Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1905)
is2arsnw wssbsm wmiMU. Thursday, mcimsir h, 1903. THE MORNING ASTOMAN. ASTOBIA, OREGON. 1 . . . . 1 1 i A Puzzle of Pearls 1 By Cvtrctt Holbrook, Copyright, 1905, by Charles M. Rttri. I a ..... IT waa early In tbo day, and the fashionable establishment of tlw Jewtlr ltoversl wag almost bare of pntroua. J)fiiinuJ gt.htUuin, gray or bald, wart standing Milnd I ha glus cases, watting with wnxen ula. clillly for the opvtilnjc of the duy'a bual ,nwa, and there waa neither Ufa dot color In the scene sere by the door, win-re a golden Lalrad young woman daintily gowned waa talking with Taiil How-si, nephew of tho nronrlctor. Iftwrtn them waa a amall, plain. In liiaiT jwe case, ojn, and the lady waa looking down into It, where lay a atrlng of pyuria, not large ones . nor especially notable to the ordinary ooaervrr, out possessing recondite tner ita wukb commended them dearly the connoisseur. "1 Iota them," aald Mr. Ilaabrourk I could look at than all day. Aran' they beauUfuir And aha pushed the tog toward RoTtral, who looked at the pearls for few seconds and than Cluaed the lid upon them. Mra. lias ftrotxk tamed t tiny key In the lock. ltoversl escorted ber to tba nrriigt which waited before the door, and rhen aba waa aeated be put down the utue green ctsket beatde ber. He bad brought It from the atore, holding It be fore btm In both banda aa If It bad been fragile, and when be bad aet It la the carriage be ottered noma worda of can Hon In a balf Jetting tone. It nattered little wbat be uld. Tie faaclnated her alwaya when be spoke, for his llpa ware delicate and wonder fully mobile, and bla eyee brightened and changed with the current of bla thought Surely be waa a remarkably bandeome young man, and the lady ,waa aware of hie charm to the point of positive pain. Yet aba could neter tin dcrntaiwl why It abould not be an tin ulied pleaaure; aurely It waa one that no human belug bad a right to deny ber. gbe waa a widow whoae married Ufa bad ecarcely a eeiubtance of reality In her memory, It waa only a dream of a nan'o audden and fatal lllneaa, and, looking back upon It, aha eeemed to tahold' herself In bridal dreaa and mourning crape on the aame day. Three yeare bad dimmed the picture. She waa a girl In beart and la look -In all things. Indeed, eicept the Independ ence of ber station and the control of a great fortune. Jtoverat waa her equal aovlally, and, though be bad not a pen ny of bla own, aha bad enough for two. If be bad extravagant tatea. ao that be muat go to bla Indulgent uncle twice a year with a handful of debt, at leaat be waa a gentlemanly epend thrift, and bla folllee bad never brought btm Into condemnation under the eaay code of modern aorlety. It la not probable that lira. Ilaabrourk analysed the young nan's character to any aerloua advan age. Her fears and bopea. her Joy and pain, proceeded not from the working of ber mind, but waa from the aglta tlon of ber heart Absorbed in meoiuilona which were upon the whole agreeable. Mrs. Ilaa- brouck rode homeward with her pearla. Tho carriage atopped beside the curb, and the lady glanced out of the open window, expecting to see the familiar dooratepa and red masonry before the portal of ber house. Instead she aaw the face of a groom In ber employ who waa standing In an attitude of apology with cap In hand. "Beg pardon, ma'am," aald be. "I waa on ny way to Mr. ChandlerV a maker of aaddlory "about a saddle- frrii "bi moon, tu'AM," an aa. cloth, If you'll be ao good aa to remem ber, and was this the pattern that you wanted, ma'am r Be took a bit of cloth from the In side of bla cap and held It up. - -No," aald Mra. Hasbrourk. "It waa the other." 1 After many futile efforts the man round the right sample and went off upon bla errand. Two mlnutea later Mrs. Haabrouck alighted at her resi dence, the Jewel case In ber band. Bli carried It directly to a room on the ascond floor where there waa a aafe set Into the wall By a window of this room she ast down to enjoy a last glimpse of ber favorite trinket before consigning It to the darkneea of the are. Bbe unlocked the casket with the key, which ahe bad carried la ber glove, and when the lid waa up ahe atarcd, dumfounded, upon emptiness. The pesrls were gone. For soms minutes Mrs. Hssbrouck's mlud wss the abode pf utter confusion, but presently there began to appear In the midst of tbla chaoa the semblance of solid fads and the outlines of a plan If action. Mie locked the Jewel case I tid put It Into the asfe. Then she went Jownstalrs to the telephone, but, after contemplating the Instrument thought fully, ahe turned away. She bad re membered that the Itoversl establish ment hsd a private exchange and that the girl In charge of It could overbear a conversation. The present affair seemed to demand an absolute discre tion. It would be better to communi cate with rau! Roversl by note. She wrote, therefore, aa follows: My rxar Mr. Rovers! - Tour warning was propheilo-mjr beleved pearls hv vanished. I 