Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-15
CHAPTER VI.


 l was astOundcd.
 Not only that, " continued Detective Wittner in that slow, exasperating way of his. but Mrs Howard is still beyond the confines of the state, unless she has returned this afternoon.
 How can you know that:" I de- mandcd
 Let it suffice for the present that I do know it..
 Then it was Howard who stole the ruby"
 Wittncr without removing his cigar slowly swnyvd his head and smiled as before.
 Tt coIldm't have beon he, for he was with Mrs. Howard. Neither of them Was i'll the city after o'clock yes terday afternoon. They went away to- gether. and think she is still across the river i'll the sovereign state of New Jer- sey."
 My friend doubtless enjoyed the won- derment his words carsed, and perhaps he was not censurablc for wishing to extract some entertainment Ut my ex- pense. He crossed his legs, and through the smoke of his cigar looked at me with that chronic smile which it seemed would never leave his face l was an- noyeG that he should bc SO cool and seemingly indifferent.
 waited a minute or two for him to add something in the way of explana- tion, but he did not, and I continued:
 ''Mr. Howard called this morning, and paid him the price, $50. GOO, for the ruby
 Exactly. He offered you $lo, 900 as took only s, 900, which isn't bonus to be desired You spoke of paying him with a check, but he preferred the funds themselves, and you let him have them" "
 Did he tell you this:" asked in as tonishment.
 Mir Darius C. Howard of London and have never exchanged a word"
 Then it is impossible
 "Faugh! Brown. don't make an ass pf yourself. walked by the store three times this morning while the transac- lion was going on.
 But you couldn't have heard a word that passed.
 My eyes were my ears, aS they would have been with any one. You had told me the price he asked for the ruby saw him proffer you something. You shook your head and returned him part of the bills. That of course, was because your sense of honor would not let you accept the fee he offered Ten thousand dollars is about the sum a grateful man would offer you for such favor as you had done him. Half of that was what you would accept. Which is all there is in that '
 'But-but how came you to bS in front of my store at the timer" II was satisfied that Mir. Howard would not wait till the end of the week before calling to learn about the sals of the ruby. l was on the other side of the street an hour before he showed up. Had he not done so would have staid in the neighborhood all day and would nave been oR hand tomorrow and 90 on antil he did appear. Fortunately vas not kept waiting long. was still mystifisd.
 II received word from your home and from headquarters that you were ab- sent and your family did not know when you would return" 1ne1 ueFeE uOs DeCauSo OO0 kuOW myself. It wasn't necessary to let any one, not even you, know that the busi- ness which took me away was that which relatSd to the Mama Sahib's ruby. Nevertheless it was the fact"
 An, then. you took hold of this matter from the first without consult ing me or any ons:'
 Wittner. who had done 90 much swaying of his head, now gave it . sin gle inclination. He had been Fin it' from the first.
 Then you suspected SsnsthiAg wrongr'
 Well, he replied msra thslshful- Iy. "ths histories of all great ganas Ike the Kohinoor, the Pitt diamond, Mana 3ahib's ruby and others Rrs tragedies. Whenever you see . man iR tine possss- Iion of such a prize you may make uP your mind that beyond and behind his possession are crime, murder end rSS- bery. Such is the fact regarding this ruby, for the man who asd to the Hin Ilayaa . generation ago Uith it iH his urban waa one of tha aarcaat asads