San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-05

As he left the Orb office on the Friday
evening after asking to be excused, he
brushed against Archer Use YOUR
: eyes well tomorrow night" whispered
that mysterious individual as they
went by. Did Archer know every
thing?
1t was with very different feelings
that Paul presented himself at the Lee
bourgeois mansion that Saturday
evening from those which he
fcarried out the afternoon of his hasty
exit He glanced over into the square
as he went by, and thought he could
pick out the very bench on which he
had sat so diseonsalately-
"The world was in won ans mood
A half 'twiXt smiles and tears it Stood"
: he repeated over to himself And it
finall decided to smile" he added also
! to himself.
The same polite servant ushered him
: in, and this time did not ask for his
card. In the dressing-room he found
the Colonel and the Count. Two small
diamond studs glittered in the Counts
shirt. bosom, the ring which Archer had
described adorned his little finger, and
/ pendant from a black ribbon which
served as a watchguard hung the
locket on whose surface writhed in re.
lief many serpant duplicates of the
ring. Was Archer putting something
up on him, anyhow? Was there ever
an Englishman named Robert Graham?
Did he ever own similar rings? Did he
have a valet? Did he eyer go to Aus
! tralia, and was he murdered there2
The Count displayed his curious orna.
ments with all the sang froid of a
rightful owner, and he looked the
French nobleman to perfection.
The gentlemen greeted Paul
cordially, the Count especially So II
am inexpressibly deligh Ted, monsieur"
he said, ito meet you again, not only on
/ account of your reputation for clever
Wit, WHICH | assure you precedes you
everywhere, but as the friend q my
very dear friend, Mr.. Frank Lebour-
geois, command my services. They shall
always be yours" The gentlemen
descended to the drawing room as soon
, as Paul was ready, and the party lin
gered but a moment there to pay their
devoirs before they passed into the DIM
ing-room. The Count took out Mrs.
Lebourgeois, the Colonel Miss Hyde,
while favoring fortune gave Paul Miss
Louisa. Paul sat between mother and
dau ghter. All traces of stiffness had
, vanished from the mothers bearing.
and no hint of their former encounter
could be seen in her greeting of Paul
| The number was so small that no at
tempt at decoration had been made.
In addition to the flowers at each
plate. a cushion of exquisite roses
adorned the center of the table. The
immense candelabra, from which the
light of many clusters of candles shed
soft radiance on the scene, had for
their base the same frowning lions
which guarded the aates-they were
the most striking object in view.
The conversation turned upon jew
elry. The Colonel was soon telling a
story to Miss Hyde, which he had been
broken off in the last time they met,
and which attracted everybody's atten-
ton. He had heard it recently when
he was in New York. 1t had happened |
al a dinner party given by one of the !
Astors. The hostess had a very rare
ring which she had picked up abroad. !
Her next neighbor expressed a desire
to examine it, and she handed It to him. |
The next neighbor then took it, and
the next 1t never got back to the
hostess. Every body at the table rose,
the ladies shook the wrinkles
out of their gowns, All
eyes eagerly scanned the floor and
searched every Granny. 1t was no use.
1t was never afterward seen by Mrs
Aston. ''Some guest must have stolen
it." concluded the Colonel. How per-
fectly horrid." exclaimed Miss Hyde.
do you really expect us to believe
that?" asked Miss Lebourgeois incred-
ulouSly. 'Of course a woman was
charged with the theft, they always
are in such case" was Mrs. LebOur-
geois' comment. you state the fact,
though it was not a prejudice of SEX"
said the Colonel; "for those who think
her guilty were the other ladies pres
ent. She turned out afterward to be a
Her husband then
searched all her belongings for that
ring, but it never turned up"
There was general hush. Every
body seemed to be taking in the enor-
nifty of her offense. what curious
jewelry that is which the Count
wearsl' said Paul in an aside to Miss I
How enormous that J
ring and locket are! Do most French
men wear such extraordinary iewelrV?