The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-01-11
W. A R A;
The Girl Without References,
From Cornhill Magazine.l.

only episode which has left no trace in
nv memory. We seemed to have flown |
to the station. It was Il place OF the |
usual chilly, depressing sort. White |
washed walls, forms fastened to these |
walls by iron clamps, a wicket door
leading to the cells, and a ralled-Ott
space, behind which sat an Inspector
having desk before him, and benlnd
him fireplace, over the shelf OF which
hung handouts and a trunche0n,, IN
guise of ornaments. The whole place
Vas Deryaded by that odor which is
diffused by the b1ue-cloth dye Of police
mems tunfcs. The inspector was quiet
and respectful. On finding he had
| gentlemen to do with, he appeared to
set light store by the charge. He did
not consider his prisoner innocent; but
he seemed to think it a matter OF course
that the charge should be withdrawn;
and he opposed no difficulty whatever
to Halsey's seeing his wife, who had not
been placed in q cell, but in private
room Of the inspectors own. pending
| information about her. |, OF course,
| left Halsey to go alone and, when the
inspector had returned, l questioned
him about the charge. 1t was then l
discovered for the first time how much
deener than mere friendship were my
feelings for Mara, since all the inspec-
tor said was pOwerless to shake, even
for single moment, my faith in her
The facts were these: Mrs. Halsey
had gone to "a jewelers. to whom she
was unknown, and had asked for a key
to her watch. Seeing she looked res
pectable," the jeweler had, whilst fitting
the keys, begged her to examine tray
of rings. At this junctnre came, IN
woman poorly dressed, presumably a
confederate, who requested to be shown
a cheap. eiglht-da8y clock, and 1l then EHaT s2id
something in low voice to Mrs. Hal
sew. who answered her. The. jeWeler,
not liking the appearance of the second
customer, put down the watch keys he
was holding, and at once lifted down
the eight-day clock, keeping his eyes
sharply fixed on the woman as he dld
so. She reddened, made some excuse
& about the clock being too large, and
! without waiting to be shown another
: hastily left the shop. Then the JeWelel
said to Mrs. Halsey,- " think We're vel
2 rid of her, ma'am she seemed up to NJ
good" To which Mrs. Halsey replied
: !" saw no harm in her, or words ( {
L that effect. The jeWeler was surprised
g hnt added nothing. Mrs. Halsey paiC
for her watch-key and went out. Thel
}, the ieweler on inspecting his ring-tray
!, nerceiyed that three valuable d1amon(
Z rings had been abstracted. He ran at
+ ter Mara, overlook her, gave her II
It charge to policeman, and had he
led back to his shop where the pocke
y of her dress was searched, and the three
: rings found in it.
n This is what the inspector said; an'
g. the policeman, who had arrested Mara
Il not the one who had called to tell us o
d her arrest-described the finding OF til
s, rings, "just at the top of the pocket, ly
Of ing on the handkerchief" :" .Aceoralnj
n to him-a policeman OF the emphadcal
" speculative and dull sort--it wa
13roOf conclusive of his prisoners gull
= that, though she had shown hersel
= cool and brazen enough" when tirs
Fl taxed with the theft, she no sooner sa'
the rings drawn from her pocket tina
er She clasped her hands in frenzy, an
., impIOred the ieweler not to procee
'o against her. She said she would bu
the rings and give him money beside
She behaved like mad thing, and el
! ded by throwing herself ON her knee
- - and crying that she was innocent, an
m that she had not put the rings theE
rd and that if he prosecuted her, he Woul
DIS never forgive himself for the calamiti'
on on he had caused. The jeWeler answere
~ this by asking her whether she knIe
. the other woman who had come IN
= fbe slleD, At first she refused to reply
I'd Int ON being pressed, and told that
nq nqf she made q clean breast of it she mig
he nerhaps be forgiven, she aclznOwledgt
that she did know the woman, butte
say nothing about her. BY "eoutdn,,
L. she clearly meant wouldn't" so Il
= jewe1er said it was plain they were CO..
90 federates, and had her locked up. ;,
/ .S,,@ Il hot hnT
ng lady was a sister of mine. On my neg
m, tive gesture, he remarked dryly th
'h0 cases OF this sort were frequent, thou;
/. so few of them were made public.
- was kleptomania. Some ladies cou
,o- oe- not resist the temptation of jeWell
Jus They were not thieves in other respect
gs. but they stole, like magples, because
7, the glitter, and did not appear. to u
;" dersfand the wrong of it until they
- into trouble of this sort.
Nd At this moment Halsey returned.
'sn, sll was wan, and looked as it he had -ag
at ten years in two hours; but he was g
Dpe- leefed. "T This is some horrible mlstak
,. he said, drawing me aside. th0ugn1
= first Mara mighthaye takenup the III
OK to examine them, and put them. III
rice naelTet without thinking of what {
was doing. She has not been quite b
self of late. You recolleet that abse
nervous look that fell on her about
o time of our marriage. 1t d1sappea,
ar afterwards: but, now I call it to MI
her manner during tho past t0rtnli
UNI. has been something like what 1t
then and people id absent moods,
Seu- know. will do the strangest things.
ma, Mara has no recollection OF nav
ana and touched the jeWelry; and she. can
=, ,,ls,f # conjecture how the rings came into
!, st. pocket. This might be accounted
and however, by her commOti0n OF M
u ee after that inhuman tradesman,s c
,Ded tI1,et. Go and see the fellow, will Y
: ex- + could not trust myself to speak cal
stern To him. Tell him that every thing
'fsea be made right We will buy the I'll
call # he likes. E4plain that Mara is
I for delicate health critically delicate
arish bring him back with You at ones
: a.. withdraw the charge. ] shall OF CO..
NOR , for wait hv Mara till you return.
20. try and get her to sleep,
r set off at once for the jewelers.
LAR was one MoWIeson, a nlueh-respe
and man. AS the inspector told me.
ogs;1s view of all this fTightful business
s.'e'. !. Halsey's. / was convinced that 4
int. had 11neonsciousiy taken up the I
and f1DDDed them into her pocke
one of her abstracted moments. St
woman who had entered the shop
sDoISen TO her. / was sure she mus
.e.eess simply i beggar. and that her sllsplt
lsss. looks. her seeming acquaIn ntanef
- 81 with Mara and the other supp0sI
sYnhe4 M / about her were so many phantom
intend the n0lieemall's and the jewelers. bT
III en- The streets were caIpetsa NzIli g
y aS' ~ cember frost as va ased and IN