Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-11-13
SHORT STORY FOR
EVENING HOURS
IRONICAL JUSTICE

with you-the cigar case. | meant is
hardly safe to leave it there" and he
handed his friend his check. you wml
find the case in the inside breast peck.
ct"
Lysaght took the check. and a min.
ute later stood talking with some
friends in the lobby of the theater.
Not until the warning bell suddenly
purred briskly did his friends request
recur to him. Then he at once went in
search of the coat.
BY the time he had obtained II. and
discovered the cigar case and re.en.
tered the auditorium. the curtain had
risen. With some difficulty he re.
gained his seat. for the stalls were
crowded and the lights turned low,
and seeing that Arbuthnot, now again
engrossed in the piece, thought no
more either of his coat or of his cigar
case. he refrained for the time from
reminding him of them. At the close
Of the act. however, he produced the
latter from his pocket.
why. whose is this?" his compan.
ion exclaimed, turning over with some
curiosity the cigar case of beaten gold,
inlaid with precious stones, that his
friend had just handed to him. This
isn't mine. you know"
Not yours? II was in your pocket"
1t cant have been. The attendant
must have handed you the wrong
coat"
My word suppose he must
have. Quick. give me the case. must
return II at once"
This time they went together to the
cloak room. On the pegs hung many
scores Of coats, the majority exactly
resembling one another. The attend.
ant, however, having hit upon one that
he declared for certain he had handed
to Lysaght during the previous inter.
val, the latter, with a feeling OF relief.
though not without secret misgivings,
slipped back into its pocket the cigar
case he had come by so inadvertently.
Basking In the sunshine of the Ri
viera some ten days later the two sat
idly scanning their London newspa.
pers OF the previous morning. 1t was
Arbuthnot who suddenly uttered an
exclamation.
What is the matter?" his compan.
ion asked carelessly, without looking
up.
"a up,J Ia,I 1, e.,p,e D., 80, 81,
other answered dryly; at least so far
as you are concerned. Read that par.
agraph. 1t may interest you"
He handed over the paper, and Ly.
saght's glance fell at once on the fol.
lowing lines in loaded type:-
"DASTARDLY THEFT FROM A
NOBLEMAN.
Man arrested on suspicion in
West End hotel. A clever capture has
just been effected by the London po.
lice. On getting home after the the.
alter on the night OF Friday before last,
Lord Algernon Railton, whose town ad-
dress is No. 800 Grosyenor Square, dis
covered that his pocket had been pick.
ed gold cigar case, set with gems,
which he valued highly. having been
taken from him. presumably as he was
leaving the theater. Early on the fol.
lowing morning ne Informed the police
OF his loss, with the result that the
day before yesterday afternoon the al.
legged culprit. who, II is believed, must
have been implicated in several sim!.
lar robberies that have been reported
Of late, was arrested on suspicion in
his rooms at the Great Hotel, where
the missing case was subsequently dis
covered among his effects. Upon his
being charged yesterday with the rob
berry, he had no defence TO offer. The
case has been adjourned until Tues.
day"
For a moment Lysaght remained
speeches.; then he quickly recovered
himself.
we must return to London at once,
Arbuthnot," he exclaimed, almost eX.
citedly. The man is innocent, If any
man ever was, and you and must
prove ii. If we don't he will be con.
victed for certain. had my doubts
about that coat all the time. What a
terrible predicament for him to be in,
poor chap. wonder who he Is"
In a comfortable private dressing.
room in the Great Hotel a welldressed
man conyersed in subdued tones with
a companion.
RS the oldest and quite the best
bit Of luck ever struck" he was say.
ing.
How do you account for II, any.
way"
Easily enough. What they said
must have been true. They wouldn't
have come all that way to prove limo.
cent a complete stranger unless they
believed Inc innocent II is a fine
thing, this conscientiousness; a fine
thing"
And whore did you pinch it?"
AS he LETT the theater that night.