Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-07-15
TOO LATE FOR
THE TRUTH
fOriginal.1

| Hill
Thereby hangs tale"
'Tell it,
''If do, you will possess a secret Of
which my husband is ignorant"
"Give me your confidence"
81 have kept the horrid thing so long
| that it will be relief to tell you.
must go back fifteen years to a time
when l was twenty. Then l got into
terrible trouble. For what? Wo-
mans propensity for leaving valuables
about where they may be appropriate
ed. was visiting at the country house
of my husbands parents. l 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 he would
| soon do so.
"We were a merry party. 1t was mid
summer, and our time was passed in
summer sports-reading, driving, boat
| ing, croquet, lawn tennis. One even
ing before dinner l stepped into the
bathroom to wash my hands, and there
on the marble slab was a diamond
ring. l recognized it at once as the
property of Lucy Crane, girl about
my age, who had doubtless taken 1t
off to wash her hands and forgotten
! it. What joke it would be to appro-
pirate it, let Lucy think that it was
! lost, then produce it. slipped 1t on
my finger, went to my room, put it in
my pOrtemonnaie and, leaving the
| portemonnaie on the mantel, went
down to dinner.
I'VE had finished the dessert and
were slipping our coffee when there
was noise without, and we all went
on the piazza in time to see the but
Ter and the coachman chasing a man,
who was running like 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
| 81 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 it. The first thing he took from
it was one of my cards; the second,
Lucy Cranes ring. l turned white as
a sheet 1t was a few minutes before
the tuation-the apparent situation
! dawned upon every one. and when it
! did it was my telltale pallor that re-
! moved all doubt that ] had stolen the
ring. e
II went to my room and locked my
self in. What was l to do? What
, could do? Nothing. No one came to
me, and did not go out, though / went
neither to bed nor to sleep. At sun
rise 1 left the house.
Five years passed, during which the
secret Of my supposed dishonesty was
30 we'll kept (by Henry's request that
1t injured me only with him, his fam
| lily and the guests present at the time
tho ring was stolen. But it was ter
rible period for me. One day a rough
looking man accosted me on the street
and asked for money. l took out my
purse and gave him coin. He kept
looking in my face intently. Suddenly
/ he said, I've seen you before
"'WhereY
! "Tve just done a term for taking a
pocketbook. You were there when /
was searched
"'Are you that manT
ayes I got into the house when
supposed all the family had gone down
to dinner. Then l saw you go into the
bathroom and pick up a ring
81 didn't intend to steal 1t. l intend
ed to give its owner lesson for leav-
ing it where it might be stolen
81 knew that by the hook on your
! face-a mischief look. Your back was
toward me, but / saw you In the glass
over the basin. followed you and
saw you leave the ring in your pocket
book on the mantel. and as soon as you
left the room / went and got it,
81 have been resting under suspicion
for your act for five years. blurted
tears coming in spite Of my efforts to
keep them back.
! "He looked from me to the coin in his
hand and back from the coin to me.
"I'll testify to your honesty he
! said.
"'No one would believe you
"I spect you're right he replied
thoughtfully. AT least it wouldn't do
! to tell the truth. A lie might help. I'll
\ think it over. Who shall tell about
itT
81 gave him Henry's address. then left
him without attaching much impor-
! lance to the meeting. In the first
/ place, didn't think he would take any
! trouble in the matter, and, in the sec
ond. if he did had no confidence that
/ he would be believed.
1.-TWO weeks passed. and had ceased
to think about the eX-convict, when
one day my maid announced that a
gentleman wished to see me in the
drawing room. | went down, and
there stood Henry. His first words
! were Forgive mev
II looked at him like one in dream
Read that he said. handing me bit
of dirty paper on which was written in
pencil:
| "Dere Sir-I hearn a Teddy In your house