A Clever Woman

"These are oot hauduome or good enough," said the lady quicklj laying ou the counter, as hu spoke a mït of oruamen s. ' I want then lo bo very handrtume indeed, as tliey are for a preseut to my 6Ís;er, wlio ib to be marricd nest week." With a low bow, the j olite jawelor roplaoed the deopised gemg in their casec, and unlocking au iron eafe that stood behind him, produced severul uperb tiaras of diamoudi and poarls, togel her with somo bracelets and various - ----- m ■■ h -w v b b V uiber persoual ornainents of a ruagnificent charucter, literally LÍi!Ín with rutiics, poarls, aaiethysis, and other precioLB siiinci "TheHe, madame, are gems of the purest wuter We hTe nothing betlei ; iudeed, I doubt if the Court could produce anvthing more ehoice or valuable." 'Thoy are handsome," assonted the ady, examiniug, as she gpoke, a huge tiara cf diainouiB. "What is the prioe ofthis?" "Five thousand pounds," was the jrompt reply. "And tbw ?" asked the lady, lifting a )raeelet studded with rubies and pearls. "That is two thousand pouuds." One after aoother the anieles were ezumined and prioed, the lady ehowing evident hpisitation in choosing. 'You liavB shown me too many," she rirnarked witli a oharming sinile. "I m quite at a loss whioh to ohoose." x ue jöweier smiea. l n j compliment aid tu his elegant stock was not iinaooeptable. "Yef, I am quite confused," repeated he lady, will) a eecond edition of tbe oharmmg smile, "quite confused. I hould like this tiara, and yet this braoeet is very beautiful." "Ah," she added wiih a little sigh of vezation, I wish my ïusband were hcre to help me decide." "Would you liko to oall agaio with rourhusband ?" "UnfortUDatcly, I ehall bave no opportuoity to cali after to day," sho replied musingly. "I scaroely know what to do." As she spoke a brigbt thought struok tbe jeweler. "Is your residenoe far from here, madame ?" he ioquired. "Not quite ao hour'í drive," replied tbe lady. "If you will permit me," he said, "I will send them to your house to morrow, wben you will be able to consult your husband as to your choioo." The lady, with a perp!exed smile sbook her heatt. ''It is very unfortunate. My sister is in Paris, and we start to-morrow by the mail train to join her. 1 would take this tiara, but I am so oharraed with the bracelet and the set of pearls tbat I caunot decide." The shopkeeper was exceedingly aowilling to lose so good a oustomer, and tried bis best to persuade her one way or tho other, but half an hour paesed and the goods still shone on the counter, and the lady's mind was not made up. Suddenly a if a bright way out of the difficulty had ooourred to her, ehe said : "My house is only a few miles from here on the Essex roac1 ; oould you let your assistant come with me, aod bring these with bim ? My husband is af. aome, and would decide upon one of ;hem and would pay your young man 'or it at once as we leave town immediatcly " Mr. Golding said he would be delight;d, it was very Btupid of him not to ïave thought of this easy road out of the difficulty himself. ...','■'■ wi'' r'Dg lhem myself, madame. VV ijl you be kind enough to take a c' ir ? I shall keep you waiting a few minutes omy ; and with great delight at the prospect of so large a sale, hehurried off to chaoge bis ooat. In a few minutes the carriage, ooniaining the iady aDd the jeweler, was rattliug along the stony streeta. The jewels were eafely ensconoed in a box under the seat, and Mr. Golding was holding forth on bis favorite topio, he weather. The lady was very amiable, and durng the journoy hunded him her oard, hioh bore the iinposing titla of Lady Wildebrand, with a crest all flouriib and a motto above it, ou its enamelad surface. Mr. Golding was duly impressed and deoided in his rnind that the diamond tiara was the article Lord Wildebrand would pimhase. Alter more than an hour'a hard travelng though it did not seem half so long o Mr. Golding, so amiable and talka tive had Lady Wildebrand been, the oarriage pulled up short at a large house with a good carriage drive, and