Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-03


were correct. But let Us return for q
moment to the bare arms. That was the
clew from which l worked 1t was evi-
dent to me that the thief was man,
and it was equally plain that in the
hurry of the few moments Of darkness
no man would have rolled up his sleeves,
risking the return of the attendants with
lamps and the consequent discovery of
himself in such singular disarrange-
ment Of costume.
"How, then, do you account for the
bare arms?''
"The lady lied; that is all. The arms
which encircled her neck were not bare.
Neither were they unknown to her. She
told you that lie to shield the thief. She
also told you that her husband wished to
sell the opal to me, but that she had re-
fused. Thus she deftly led you to sus-
pect him. Now, if she wished to shield
the thief, yet was willing to accuse her
husband, it followed that the husband
was not the thief.
every we'll reasoned, Mr.. Mitchell I
see now where you IRE tending, but l
shall not get ahead of your story"
$50 much 1 had deduced before we
went on board of the yacht. When l
found myself alone with MIR. Gray, 1
candidly told him of your suspicious and
your reasons for harboring them. He
was very much disturbed and pleading
ly asked me what l thought. AS frankly
l told him that I believed he had tried
to take the opal from his wife-we can
scarcely call it stealing, since the law
does not-but that I believed that he
had failed. He then confessed, admit
ted the emptying Of the lamps, but de-
MED running the boat on the sand bar.
That was purely accidental But he as
sured me that he had not reached his
wife's chair when the lamps were
brought in. He was therefore much as
tonished at missing the gem. Ipromised
him to find the jewel upon condition
that he would sell it to me- To this be
most willingly acceded. "
"But how could you be sure that you
would recover the opal?"
Partly by my knowledge of human
nature and partly because of my in
herent faith in my own abilities. 1 sent
for Mrs. Gray and noted her attitude Of
defense, which, however, only satisfied
me the more that was right in my sus-
picions. I began by asking her if she
knew the origin of the superstition that
all opal brings bad luck to its owner.
She did not, Of course, comprehend my
tactics, but she admitted that she had
heard the stupid superstition, but took
no interest in such nonsense. then
gravely explained to her that the opal
is the engagement stone of the orient.
The lover gives it to his sweetheart, and
the belief is that, should she deceive
him even in the most trifling manner,
the opal will lose its brilliance and be-
come cloudy. l then suddenly asked her
if she had ever noted such change in
her opal What do you mean to in
sinuate?' she cried out angrily. i
mean, said l sternly, that if ever an
opal has changed color in accordance
with the superstition this one should
have done so. mean that, though your
husband greatly needs the money which
I offered to him, you have refused to al
low him to sell it and yet you have
permitted another to take it from you
tonight. By this act you might have
seriously injured if not ruined him.
Why have you done it?'"
"How did she receive that?" asked
Mr.. Barnes, admiring the ingenuity of
Mr.. Mitchell
"She began to sob, and between her
tears she admitted that the opal had
been taken by the man whom l suspect
ed but she earnestly declared that she
had harbored no idea of injuring her
husband. Indeed she was so agitated in
speaking upon this point that believe
that Gray never thoroughly explained
to her why he wished to sell the gem.
She urged me to recover the opal, if pos
sible, and purchase it, so that her hus-
band might be relieved from his pc
o,,,;,r, o,oborroccmout T than CONT for