Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-08-10
ODD STORY OF
A STOLEN RING
Truth Would Have Saved In
n0cent 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 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 lonc
that 1t will be relief to tell you !
must 60 back fifteen years to time
when I was twenty. Then I got into
a terrible trouble. For what? Wo
mans propensity for leaving valuable>
about where they may be appropriated
was visiting at the country house OF
my husbands parents. l was a favor
fte with his mother. and Henry founl
no difficulty in inducing her to invite
me down. He had not yet proposed to
me, but knew that he would soon
do 80.
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 I stepped into the bath
room to wash my hands, and there on
the marble slab was diamond ring.
recognized it at once us the property Of
Lucy Crane, a girl about my age. who
had doubtless taken 1t off to wash her
hands and forgotten it. What joke it
would be to appropriate 1t. let Lucy
think that it was lost, then produce it
l slipped It on my finger went to my
room, put 1t in my portemonnaie and,
leaving the portemonnaie on the man
tel, went down to dinner.
1--WE had finished the dessert and
were slipping our coffee when there
was q noise without. and we all went
on to the piazza in time to see the but
Ter and the coachman chasing a man
who wns running like stag He STUN
bled and fell. and in another moment
they were on him. Then he was led
back and was searched In presence of
the household"
The narrator put her hands to her
face for few moments. then pro
ceeded:
II 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. turned white as
sheet. 1t was few minutes before
the situatlon-the apparent situation
dawned upon every one. and when 1t
did it was my telltale pallor that re.
moved all doubt that ! had stolen the
ring.
II went to my room and locked my.
self in. What was to do? What
could do? Nothing. No one came to
me. and did not go out. though went
neither to bed nor to sleep At sun.
rise left the house.
"F1ve years passed. during which the
secret Of my supposed dishonesty was
80 we'll kept (by Henry's request) that
It injured me only with him. his fam
fly and the guests present at the time
the ring was stolen. But 1t was a ter
rible period for me. One day a rough
looking man accosted me on the street
and asked for money. 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"
ave just done term for taking a
pocketbook. You were there when ]
was searched
"'Are you that MANI
"'Yes. l got into the house when !
supposed all the family had gone down
to dinner. Then l saw you go into the
bathroom and pick up ring
"T didn't intend to steal it. intend
ed to give its owner lesson for leav-
ing 1t where 1t might be stolen
II knew that by the look on your face
"a mischief look. Your back was to-
ward me. but | saw you in the glass
over the basin. followed you and saw
you leave the ring in your pocketbook
on the mantel. and as soon as you left
the room I went and got it,
"T have been resting under suspicion
for your act for five years. blurted.
tears coming in spite Of my efforts to
keep them back.
"He looked from me to the coin in his
hand and back from the coin to me.
"I'll testify to your honesty he said.
"'No one would believe you
~ s'pect you're right he replied
thoughtfully. AT least 1t wouldn't do
to tell the truth. A lie might help III
think 1t over. Who shall tell about I'll
II gave him Henry's address. then
left him without attaching much impor.
lance to the meeting.
1.-TWO weeks passed. AMI had ceased
to think about the eX-convict. when one
day my maid announced that gentle
man wished to see me In the drawing
room. I went down. and there stood
Henry. His first words were:
"'Forgive me-
II looked Mt him like one in dream
of dirty paper on which was written in
pencil:
"Dere Sir-I hearn Teddy in your house
when was arrested there for steelen was
suspected Of taken the dimon ring Sum
un lef' it on the washstand, an l TUX II
an put it in the pocketbook that l TUX
too. DANDY JIM
"Henry and were married that fall
I have never dared tell him the true
story of my meeting with the thief
Should do so it might shake his faith
In me. After all. sometimes lie will
serve better than the truth. though had
told the truth in time II might have
served better than the lie"