lawns studded with flower beds in front of it "This is Wildobrand House, laid the ady ; and Mr. Golding with obsequioug wlitenes-1, put the footmao on ooe side, and essisted her ladyship to alight. The footman lifted the jewelcase from he carriage and followed thera into the 1OU86"Will you walk into that room and ;ake a eat, Mr Golding ?" aaid the ady with a pleasant smile, as another servant met them and opened the door of a beautiiully furnished room. "I will briüg Lord Wildebrand to you in a 'ow minutes." Mr. Golding bowed, and politely segged her ladyship not lo hurry bis ordship, and took a seat in the mos) comfortable obair. So familiar and affuble had her ladyship been, that filled with self-satisfaction and cotuplaceucy, the jewelor had almost forgotten bis precious gems, and t was wilh something like a disagreea)le start that he noticed, after sitting Btiil for a quurter of an hour, that the )ox had not been left in the roum with urn, "How thoughtle88 !" he muttered. 'All right of course ; atill, business b business. I'll go and inquire after them." He jumpod up and looked for a boíl. Not a sigo of one was to be eeen in the room. "Strange, in a house like this," be thoughl. "Not s bell in the house. I sball hare to walk into tbo hall nd cali lor some one." Walking to the door, he found to hit istoniéhraeat and horror ibat he was }ocked in. "Oood hoavena I" he exclaimed, staggering, as the oertainty that eomething wan wrong broke in upon him. With white fuco and trembling knee be examinad the wudow. It was of stained glnsc, and closr inspection Bhowad him ihat a nuniber oí ii o-j bars ran acrosB eoh othor on the outside. Thoroughly alarmod, he sprang at the door aud oommeucad kicking aod shouting lustily. It waa openod nlmost immediately by two trong louking men with oloso cut hair and square foutures. Ihere was a ueittuo turnkey look about them that Mr. Golding could not underataod. but aftur occurranoes enlighteued him. "What'er you niaking this row for ?" asked ono of them, layinjf hig haud woothingly opon tho astonished jeweler'e ahoulder. "What'B the use of it 1 as I suy to all of yer, wbat's tbe use of it ? Ile'd botter tuko it quietly, hadü't be Bill?" The rann addrcawed as Bill nodded silently, as if an answer was oxpected of him, and he uiust give it, bui was determined to say notbing more than he was compelled. Mr. Golding, with open eyes, for a moment gpeechless with astonishment and terror tried to wrigglo out of bis captor's clusp, and stammered out "Tbe jewels- thejewels I" "Ah just so," replied the man, turning to Bill. "Yer oeel just as tho lady said, tbe poor gentleman'a mind runs entirely on them jewelg," tben turning to Golding, he reniarked soothingly and pityingly - "Tbere, there sir, don't trouble yourself about them, they're all right." "Don't trouble myself? YVhat tho devil do you mean ?" repeated the mad dened jeweler. "Wbere am I ? and what are you ?" "You're where you'll be taken the beat ot oaro of sir," replied the man in a tone of injurcd innnocenoa, Th8 is Dr. Dowall's private aaylum, and me and Bill is keeperh." "A madhouse I" oxolaimed the bewildered jeweler, siuking into a chair, and bursting into a miserable laugh. - Ob, there must be some mistake, my good man ! you don't think l'm mad, do you? Where is Lady Wildebrand ? ehe camo here with me. What- what - the devil does it mean ? And unablc to keep calm any longer, the tempied man sprang upon tho two keepors, and attempted to pass them Of course be was overpowered in a moment, and bis conapanion had slipped o otraigiii waisiooai on Dirn betoro one could say "knife" and howliog and yelling, and reraonstrating and threateoing be was lifted up and curried like a child to one of the private, padded rooms set asido for violent maniaca, and carefully looked up The more he ehouted and eere&med for the jewels, the more pityinar and soothing did the cbief keeper become, oonsoling him as thcy carriod him along by eaying he would be takcu ihe best of care of, and soon be all right again, every t.ow and