Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-23
DAILY sHoR1, STORY
THE LOST LocKET.
lOrigiEal.l


story. 1 could give you a thousand
guesses and Itdonn believe they would
be sufficient.
am "a professi0 nal finder.
| During shopping hours 1 saunter
about in,front oftthe stores,where they
sell the most expensive goods and
watch for people, mostly ladies', to
| drop articles, which / pick up and for
| the return of which claimja reward
| Not very exalted profession, you
will say, yet will show how it may
result in making people4happy, for it is
| best that lost articles should fall into
| the hands of one who makes it her bust
|, ness to return them,
One day 1 saw a4young and very
pretty girl get into aAcarriage, and as
sh, did SO a delicate gold chain she
wore about her neck caught on some
projection. broke andt dropped in the
gutter 1 picked it fup Immediately
after the lady had IAen driven away.
Attached to it was gold locket, on,one
side of which was IAN embossed star
with five points, each point studded
with%a small diamond. "a large diamond
in the¢er. On the &Other side was a
single large ruby. 1 opened it, and on
the inside was a,photograph vignette of
young man.
/ left,an advertisement describing it
with prominent newspaper, TO appear
in the'iSsue of the next morning The
next evening L received note from its
owner informing me that if / would
bring 1t to her 1 woultn be very liberal
ly rewarded. l never hurry in such
matters, knowing thatt the longer miss
ing articles are being restored the more
anXious,the owners VIII be about them,
and the more liberab the reward In
this case, however, resolved to return
the locket the next day.
The next morning I neceived another
note, asking me to bring the locket to
an entirely different address, from the
first. 1 wrote to each to ask what
would be the reward if ithe locket was
returned. The lady replied urging me
TO call upon her at once. She Implored
me not TO dispose of the locket to any
one else. The writer of the second note
wrote in Il mans hand that the article
had very large intrinsic value to him
and intimated that l might name my
own price.
I resolved to see the lady first and
called at the address, which 1 found to
be handsome residence. | found the
young lady whom i had seen drive
away in her carriage. She was entire
ly unable to conceal her anxiety to get
possession of the iocket and asked me
what reward would induce me to re-
turn it. 1 told her l could the better
tire reason why she SO eagerly desired
it. She looked very much confused,
but would not tell me. Then / told her
that 1 was in some doubt as to the
ownership, since another had answered
my advertisement. This excited her
beyond measure, the blood mounted to
her cheeks, and she was greatly dis
tressed. She begged me to tell her
something of the other claimant, but 1
would give her no information and left
without making any promises.
! next called at the office of the man
who had written me. / was shown into
a private room; man entered and
shut the door behind him. / no sooner
looked at him than / recognized the
original of the photograph in the lock-
ct. l spared with him for delay, and
he finally asked me point blank:
"Was there photograph in it2"
''There was" l replied.
Describe it," he said eagerly.
! purposely described another man.
10 20 of 1,n
seen more keenly depicted disappoint-
ment.
THAT will do he said and told me
to deliver the locket at the house
where the owner lived.
NO" / replied, Il will not do that"
''Then / will give you any price for it
IN order that l may send it there my
self. 1t cost $500. I will give you
$1,000"
''Come to my apartments at o'clock
tomorrow afternoon" said, 'and you
shall have my decision
As soon as L reached home l wrote |
the young lady to meet me there, fix |
ing her appointment a quarter of an |
hour before that of the man. She came |
punctually, and it was one of the most |
trying acts of my life to make excuses |
to delay her, as l purposed, till the ar
rival of the man. At o'clock / had |
them in separate rooms and few |
later ushered both into my |
drawing room. They stood looking at |
each other in mute establishment while |
1 opened the iOcket, holding 1t before
each in turn. As soon as the man |
caught sight of his photograph his ex-
preston changed from hauteur to de-
light The blood rushed into the girls
checks, and she covered her face with /
her hands.
Elsie" he said, "when we quarreled |
1t was agreed that you should keep this
locket. and you angrily told me that
when you became again engaged 1t
would do for your lovers picture"
The girl made no renlY 1t was ner-