The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-10

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front N ire ho,tss IN Whlch the eaftg had
tsheh ptscr anf vas tafdlly driivrrsd W ~
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oth'f fohbrries N ,bis tind have bssn
fnore paegline The lnopl hetahle, refhats,
tha, svsf took place IN New York has never
been definitely explained. A. leeet the
persona who haow the final utootne ~
The story have hept the information 10
themselves
Tho guests we're gathered M the tahtr ~ q
man who during hia lfesl'ne entrrtained
lavlshly and with great taste THE din.
Nor o placc IN tho frat ho,fee he ever
owned In New York There werc about
twenty R,Iepta present and they Included
perpona prominent IN New York aoeiety.
several distinguished foreigners visiting
here during that winter and n wealthy
Western politician who had only recently
moved "a New York. Ifs wife had never
before found herself In such rArened social
atmosphere and was determined 90 make
the best 81 her opportunity,
One Of her rings was act with n rare Pink
diamond which attracted the attention ~
the man next to her. lis wife posaesHcd
a beautiful collection Of gems which had
been selected by him. he was uncommonly
we'll informed In GENE, but he had never
seen any stone Nj rare q this. II was
naturally agreeable 10 the woman from the
West to have her jewels attract the atten-
ton Of such a distinguished person. She
slipped the ring from her finger for him
to examine 10.
The woman next to him was also en-
tranced with the beauty Of the gem and the
man next to her had TO have a look at It..
That corner OF the table buzzed with adj
miration. It was near the close Of the
meal. The ices were on the table when the
ring left it's owners hands. Within a few
minutes the hostess arose and the women
followed her out Of the room. The ring
had not been returned. Left TO themselves,
the men broke up into little groups.
Whatever the emotions of the owner
may have been, she said nothing In the
drawing room. She was a stranger to most
Of the women for n thing. and knew her
hostess even 90 slightly that she did not
care to mention the subject first. No
body else referred to 1t. There was, be-
sides. the possibility that her husband
might bring it with him. The men re-
turned to the drawing room. no mention
was made Of the ring and the party broke
up without a reference to the jewel.
II she had been a little Burer Of herself
and better acquainted with the guests the
stranger would not have hesitated to make
some more active inquiry. Her discovery
that the ring had been lost was made certain
only after she saw her husband. He knew
nothing Of her parting with 1t and was not
expecting to hear 1t mentioned. Nothing
was said Of It at all events.
1t was then that the guest made her
greatest mistake. She made her husband
promise they would say nothing about
the loss. OF course, she was unable to keep
the matter a secret herself. She told of the
loss and it was not long before the host and
his wife had heard of it.
This was two weeks after the dinner.
The man who had given the dinner and
his wife were seriously embarrassed. There
were, Of course, private detectives employed
on condition hat they were to take no steps
III viz ""lNJbl SOilSulllilR tINlT
employers. The character Of the guests
made 1t easy to fix the possible culprit. If
the pink diamond had been stolen, it could
have been taken only by one Of the two
foreigners among the guests. One was
an Italian count and the other a Frenchman
of title. 1t turned cut later that both were
in very straitened circumst ances while
they were in New York.
They were invited everywhere and the
difficulty Of accusing either of them of the
crime would have been extreme. This idea
was Immediately secuted.
The victim Of the theft refused to allow
any public investigation, 30 news Of the
affair never spread beyond the talk of those
who had learned Of it from the gossip that
followed. The ring disappeared at all
events as completely as if it had been
dropped into the ocean.
'One Of the most trying experiences
I ever had in my life" said a member Of an
uptown club the OF her night came as the
result Of a visit to a country house. There
was no man in the family but the rather
elderly father Of the hostess. I was an
old friend Of the family and in a way looked
after the men in the party Of a dozen who
had gone down to the country for the week
end.
I'VE were all going back to town on Mon
day. Saturday night there was bridge
until rather a late hour. Sunday afternoon
1t poured rain, and the same four again
united in bridge, and they resumed it in
the evening. The stake was not large, but
one young chap lost nearly $500. He was
an Englishman Of good family who had
come out here a year before to sing in comic
opera with a London company, had brought
good letters and finally remained
here in business. He was on a small salary
in a brokers' office, but played a good game
of bridge. Luck was badly against him all
the time, however, and he lost from the
start.
"The daughter of the house had not been
In the playing at all. With others she was
at the billiard tables after dinner. The
room opened into a large hallway in which
was a piano not far from the bridge table.
In this way the guests, although separated
in their diversions, were more or less to-
gether.
1.-THE young woman Of the house was an
uncommonly good pianist, for an amateur,
and after a while she consented to play.
She surrendered her cue to another and In
~ Nh. ~ .ha ho11,o, tool, H. sloa1