The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-05-18
TOO LATE FOR
THE TRUTH

you say, Jennie, that you knew
your husband some years before you
married him. How was it that 1t took
you SO long to discover that you loved |
himT
Thereby hangs tale"
"Tell it."
IF do. you will possess a secret OF
which my husband is ignorant"
"Giye me your confidence"
II have kept the horrid thing so long
that 1t will be relief to tell you. /
must 20 back fifteen years to time
when was twenty. Then I got Into
terrible trouble For what? Wo-
mans propensity for leaving valuables
about where they may be appropriate
ed. I was visiting at the country house
OF my husbands parents. was IA
vorite with his mother, and Henry
found no difficulty in inducing her TO
invite me down. He had not yet pro-
posed to me, but knew that be would
soon do so.
eve were a merry party. TWAS mid
summer, and our time was passed In
summer sports-reading. driving, boat
ing, croquet, lawn tennis. One even
mg before dinner / stepped into the
Bathroom to wash my hands, and there
on the marble slab was diamond
ring. / recognized ii at once as the
property OF Lucy Crane, a girl about
my age, who had doubtless taken 1t
or 10 wash her hands and forgotten
It. What a Joke 1t would be TO appro-
pirate it, let Lucy think that 1t was
lost, then produce it. / slipped 1t on
my finger, went to my room, put 1t In
my portemonnaie and, leaving the
portemonnaie on the mantel, went
down to dinner.
1--WE had finished the dessert and
were slipping our coffee when there
was noise without, and we all went
on the piazza Ia time to see the but
Ter and the coachman chasing a man,
who was running like d stag. He STUN
bled and fell, and in another moment
they were on him. Then he was led
back and was searched in presence Of
the household"
The narrator put her hands to her
face for few moments. then proceed
ed:
II never can think Of that scene with
out a terrible suffering. The butler
took from the man my portemonnaie,
and. not knowing to whom it belonged,
opened 1t. The first thing he took from
it was one Of my cards; the second,
Lucy Cranes ring. I turned white as
sheet. 1t was q few minutes before
the situation-the apparent situation
dawned upon every one, and when Il
did it was my telltale pallor that re
moved all doubt that / had stolen the
ring.
4 went to my room and locked my
self in. What was l to dot What
could do? Nothing. No one came t
me. and did not go out, though | wen
neither to bed nor to sleep. At sun
rise / left the house.
give years passed, during which thu
secret of my supposed dishonesty wa
so well kept (by Henry's requesO tina
it injured me only with him, his fam
lily and the guests present at the tim
the ring was stolen. But 1t was ter
rible period for me. One day a rougl
looking man accosted me on the stree
and asked for money. took out m.
purse and gave him coin. He KEEP
looking in my face intently. Student.
he said, i've seen you before
"'Whereg
"'Iye just done a term for taking
pocketbook. You were there when
was searched.
"'Are you that mang
"'Yes. / got into the house when
supposed all the family had gone dow
to dinner. Then saw you go into th
bathroom and pick up ring
ssI didn't intend to steal it. Intend
ed TO give its owner lesson for leal
ing it where 1t might be stolen
81 knew that by the look on you
face-a mischief look. Your back wa
toward me, but saw you In the glas
over the basin. ! followed you an
saw you leave the ring in your poke
book on the mantel, and as soon as 70
left the room went and got it,
~ have been resting under suspido
for your act for i've years, blurtet
tears coming in spite of my efforts
keep them back.
"He looked from me to the coin In b