The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-03-27
New York City
By o. o. Mcintyre

New YORK, march 1V--A rcNcrsc
twist on Guy de Maupassant's story
of the lost necklace. considered by
many as the perfect short story.
was revealed in q big Fifth avenue
jewelry store the other day. A we'll
dressed woman entered the !estab-
lishment and presented a string Of
pearls to be restrung. One OF the
pearls had been lost and she asked
that It be replaced.
A few days later she called for
the necklace and when 1t was given
to her asked the charge. "One thou
sand dollars" said the clerk. The
woman smiled. thinking he was per-
haps joking. She soon saw he was
in earnest. "A mistake has been
made" she said. "The whole neck
lace only cost me SIS when pur-
chased II here a year ago."
The clerk took the necklace and
went to the Office of the manager.
The woman was asked later IL she
would mind going to the managers
private office. Not at all" she re-
piled. She was questioned closely
as to when she purchased the neck
lace and from whom.
Madame" said the manager, this
string of pearls is not an imitation.
1T is worth 100000 and belongs to
the wife of the president of one OF
the biggest railroads In America"
The woman was apparently dazed
when she was told that the neck
lace had mysteriously disappeared
from the store and that one of the
clerks had been accused. but not
arrested because there was no evil
dence.
1t was also revealed that after
the clerk had bsen dismissed he
took to drink. sank lower and lower
and was finally found in a Bowery
lodging house-a suicide. The pearls
were left with the manager and an
other investigation begun.
The only explanation possible Is
that by some carelessness the pearls
which had been left by the railroad
presidents wife for repair had been
mixed up in a case of cheap imita-
ton pearls and the innocent clerk
had unwittingly sold them to the
woman for s25. Only the fact that
she returned them resulted in the
mystery being solved.
The next day the jewelry estab-
lishment sent for the railroad presi-
dents wife and after giving her the
pearls received a check for 500, 900
But IL was not revealed what COM
pensation was given to the wife and
family of the clerk who was so I'M
justly accused.
A young theatrical manager, de-
voted to musical melange and
anatomical spectacles, declares the
theater is going headlong TO ruin.
The movies, he says, are RESPONSE
BILE and the movie magnates are
getting the best theaters and plays.
The real truth Is that actors as a
body have no real pride in the pro-
fession they boast SO much about.
They talk glibly of their devotion
to their art, of its universally, no.
bility and Importance, but are too
entirely slaves of their own indi-
viduaf vanity to make any sacrifice
or to cooperate with it's advance
ment.
All the department store detec-
tives know her. She is a beautiful
young girl with prematurely white
hair, big brown eyes and a glorious
complexion. She comes extensively
gowned riding in a limousine. She
carries a large handbag and always
she takes away with her gaudy lit
tie trinkets o. expensive clothing
for young baby. She pliers these
articles. but is never arrested. At
night she leaves her home, a man.
sion on Park avenue, and visits a
cemetery out in Westchester County,
where she places the stolen articles
on tiny mound. 1t is a grewsome
story of a refined, cultured woman,
the wife of a man who has millions.
She was in Paris when she met him.
1t was a great love and they had a
big wedding on Fifth avenue. Then
the baby was born. 1t lived two
years and was killed in a horrible
accident. The woman turned gray
over night. She became a klepto-
maniac. She is harmless and the
husband gladly pays all the bills.
She was never known to take any
thing except for a baby.