Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-04

the two alternately.
interviewed police officer on the
matter of recovering the necklace. and
he advised me to search he pawn
shops. 1 was ready to do anything that
could be done without giving myself
away. and. having copied the names
and addresses of some fifty pnwnbro-
kers. began TO go the rounds. All the
while feared my wife would come
home without giving me time to make
a thorough search. Indeed. she wrote
me that she would start in few days.
wrote her that I had an important
business matter on hand that would
keep me downtown" day and night
for awhile and she had better defer
her coming till after the rush was
over. / also replied in this letter TO
the many questions about her jewels
that there was no danger of their be-
ing lost, for they had been carefully
put away. l felt like a reprieved con-
Wet when l received a reply stating
that she would stay where she was for
awhile longer, especially since her
mother needed her confess I was
glad her mother was in condition to
need her and hoped she would grow
worse instead Of better.
] had shown my list of pawnbrokers
TO n police officer, who had checked
those most likely TO receive stolen
goods. | had therefore left out the
most respectable persons In the bust.
ness. When l had exhausted the low
grade began on the others. though in
a half hearted way, for had but little
hope At last one morning | went TO
one of the best men in the business
and told him of my loss. he said
no stolen goods ever came into his
possession. for his clientele were only
persons of the first class who needed
money and knew they could rely on
him to keep the secret Of their neces-
stiles.
was about to leave his shop when
he asked me what l had lost. de.
scribed my wife's necklace, and he
pricked up his ears. Going to his safe,
he pulled out a pearl necklace that
recognized at once as the one / had
been searching for.
Eureka / exclaimed.
"That necklace was not stolen" said
! the broker.
How did it come into your posses
sion?" | asked.
1.-THE owner brought 1t to me, and
/ made loan on it"
! | asked him to give me the name of
the owner. but he denied having 1t,
saying that pawn ticket had been is
sued for it. | asked him to describe
the person who had pawned it and
he described my wife.
was raised from the depths of
dependency to exultation. Instead of
my wife having the whip hand of me
l had the whip hand of her. | made
bee line for home and searched the
house for that pawn ticket Having
looked in every nook and corner, l
turned to my wife's writing desk, but
found it locked. Sending for lock-
smith, l had him pick the lock, found
the ticket, and he relocked the desk.
The same evening the necklace was in
the jewel box, and the jewel box was
in the safe Then | wrote my wife
that l was getting lonely and hoped
her mother could spare her to me.
She came home soon after this and
began the usual round OF questions as
to whether anything unpleasant had
happened while she was gone. I said
nothing unusual had occurred, but the
housekeeper told her that few things
had been missed after the houseclean-
ing. and, taking the alarm, she went at
once to her jewel case.
The expression on her face when she
came to me, after having, discovered
that the necklace she had pawned had
been returned to her, was n study. She
looked at me suspiciously, yet shame
facedly.
What is it, dearT asked.
"When went away my pearl neck
lace was not in my jewel box"
NO" l said, 'it was not. was
careful enough to look to see that ev
erything was In its place. l missed
the necklace, made an investigation
and found that you had pawned it."
/ often recall the scene that follow
ed. To my wife. who stood before m,
with hanging head, l gave a lectur'
on extravaganza. / pictured the evil
which are bound to arise from thi
passion and predicted the poorhous
for both Of us If she did not mend he
ways. In conclusion, l modestly men
toned my own care and forethough
in making sure that all the Jewels ha,
; been returned and in taking excellen
care Of those l had found in the boz
: "And now" said as a last injunction
I 81 trust | shall hear no more OF thi
I ridiculous notion you have got int
your head that / am careless. Looi
rather. TO the beam in your own eye.
d kissing away a tear starting In be
e eye, begged her to dismiss the matte
a from her mind.
e While my discovery served to Civ
5. me an advantage when accused c
e earelessness. it did not alter my wife
l. extravaganza. and | am free to cor
/ fess it didn't make me more careful
II But from that time 1.-The pot ceased I
b call the kettle black"
,s Aug. 4 in American
at IA Hsa%@~xr