The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-08-19
ODD STORY or
A STOLEN RING
Truth Would Have Saved In
noCent Accused.

your husband some years before you
married him. How was it that it took
you so long to discover that you loved
him? Or was it that he delayed to pro-
poser
Thereby hangs a tale"
"Tell it"
"If | do you will possess a secret of
which my husband is ignorant"
"Give me your confidence"
81 have kept the horrid thing so long
that it will be a relief to tell you. l
must go back fifteen years to a time
when l was twenty. Then l got into
a terrible trouble. For what? Wo-
mans propensity for leaving valuables
about where they may be appropriated.
| was visiting at the country house of
my husbands parents. | was a favor
ite with his mother. and Henry found
no difficulty in inducing her to invite
me down. He had not yet proposed to
me. but | knew that he would soon
do so.
1--WE were a merry party. 1t was mid
summer and our time was passed in
summer sports-reading, driving, boat
ing, croquet, lawn tennis. One evening
before dinner l stepped into the bath
room to wash my hands, and there on
the marble slab was a diamond ring. l
recognized it at once as the property of
Lucy Crane, a girl about my age, who
had doubtless taken it off to wash her
hands and forgotten it. What a joke 1t
would be to appropriate it, let Lucy
think that it was lost, then produce 1t.
I slipped it on my finger, went to my
room, put it In my portemonnate and,
leaving the portemonnaie on the a
tel, went down to dinner.
I'VE had finished the dessert and
were slipping our coffee when there
was a noise without. and we all went
on to the piazza in time to see the but
Ter and the coachman chasing a a
who was running like a stag. He Stun
bled and fell, and in another moment
they were on him. Then he was led
back and vas searched in presence of
the household"
The narrator put her hands to her
face for a few moments. then pro-
ceeded:
81 never can think of that scene with
out terrible suffering. The butler
took from the man my portemonnaie
and, not knowing to whom 1t belonged,
opened it. The first thing he took from
it was one of my cards; the second,
Lucy Cranes ring. 1 turned white as
a sheet. 1t was a few minutes before
the situation-the apparent situation
dawned upon every one, and when it
did it was my telltale pallor that re-
moved all doubt that I had stolen the
ring.
81 went to my room and locked my
self in. What was l to do? What
could I do? Nothing. No M came to
me. and 1 did not go out. though l went
neither to bed nor to sleep. At sun
rise l left the house.
Give years passed, during which the
secret of my supposed dishonesty vas
so well kept (by Henry's request that
1t injured me only with him, his fam
lily and the guests present at the time
the ring was stolen. But it was a ter
rible period for me. One day a rough
looking man accosted me ON the street
and asked for money. I took out my
purse and gave him a coin. He kept
looking in my face intently. Suddenly
he said, I've seen you before
"'Where?'
"Tve just done a term for taking a
pocketbook. You were there when I
was searched
"'Are you that manT
eyes. 1 got into the house when l
supposed all the family had zone down
to dinner. Then l saw you go into the
bathroom and pick up a ring
az didn't intend to steal it. l intend
ed to give its owner a lesson for leav-
ing it where it might be stolen
81 knew that by the look on your face
"a mischief look. Your back was to-
ward me, but l saw you In the glass
over the basin. I followed you and saw
you leave the ring in your pocketbook
on the mantel, and as soon as you left
the room | went and got it.
az have been resting under suspicion
for your act for five years. 1 blurted,
tears coming in spite OF my efforts to
keep them back.
Gle looked from me to the coin in his
hand and back from the coin to me.
"'I1l testify to your honesty he said.
an n would believe you
"I s'pect you're right he replied
thoughtfully. AT least it wouldn't do
to tell the truth. A lie might help. I'll
think it yer Who shall | tell about it?'
81 gave him Henry's address, then
left him without attaching much impor-
lance to the meeting.
1.-TWO weeks passed, and had ceased
to think about the ~ex-convict, when one
day my maid announced that a gentle
man wished to see me in the drawing
room. | went down. and there stood
Henry. His first words were:
"'Forgive mel
81 looked at him like n in a dream.
Read that he said handing me n hit