4l net tears ths can-tag w ana ElATCHtI TSIS BT DsraxDsarra. ova or ami until I cams to rar own door, and th locked Jewel rass was beside me all ths Urns. I took It into ths bouse sad opened it, and It was empty. This Is a mr blsck mrsterr. but I think that thers must be a hitherto neg lected talent within me talent fsr de tective research. Already t ssem ts see ths truth In this distressing affair, but mr Itck of esperience constrains ms ts sjik sdvlce ss to ths bft method f pro cedure, riret, however. I must eute mr theory. when I wss near Rome mr earns stopped. I looked out of 4he srlndsw and saw a groom named Michael Bear, who vsry deferentially consulted ms about aa errand upon which I had sent Mm earlier In lbs day. Does It not seem possible that this wss s feature of a clever plot and that while Michael engagsd mj attention upon 011 rMu a tonrdrsts csms to ths oppoalte window ot ths carrlas, reached In, unlocked ths bos with a duplicate key, locked It Main and faded sway Into the turmoil of ths cltyT It Is true that when I had concluded my Interview with Michael I happened to look out of the other window ssd saw a big blu policeman gtandlng on ths edge of ths aldewalk across the way, I distinctly remember him, and It seems trance that he should have been unable to see this crime, committed under his very nose. let policemen are falling mors and mors Into ths grip of evil ways. Perhaps tbl one is even now dividing my pearls wun Michael and his two accomplices. I say two," for I feel sure that my coachman was In ths plot snd that tba third thief was also one of my servants. You will remember that I have vsry Often ueed this green plush Jewel csae In carrying Jewels back and forth between my house and the establishment of Mr. Henry Roversl, your ssteemed uncle. I have left the case empty In my carriage dosens of times, and this must have been remarked by my servants. To procure a duplicate key or perhaps another ess precisely similar, to be used In a rapid and desterous exchange would have been perfectly eauy. Btlll. of courae, there s the policeman. But I must stick to my theory. It I rot possible for me to enter tain any other. You know bow dear this bauble was to ms. I look to you ror beip in recovering It, and I havs niontloned my Ions to no ons else. Mease communicate with me as soon aa you have corns to a decision. Sin cerely yours, HELENA HAHUKUtCK. Btio dUpatched tbla by one of ber dependent, a bright eyed youth of dwarfish stnturo. but of an excellent bablt of reticence, and then ahe waited In many kinds of misery for llorersl's reply. An hour posited. She sent again for the dwarf. lie had returned from hit errand and hud gone out again upou another. Hlte regretted the cnutlou which had forbidden ber to tell him to report to her Immediately, but she bad not wished to make him think too aerlously of bla mission. Another bour i dragged away. Mra. Hasbrouck could atand suspense no longer. She called Roversl's by telephone and learned that Paul hud gone out, no one knew when or why. I would like to apeak with Mr. Hen Roversl." she aald upon a sudden resolve. Only an exact quotation, not possible to the present chronicler, could prop erly reveal the sympathy which Mr. Roversl felt and expressed when he learned of Mrs. Ilasbrouek's loss. "Have you any eueplcloue?" be asked at Inst "None whatever," aba replied. 'Mr. Roversl admitted that the case was tuysterloue and deeply distressing and be begged that It might be laid be fore Mr. Newell, the' astute detective who guarded tie vast treasures of the tore. Mr. Newell listened wlthon comment to Mrs. Hssbrouck's clear and concise statement of the facts. Ilk questions, though their purport was sklllfnjly relied, were directed, as the lady easily perceived, toward the eluci dation of a single element of the case- namely, when and under wbat drevm stances waa Mrs. nasbroock'a note de llvered toltr. Tan! Roversl. To tbl eo1 Mr. Newel obtained a description of the messenger, and with that b seemed to be content Too will bear from me within 1 aouple of hours," aald be In eonclualoa. "and I hope for the beet result." The allotted time had almost expired and Mrs. Ilssbrouck wsa upon the verge of aoiue dlref ully catastrophic ex plosion of the feelings when the card of Mr. Tsui Roversl waa put Into ber hands, and presently the young man eutered, a tragic figure, pale as paper. He paused at three yards distance and looked Into her eyes, and slowly a won troua and beautiful change came over blm. "I knew it waan't true," be aald elm ply aa a child and with a sob of ex qulslte relief. "Truer ahe echoed. "My ancle said that yoa suspected me," he answered firmly. "I think bis own mind was not clear of that injus tice. He bas bla excuses; be knows that I bare money difficulties. But you Wrath biased la Helena Hasbrouck with consuming beat the unreasons ble, pathetically comic wrath of wom an; anger against that relentless, mali cious demon, the Truth, a creature aent Into this world to torture