Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-16

IhEtiC him Gt q glance. hib's ruby ;!Sitatrd mo moro than I would have thought The first feeling was that fate had thrown into my path thr means uf helping i'll the solution of the mystery. l would shadow tho indi- vidual, pick up what information I :ould, and who could say that it would not ho mine rn unraycl the whole skcin? But this ambition remained but a few minutes with mo. have not the first qualification of q detective and was certain if I undertook the rolc to make III egrrgiUUs blundrr at the beginning md most likely block tho efforts of those who might succeed if left alone
 decided 10 proceed oh my way with ut noticing Mir. Howard, but 1 was closr to him, and as he turned to enter the hctyl he NIw me.
 Instantly he held out his hand.
 II am glad to sec you, NIT. Brown- Will you join me-
 Thank you. never indulge" re- piled. so Hurried that I was ill doubt whether r. enter the building or leave him at oncr
 By thr way" he added, stepping back on tie pavement and lowering his voice, "do you think that friend of yours who purChased'- he glanced apprrhcnsivrly around and lowered his v"ic" stilLmorc-"thatp property of mine would bv willing to return it for the price given, you retaining, of course. your CommiSsi0n:"
 was satisfied that he was trying to sound me for some other purpose.
 Well. he was so pleased with his bargain that l doubt it-in fact, you might just as well have received double tho price you asked. v
 Suppose you make him the propoSi- tion:''
 Il will mention it the next time I see him. Have you q chance to do better with it clsewhere?"
 If is not precisely that, but I am convinced made mistake in parting with it in such haste"
 Tn matt,rs of that kind seller should change his mind before the transaction is completed. "
 True, and perhaps it would be un- wise to mention it. We'll call it off Good day.
 Still i'll doubt as to the wisdom of my words l boarded the car, and leaving it at the proper point proceeded straight to the Windsor hotel. where I dined with Sandhusen.
 "Wittner spent couple of hours with me, " he said and gave him all the information l could. which was what you received, and that is nothing :"
 "What did he say'"
 Very little. You know he is . man of few words, except when the opposite mood takes him. He admitted that the only explanation which suggested itself was the one you spoke of-somnambn | lism-that is, that 1 rose ill my sleep and removed the ruby, and that it is somewhere in my apartments. I made q thorough search again after you left, and he and 1 repeated it. Result. nil. = Whether Wittncr formed any theory or not which can explain that which seems incxplainable cannot be guessed until hu chooses to speak. Son aho'v O, other. however. I believe he VI reach the truth "
 "I hope so, for, though grieve over the loss of my prize, it is the strange way i'll which it vanished that puzzles me
 "You will employ no one besides Witt ner:'
 No; the moro detectives you have in a matter of this kind the less likely you arc to be successful. Nopersons art more jealous, and they often block eact others efforts. But for this feeling lit tie Charley Ross would have been re stored to his parents years ago.
 ''Is Wittner to report to you:'
 Not until he obtains something def mite have promised him one-fifth O tine price paid for the ruby if he recover it
 Enough to spur the best detective.
 It is useless to give our conversation fir wo could only travel in q circle an, comr back to the point whence We start ed The business was now ill the hand of one of the most skillful detectives O the day, and what he could not do wa certainly btyond our pOwora We de cidtL to-await events with the best pa ticncc possible, but my part in tn drama was Eot yet finished. : The following morning rode dow town with my old acquaintance, Josep : Burling, of tho well known firm C Burling Bros of Maiden lane, wh havo been in tho samo business as fo nearly as many years.
 Brown. said my companion afte a few incidental remarks, ''step into ou store, and will show you somethin that will make your eyes sparkle. yer ; ture that you have never looked on any } thing of the kind, long as you have bee handling precious stones. !, Have some of Eugenie's diamond come into your possession, or is it tt :, Orloff, or that monster that used to b
 long to Dom Pedro, and which the
 won't let be tested for fear it will prov
 to be not a diamondr' '' This is not a diamond. It's a rub. the finest in the country"
 "Whatv' exclaimed, with e start "A ruby, the biggest, finest and mo valuable of which have ever heard. ' ). Expressing my agitation, l asked;
 ASI s,.-l I.nk NkRll