San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-06-09

been placed in your custody by a man
who is registered at the Astor House as
Darius G. Howard from London. He
has told you an interesting story of how
he found it on the spot where the late
lamented Mana Sahib crossed the great
divide, and-well, that is all we know
about it.
"But we know that what he says is
untrue"
1--WE know nothing Of the kind. We
simply know nothing"
"What is your theory"
Wittner shook his head, with a sig
nificant grin.
mo, you don't. / have given up tho
business of dealing in theories. haven't
been very successful. My last theory re-
quired the murder Of that merchant in
the Tenderloin district. The whole
thing was perfect, but in the end a flaw
appeared. The merchant vas unfeeling
enough to come back from Europe and
prove he hadn't been murdered at all.
No, Brown, there. isn't any satisfaction
in the theorizing business. Take my ad-
vice and keep out of it. Gaboriau's de-
tectives who could spin facts and theo-
ries down to the millionth of a hair
never lived. The only man who could
strike a true theory in this business was
Sherlock Holmes, and now he has been
killed-an objectionable crime on the
part of the gifted Doyle. So, as I said,
let's keep out of the whole thing"
"But a man can't help thinking"
''True, but let him strike out and try
to get hold of the truth. The mystery is
before him. Solve that if he can, and
let theories alone"
"You go to the other extreme. What
is the harm of specializing when you do
not allow yourself to be misled by your
speculations.
"You cannot help it. For instance,
you have formed the belief that MI.
Howard has lied to you about the ruby;
that it was not the gem which Mana Sa-
hib carried in his turban with him to the
Himalayas."
mo; 1 don't believe it, nor do you"-
Never mind about me. but MI.
Howard may have told you the truth. I
suspect that that ruby is what he de-
clares it to be. 1t seems to me that If it
was not a great deal more would be
known about it, but his story explains
the fact that you, and, so far as you
know, less than half a dozen persons are
aware of its presence among civilized
people. My advice is to sell the thing,
if you a find a buyer, explaining the
circumstances, of course, and then wash
your hands of the business Have you
any purchaser in view?"
Eyes; Godfrey S%andhusen. He has
more money than he knows what to do
with and is a connoisseur in precious
stones. You remember that it was he
who bought the Darak diamond Of me
last year and that famous black dia-
mond from Kimberley a couple of years
ago."
Wittner nodded his head
IAN old friend of mine. I've done
some work for him. Did he ever tell
you how he lost the black diamond and
I succeeded in recovering it?"
Never heard the story"
81 may tell you some time; can't
now. Is he at homer"
mo; his family have not returned
from Europe. He's staying at the Wind
SCR. I'll take the ruby up there this aft
ernoon."
Wilmer left a few minutes later, and
1 was sitting in my Office reading a
daily paper when a lady entered the
store and asked to look at some dia-
monds. I remained in my seat, leaving
the clerks to wait upon her, when l
heard her ask:
LET me see the finest rubies you
have"
The words, as we'll as the slightly
foreign accent, caught my attention,
and laying down my paper I strollod
into the store.
As l did so my gaze fell upon the
most beautiful woman I have ever be-
held. She was elegantly dressed, was
perhaps 80 years old Though / am aware
that l may be far out of the way in that
guess) and instantly recalled the visitor
with the great ruby. Like him, her
eyes and hair were Of the deepest black
and her complexion olive. But the nose,
slightly aquiline. just enough to give
character to her countenanoe, the
matchless teeth, displayed as she talked,
the perfect contour of the face, eye
brows, forehead and the tout ensemble
were her own and in their way were
exquisitely perfect.
My age and experience are my safe
guard against the destinations of the
other sex, but I am sure no man could
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