Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-08-17

worthy. She never gives me letter
to post without insisting upon tying
a string around my finger and a knot
in my handkerchief just as if l were :.
little boy. She objects to my having
more than fifty cents in my pocket at
one time because she declares | never
stop after buying a cigar to receive my
change. and half the time car con-
ductors return me ten or fifteen cents
short change.
My wife recently went to the coun-
try, leaving cards stuck up all over the
house bearing such miserable iniunc-
tons as this: '"Take the silver up
stairs at night" Lock the front
door," Count your change" Of
course l tore them down as soon rs
she had left. When l parted from her
at the station she told me that she had
left her jewel case in her bureau
drawer and made me promise that |
would go straight home and put it in
the safe. Instead l went to my office
intending to go home at noon and at
tend to the matter.
1t was three days before | removed
that jewel case. Before doing so |
examined the contents to make sure
the articles were all present. and
found that a valuable diamond ring
| always kept there was missing 1t be-
hooved me to recover that ring before
my Wife's return or take the conse-
Quences, the nature of which | was
| quite aware. Fortunately the owner
| was to remain away several weeks.
advertised a large reward for the
ring and no questions asked. A couple
! of weeks passed and nothing was heard
of the ring
meditated having duplicate made
with paste diamonds. But l had no
| pattern for workman to COPY and
had little hope of deceiving my wife
if l had. She wrote me frequently
asking if l did this and did that and
if everything was SAFE l replied that
l did everything she commanded and
a great deal more. When she ASKED
| if l had put her jewe! case in the safe
| said l had-but not when. Lastly
when she asked if all the jewels were
! there. wrote. "Your jewels are safe,''
| meaning that they We're in the SAFE
| 1t was miserable subterfuge, and l
| was ashamed of it.
week before my wife returned I
| absented myself from my Office. giving
my time entirely to hunting the pawn
| shops to which everybody knows stol-
| en- articles usually find their way.
Near the end of that period l found
the ring. l proved my ownership. or,
rather. my wife's ownership, and Sc
cured the property. Then l asked the
proprietor how he came by it. He
told me that it had been brought to
| him by woman who acted as go
between for persons who wished to
pawn articles. but were too respectable
to be seen entering a pawnshop. He
gave me the address of this broker, and
l went to see her.
THAT ring was stolen" said to her,
but l don't suppose you knew this
when you pawned it. If you will tell
me who brought it to you I'll make no
trouble about your receiving stolen
property"
| She said that she couldn't leave her
shop at the time there being no one to
take her place. but if l would call the
next afternoon she would take me to
the thief.
| took the ring home and put it in it's
place. glad enough to escape the OBJ
loquy that would have been heaped
night my wife returned and found the
house in good condition and nothing
missing. l felt very fine over this, as
suming some superiority by telling her
| that for her to leave out the jewel
case just before going away was sim
ply shocking If hadn't hurried home
| to take care of it something might
have been lost. She made no reply,
| and was glad she didn't for it would
! have been a catalogue of my own past
| offenses
| The next afternoon I left the Office
| early and called on the woman broker
! who was to show me the thief. She
was ready for me. and we sailed forth
| together. The route we took led my
| way, which was. to say the least, con-
| venient. She finally turned into the
| street in which l lived. moving in the
| direction of my home. What was my
| astonishment when she stopped at my
! own door?
"All right said. trying to conceal
my feelings. Now describe the thief"
She described my own wife.
1t was now clear case that the
| jewel was not in the case at the time
of my w1fe's departure. Being curious
to know why she had pawned it, I
wished to speak to her about the mat
ter, but if l did so l would criminate
myself in the matter of neglect I
waited till we were together one even
ing in her room before dinner and the
jewel case was on her dresser look
ed over the contents and asked:
MY dear, l don't see your double
diamond ring here
Then she confessed that she had
pawned it to get a scapegraee brother
of hers out of a scrape
I looked very serious. II discovered
the loss when put your case in the
SAFE" said. II have recovered it.
Here it is
l handed it to her and told her how
l supposed it had been stolen and found
it in pawnshop.
I returned the money loaned on it,
n civ e. I,1~