The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-07-16

| had made for my friend Brewer, and
which he had buried with his wife. rs
his letter said. not n month before.
My amazement at tho sight of 1t was
so great that for many minutes | sat
, clasring and unclasping the snap of
the trinket and reading again that
strange inscription. major lex amor
| est robis. which had caused me so
much amusement when had first or
dored it to be cut. Then l asked MI
chel:
who brought thls?"
"a man in the shop below-the
agent OF Green g Sons. who have been
offered 1t by customer at Dieppe."
Have they put n price upon it2"
They ask one thousand five hun
dred pounds for It,"
"Oh, five hundred less than we sold
It for; that is curious. Ask the man
ii he will leave 1t on approval for
week"
Il have put the question already
His people are quite willing"
Then write out receipt"
lie went away to do so, still FUN
bling and amazed. The thing was so
astounding 10 one who knew the whole
of the circumstances, as | did, that
told him nothing more, but examined
the necklace infinitely at least half a
| dozen times. Was It possible that
| there could be two sets of matching
green diamonds. two infatuated lovers
who had chosen the same pattern Of
ornament, the same strange inscrip-
ton, and the same tint OF stones?
Such a thing was out of the question.
Either Brewer had made n mistake
when he said that the necklace had
been buried with his wifc-a theory
which presupposed his return to his
normal common sense-or some scoun-
drel had stolen it from her coffin. 1
determined TO wire TO him at once,
| and had written out message when
the second mystery in the history of
the trinket began TO unfold itself 1t
came to ne in the form of n cable
gram from Brewer himself, who asked
me to 80 to him at paris without de.
lay, as something which troubled him
/ beyond description had happened
since he wrote me.
/ need not say that at the time
! when ! received this telegram | had
no idea that a second mystery had en-
/ gcndered it. | believed that Brewer
had discovered the loss of the neck
lace, and had sent FOR me to trace the
| thieves. This tack I entered upon
very willingly; and when ! had in
structed Michel to ask Green & Co.
with whom we did a large business
to give me n special and private favor
the real name of the seller of the neck
lace, | took the eight o'clock train from
! Victoria; and was ~ Paris at dawn
on the following morning Early as it
was, Brewer waited for me at the
! Care du Nord, AMI greeted me with
q welcome which was almost hysterl-
cal in its effusiveness. This | could
not return, for the shock Of the sight
of him was enough to make any man
yoicclcss. He had aged in looks 20
years in as many months. His clothes
hung in folds upon figure that had
once been the figure of a robust and
finely built man; his face was wan and
colorless; there were hOllows above
his temples, and burrows as Of great
age in the cheeks, which erstwhile
shone with all the healthy coloring
that physical ygor can give. His as
pcct, indeed, was pitiable; but / made
a great effort to convince him that I
had not noticed it, and said, cheerily:
well, and how is my old friend?"
II am a widower," he answered:
and there was moro pathos in the sim
pie remark than in any lament / ever
heard from him. 1t was quite evident
that his one grief still rcigned in his
thoughts; and | made no other at
tempt TO conquer It.
You have important news. or YOU
would not have summoned me from
London" I said as we left the station
In a fiacrc. Won't you give me an
idea of It now?'
When We reach my place / will
tell you everything and show you
everything It's very kind of you TO
come, very kind. indeed; but I'd soon.
or speak of such things at my own
house"
You arc still at Villenmoble?"
Yes; but / have an apartment by
the Rue de Morny, and am staying
there now; the old home is not the
same. She Is dead. you know"
/ thought this remark very strange.
and hIs manner of giving Il no less
curious.
"Hernard," he said, u brought you
10 Paris because the strangcst thing
possible bias happened You remcm-
Der the necklace of groom diamonds (
gave my poor wife. and hurled with