us. "He dared say that!" ahe cried. "1 win make blm amart for It And you you believed blm, though yoa bare beard me give yoa very heartily the name of friend." "I knew It wasn't true," be repeated. scarcely less false than herself, yet with an honest striving for the facta. "It waa the Idea, the mere thought of It, that tortured me. It waa like an evil dream that haunts one after waking. And yet," be continued, "I could bare forgiven you. I could not nave blamed you. Wbat other explanation was poa alble or Is possible at this Inatant? Such alelght of hand aa a child la capa ble of would bare euffleed to do It there In our store, and you would have lock' ed an empty box" "I never dreamed of It," aald she. "Ton yourself are the sufficient answer to such an accusation. I bold yoa for a man of honor. "And If I had taken tbemr aald be, drawing near to ber, with a sadden mad question In bla eyee. J?aut," ahe answered, with white llpa, "I abould have been upon your side. We would have been thieves to gether. At this inopportune moment Detec tive Newell wss announced. He ea tered bearing a green Jewel caae In bla hands, and when It waa aet apoa the table he opened It and disclosed the pearls. Ton are a better detective than I am. Mrs. Haabrouck," aald he. "Tour note to Mr. Roversl stated the case ab solutely desd right, with one email ex ceptionthe third thief didn't reach In through the window to change the boxes; be was bidden under the car "TOD Afta A BtTTOt DITKCT1VB TBA5 1 AM. rlage aeat When your attention was drawn away he reached out 'quick aa a snake and made the ahlft"- "Under the scat!" cried Mrs. Has brouck. "Surely there Isn't room ." "Room enough for your dwarf," r sponded Newell, "the fellow whom you aent with, the note to Mr. Roversl. Ha read It, of course, as soon as be wss out of your sight, and the accuracy of your atatement scared blm blue. He and tho coachman and Michael Saar aklpped together. After my talk with yoa I notified the sleuths at the railroad itstlons, and we caught the men 'with the good a on them,' aa yoa perceive." And my notsf she breathed, pass ing btm as Roversl was bending over the Jewel caae. "I'm aorry, but I lost It" be said and deftly put it Into ber band. She crushed the sheet of paper with nervoua Angers and, turning, gave the detective such a look of gratitude that he blushed for the first time In some years. As a rule people discover a man to be worth listening to only after he Is gohe,-Schopenhauer. BEHNHE-WALI1ER BUSINESS COLLEGE POBTLABD, OXX. If yoa are thinking of attending Business College, yofl cannot afford to Ignore the best one la the Northwest Our equipment la annrpasaed. The proprietors are t eschars. Oar graduates are all employed. Ws will assist yoa to a position when competent SE1CD FOB CATALOCUX TEII. I. Q. 0. I A. BOWLBT, President. PETERSON, Vke-President. FRANK PATTON. Cashier. J. W. CAB NEE, AsakUat Cashier. Astoria Savings Bank Capital Paid la lUBOO. Bnrptas and Cadlylded Profit HUM. I " Transact a General Banking Business. Interest Paid oa Time Deposits Vent Street. ASTORIA. OREQOM. CHINA WARE e CUPS AHD 8AUCXR3. . CHOCOLATt 8IT3. SALAD SETS. TXA SETS. PAHCY TEA POTS. AIL AFFBOPXIATI CHBISTMAS GIFTS. Yokohama Daxar The MORNING ASTORIAN 75 CTS. PER MONTH Astoria's Best Newspaper a;Oommerell Street, Astort Accordion. Sonborst and Knife Pleating To Order STEAJC PBOCISS. Ho Hot Irons. No Bamisg of Goods; Miss O. Gould Eighth Floor, tUrqnam Building. POBTLAJTD. Prompt and Careful Attention Given ta all Out-sf-Tswa Orders, Morning Astorlaa, 75 cents a month. Let Me Tell You Sometiiing Traveler to the East, I hare a word for yoo: There are through Pullman sleepers, both Standard and Tourist, going East from the Coast at frequent intervals. Over two routes they travel via Rock Island System for a good share of the distance. You can go by way of Ogden, Salt Lake and Colorado, or you can go by way of San Francisco, Los Angeles and El Paso, and the Rock Island will land you in Kansas City, St Louis or Chi. cago. Direct connection in Union Stations at all three cities for all important points in the East and South. Or the traveler via Northern route can take the Rock Island from Minneapolis and St. Paul to Chicago. Rock Island service is the kind that gratifies best meals on wheels. a. h. Mcdonald, General Agent, Rock Island System, tee Third 8k, Portland, Ore. 08q 20000000000000000O0O000CX)CO000O0CO00000O0O0 JUST A MOMENT! F We Want to Talk to You ABOUT BOOK BINDING We do it in All the Latest and Best Styles of the Art . . . Wc take your Old Magazines that you have piled away on your shelves; and make Handsome Books of them fit to grace any We take your old worn out books with the covers torn off rrebind them and return to you good as any hew 'book, Let us figure with you on fixing up your Library; . The J. S. Dellin I Astorian Building OOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOQOOO ger Co. Makers of All Kinds; of Books Corner Commercial and 10th Street oooocx5orooocoooocoooooo