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

1 been robbed Ct Mama SahlO ruby l was ill his al artments at the Windsor.
 found him cool, but disturbed over tko Occurrcncc.
 Tho loss of the gem is irreparable, he remarked. pulling nt his cigar and walking slowly up and down the room while 1 sat in an easy chair watching and listoHiLg, "hut tho mystery of the whole thing is beyond my comprehen- sion. have been robbed before as pos sibly you know, but i'll every case there was clcw. Here there is absolutely | none" "
 "CTivc me the particulars. -
 There aro blessed few to give. The rubby is missing. that's all. "
 Not by any means. Tell mo what took place after l left you yesterday afternoon.
 II spent an hour or so in feasting upon the prize. 1 laid it away ill the secret drawer thcrc (he showed mel of my desk when l went down to dinner. l It was there when 1 returned from the thcatcr about II o'clock. for I took it out and spent another half hour with it before l went 10 bed. " What next"
 "Whrn ready fer bed, 1 put it back ill tho small pas;rNoard box, having made up rly !" .:;l ti:at 1 would take it down to ,hp ,ru>; company tomorrow. tied 1t arounI with bit of red twine, the knot being q peculiar one which have never seen any one else use. slept late and merely looked at the box without opening it this morning. It was there just aS had tied and left it. After breakfast l settled down for another treat before placing it in the vaults. I took out tho little box, united the string. which was precisely as had left it. opened the box, and it was empty"
 He paused ill his walk and looked with smile at mo, as if to ask what I had to say about it. didn't speak He opened the secret drawer, took out tho small box again. lifted the lid and held it so that l could scc tho interior. Therc was the tuft of ino pink cotton, but nothing else. savo few particles and trinc of dust.
 Are you satieficd," he asked, that it Is Tot thtrC:'
 There couldn't be a pinhead in that witnHUt is showing.
 lie drew cut tho cotton, pinchod it and HUt ii back. tossing tho box on his { desk
 "Whrgo's Wittn,r:" abruptly asked Sandhu>.M
 II don't know 1 sent for him last nigh:, lut hr couldn't Go found. :"
 'tivt him hare ;.s soon as you can. "
 No cuo eN,r accused mo of being q detective. l,.t will you answer me few Qu, >titn>:"
 Certainly" Have you told any one of the rob- bery:'
 Not SoaI except you. My message over the phuIo was so worded that no one clso he,.rinI Ino would have known to what l rlIccr,d.
 rose and l0olit i at the door He laughed
 Nothing there. It Was securely locked and the bolt slid i'll place this morning when 1 examined it precisely Is left II when I went asleep"
 "Thcnro one could have entered that way. What of the windows:''
 Equally impossible, Look for your self
 did SO. His apartments were on the fourth floor. and to reach his rooms through any of tho windows q person would have to climb q sheer wall of grl at height,
 Entrance by that means is out of the QucStioH.
 So il j.. Could any one have been concealed in your roons:"
 If so he must have left by the win dow, which is impossible. Had he gone out hy tine door ho could not have left tho bolt ill place. not to mention the key of the lock being turned. glanced at the transom. Sandhusen explained that he fastened it before re- tirinS and found it undisturhed in tho morning.
 Leaning back in my chair. tried to think, He resumed his pacing up and down the floor After two or three turns he stopped ill front of me and said:
 That won't answer. Brown"
 T do not understand ycu."
 "You are asking yourself whether I am somnanhulist and whether with the thought of the ruby ringing through my brain l d!l not get up and hide the gem somcW here i'll the room. did not. " Gan you Er certain" Never in all my lifo did I walk in my sleep, not even when my pental trouhlu wAs teufoli as great Besides. Corceivims such a thing possible, must have left the ruby somewhere i'll my rooms. have searched every nook and corner where it could be concealed, and | it isn't i'll any one of them. There was ole subject in my mind to which did not dare refer. On the day previous Sandhusen had made refer ence to Mrs, Howard, in which m un- | charitable mind would have seen evi- | dence that he was not a stranger to her. wanted to ask him whether he had ex- | changed word with her or seen her after left him. But he was 8 man or l family. of the highest character, and likely he would have considered the l question an insult. No hint of the kind l passed my lips.
 My good fellow, said after . minute or two of meditation. ''you must have formed somo explanation. some theory of this strange business II have tried to do so, but haye given it up. It is simply one of those things that arc beyond my comprehension and yours. too, I judge"
 Yes. and l wonder whether Wittner will be able"-
 Have you seen anything of the man How ard:" broko in my friend.
 II paid him for the ruby this fore noon "
 Il thought he was 10 wait till the latter part of the week. '
 "SuCh was the understanding, and he explained that he merely called to learn whether 1 had any news for him"
 II wonder whether there could be anything in thatt" remarked Sandhu, sen. running his hand through his hair and resuming his walk more thought.