had not been in any store this morning. Isn't that a fact?" added Dick, turning to the head clerk.

"Yes, he did say that," admitted the clerk.

"There you are," said Dick triumphantly.

"I couldn't have said such a thing," protested the man. "At any rate, you have shown that I didn't steal the diamond from your store."

"I have merely admitted that I did not see you take the stone. You'll have to explain how you came to have the missing stone in your possession when you came here to pawn it."

"That stone belongs to the lady who was with me. It never came out of your store."

"All right. When the manager arrives he will know the stone."

"I don't care what he will have to say about it. The stone belongs to the lady."

"You have been claiming it as your own right along."

"Well, what's hers is mine, in a way."

"Is she your wife?"

"It's none of your business whether she is or not."

"She did not claim the stone from the time I grabbed it till she ran away. If it was her property, I should think she would have put up a big kick."

"Where is the store you claim to be connected with?" asked the policeman.

"It's at No. – John street. Mr. Roger Bacon is the proprietor."

At that moment the manager of the store entered with the diamond salesman. Both of them immediately identified the accused as the man who had visited the store an hour or more since, and the manager corroborated all that Dick had already told about the circumstances of the case.

"But you have no evidence against the man," said the policeman.

"I understand that he brought a diamond here to pawn. I'd like to see it," said the manager.

The officer handed the five-carat stone to him. He looked it over and handed it to the salesman.

"Is that the stone that you missed?" he said.

"Yes, that appears to be the stone," said the clerk.

"How do you recognize it?" asked the officer, who believed that all unset diamonds of a size looked as much alike as all peas of a size. The salesman explained that it was a part of his business to make himself familiar with the looks and quality of all diamonds he had charge of.

"Well, this may or may not be the stone you assert is missing from your stock," said the policeman; "but as long as you can't show that this man took it, I don't see how I can run him in without a regular warrant."

"I think I can throw some light on the matter," said Dick at this point.

All hands looked at him.

"Here's a piece of gum which I saw that man throw into the street after picking something out of it," he said, handing the gum to the manager. "It evidently held the diamond, for it bears a clear impression of a five-carat stone."

"It does, indeed!" said the manager.

"The lady who was in the store looking at rings when you sent me on the errand came up to that man and handed him that piece of gum. It was the singularity of their meeting that aroused my suspicions and caused me to watch and then follow them to this place, particularly after I picked the gum up and saw the impression of a diamond in it. I judged at once that the man must have hidden the stone in the gum and left it somewhere about the counter where the lady found it afterward and brought it to him."

Dick's words seemed to make the matter quite clear to the manager, who was familiar with many of the tricks adopted by diamond thieves to ply their vocation without detection.

"The gum business is an old trick," said the manager. "It's a wonder it did not occur to you," he added, looking at the salesman. "When a thief comes into a store he sometimes carries a piece of adhesive gum like that," he explained to the policeman. "The first thing he does is to attach it to the bottom of the showcase, out of sight. Then he watches his chance, and if he is a sufficiently expert sleight-of-hand artist, he manages at some time during his inspection of the stones to convey a diamond to the gum and force it into it. When the diamond is afterward missed he cheerfully submits to a search, for the stolen stone is not on his person. Later he sends a confederate into the store to get the gum, under cover of an intention to make some kind of a purchase, other than diamonds, at that counter. In this case, it is quite clear to me that the lady was the man's confederate. I think I am fully justified in demanding that fellow's arrest at our risk. It is too bad that the woman got away, but I guess we'll be able to find her. You have her description, Dick," he said to the office boy.

"Yes, sir. I'd recognize her on sight."

"Now, officer, you may arrest that man and take him to the police station. We will go with you and make the charge," said the manager.

"All right," said the policeman. "Come on, my man, you'll have to go with me."

That settled the case as far as the pawnshop was concerned, and the party directly interested started with the officer and the prisoner for the Brooklyn Bridge station. The charge was made against the man, who gave his name as Jack Hurley, and he was locked up pending his removal to the Tombs prison. The manager, salesman and Dick then returned to the store. The former complimented the office boy on his smartness in bringing the thief to justice, which would result in the ultimate return of the valuable diamond to the store. Mr. Bacon, who had been informed of the theft of the stone, was duly put in possession of Dick's clever work toward its recovery and the punishment of the thief and, it was hoped, his accomplice. He sent for his office boy and added his compliments to those of the manager.

"You're a clever boy, Dick," he concluded, "and I'll see that you lose nothing through your devotion to my interests. That's all."

Dick got up and returned to his duty.