then appealing to Bill to oorroborate his Rtatement. The family of John Golding, jeweler and goldsaiith, of London, were in great trouble. The head of the house had disappeared in company, with a lady, oarrying with him about twenty tbouHsnd pounds worth of valuables, and eix days had paased, and neither John Qolding or the jewels had turned up. The affair was plaoed in detective' hands, atd after one or two more day'o Bearching, they traoud the oarriage of Lady Wilderbrand to Dr. Dowall's private lunatio asylum. It was about the oleverest pieoe of triokery in the reoords of Sootland Yard. A lady liad called at the asylum and explained thatshe had a relation, an unole in faot, wbo had gone out of his mind, and was laboring under a monomanía oonoerniog a great jewel robbetj. He was not at all violeot, and would give Dr, Dowall very little trouble and uuder his careful trcatment would eoon reoover. She paid for a month in advance, that she herself would briog her unfortuuate unole. Acoordingly in three day's time she had appeared, bringing the gentleman "with the monomanía" with her. Tbe dootor had seen him and hesrd his convulsed raving about the lost jewels," and of oourse tbe oonduot of the jeweler was cooolueive proof to the dootor of his innanity. And he treated bim very kindly and did his best to briog him out of bis unsound mind. With a nine days' start, Ihe olever woman, reaohed the onntiuout gafely, oarrying her booty wih her. At the least, there must have been twenty thousand pounds worth of precious BlODes, leaving the coitly settings eutirely out of the oalculation. Some few months after, a very ingenious robbery of riugs from a jeweler's shop in Pari oreated a sonsation, oven in that oity of olever men and womeu. A lady entered a jeweler's shop and asked to see some rings. Aocordingly, several small trays heaped up with diamond and other riugs were handed for her inspeotion. She wae a long, very long time seleoting the rings she required, and while she was turniog them over and over, the pioture of indeoision and hcsitalioD, au organ man oommeneed grinding a popular tune right in front of the shop door. The lady looked around and threw a ooia to the poor little monkey on tbe top of the instrument. The musicians grinned his thanks, and in a few minutes flnished his tune and departed. The lady at last made up her miöd, and to tbe disgust of the jeweler choe a ring of very little value, and with many emiles and thanks for the trouble she had given him, sailed out of the shop. As usugl the shopman oommenoed to oount the rings immediately after she had gone, aod to his horror missed the üneht diamond ring in the tray. He tore down the street as faet as his alarmed lcgs would carry him, and was witnegs to a seoond edition of the olever trick. The organ man was outside another jeweler's shop, the lady came to the door, said a few words to the monkey, and tbrew the vana a coiri. .teweler nutnber oiio eavr it all in a moment, anc springing opon the asBumed orgau grind or, knooked him down. Nu les.-, that nine diamond and other rings woro tak en from the person of the false organ grindor. At the trial of the acoomplish ed lady thief, dosvns of tradegmen oame forward with parliuulars of loBses at hei hauds. Sometimeg a woman with an "I ara starving" board would take the piafe o the organ man, but in all oases the thromng aud catohing of the stolen article liad been po oleverly managed that the shopman had boeu anable U doteot lt. The advocate for the defonse - ono of the most brilliant speakers at the bar - ploaded most eloquently for tho fomnle prisoner, and wouud up his address wikh ao eloqneut appoal to tbe jury, bcgging them not to seutenoe ho cluver a woman to lifo long bondage. The jury sourcely saw the foroe of the argument, I aiu sorry to gay, for they brought in a verdiot of "guilty," and the Judge sentenced both the organ grinder and "Lady Wildebrand" to penal servitude for life, with the remark that "olever" women of her stamp were eafer out of the dull, stupid world than in it.