Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1914 — The Black Opal [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Black Opal

It Brought Good Luck After All

By CLARISSA MACKIE

"So you are going to marry Cniveth?" uskt"] Robert Delmore with a note Of pain i.i !». . e. Ina Standish turned her beautiful gray eyes upon the young man and spoke coolly enough, although her heart was wildly heating. "Yes,” she said deliberately, “I am engaged tu marry Anthony Craveth. Won't you wish me happiness, Bob?’ "Of course I will, Ina. although you may not need my good wishes, You have attained your ambition—you have made a brilliant match.” "You are unfair—you have no right!" flared the girl hotly. Then, as if reading something in his frank eyes, she drooped her head and murmured: "Forgive me, Bob. You are right, as usual. I am horrid, lutt I’ve been poor all my life, and you don’t know how I hunger for the good things of the world.” "The luxuries you sigh for are not the really good things of the world.” said Delmore gravely. "I know that, for I am a rich man, yet I am supremely unhappy.” “Yet”— She was beginning swiftly when the door opened and a servant announced Anthony Craveth. lie entered, a tall, dark man, with a long, sallow face ornamented by a jetty Mack mustache and imperial. Ilis shining black hair was brushed smoothly down over liis high, narrow forehead in a deep curve. Anthony Craveth was of French parentage, and lie was called fabulously rich. Now. as be came into the room he darted a sharp glance at Robert: Del more and gave him a cool greeting. Delmore tendered his congratulations on the approaching marriage , with

Miss Staudish, bent low over Ilia’s white hand and then took his departure. lua was very white when slit* was left alone with her betrothed. Cravetli was an ideal lover, and even Ina, who cared little for him, felt the romantic charm of life ardent wooing. At last he brought from his pocket a small tortoise shell ring case and, opening it, took out a beautiful black opal ring, the stone surrounded with small diamonds. “This,'’ he said tenderly, taking her left hand in his own, "is. the traditional betrothal ring of the (Taveths. It was brought from Australia many years ago by an an/estor of mine, and since then it has always been worn by the brides of my house. It is said to bring happiness and good luck to all true lovers." He slipped the beautiful ring on her slender finger and then kissed her rosy finger tip and the black opal. > "Until you permit me to touch your lips." be murmured reprovingly. Inn did not appear to hear him. She was staring at the ring with horrified eyes. “I am afraid of it. I am itfraid of it!" she shuddered as she held her hand toward him. "Take it off, Anthony! I cannot wear it.” “Nonsense," laughed the lover, patting her hand. “You are superstitious, as most people are where opals are concerned and especially black opals. They bring good luck to our family.” So. finding that Anthony was so bent upon her wearing the black opal ring, Ina stifled her prejudices and said no more, but that evening when she sat alone in her room she looked at the opal for a long time! “I am afraid—afraid—afraid!" was her last thought as she went to sleep. That night Ina had a vivid dream. She thought that she was walking in the fields and that she wore the opal ring on her finger. A shadow darkened the sky, and she looked up to see a great eagle descending in sweeping circles. She dreamed that he attacked the opal ring on her finger and carried it away witli him, leaving her finger torn and bleeding. Ina a woke,, with a little scream, to find that the early morning sunlight was breaking through her east

dotfund that part of her dream had come true, for the opal ring was gone from her Auger and the linger was cut slightly, as though the jewel had beeu roughly torn away. It was a moment of intense excite ment when Ina faced Anthony Craveth and told him about the loss of the black opal ring. The incredulous smile on liis countenance when she described her dream and told of her awakening to discover that the ring had really disappeared brought a strange terror to her heart. "What is it, Anthony?” she cried sharply. “Why do you look at me like that?" "Because 1 am interested in your story,’’ he replied dryly. Bui—but you look as though you scarcely believed me,” persisted Ina nervously. “Of course I know that some one must have entered my room and stolen the ring from my finger, but —but you must understand that the entire transaction appeared as a dream to me and nothing more!” • "Of course I never doubt a lady’s word,” said the man, with a mocking smile. “But, mademoiselle, you un-' derstaml that as the black opal en-. gagement ring has vanished, so our betrothal i 3 dissolved!” With a deep bow he vanished from the room, leaving Ina heartbroken over his cowardly insinuations. Inas father instituted a close inquiry into the matter of the vanished open ring, and, unknown to the girl, he consulted Robert Delmore, wbo had long been a friend of tbe family. Robert had long loVeil Ina and wanted to marry her, but the girl's ambitious nature bad chafed against his slow wooing. and she had accepted the more brilliant Craveth. whose courtship had been as brilliant as it was brief. * Both Mr. Standish and Delmore agreed that it would he an easy matter for a thief to steal the ring from Ina's finger, for her bed was drawn close to an open window, which, although heavily barred, was always open at night. 1 1 would have been easy; for an interloper to hav e stood on the little hah-ony outside the. window, thrust his arms between the iron bars, taken Ina's hand arid removed the ring. They decided that that bad been the course pursued, for they found muddy footprints on the floor of the balcony deep indentations on the flower beds beneath, where some one had jumped to the ground. A few (lays afterward Ina sat listlessly regarding the advertisements hi the daily newspaper. Suddenly a familiar name caught her eye; LOST.—Stolen from the residence of An thony Craveth of Sydney, Australia, a valuable ring set with a large black Opal surrounded by diamonds. Large reward and no questions* asked for information concerning jewel. Address MESSRS. I, IXX & HOnDY, Counselors. Wharf Street, Sydney. “How strange!" cried Ina. "Why, tin* ring was stolen from my hand! What does Anthony mean? Has the loss of the ring driven him out of his senses?" She put all these questions to her father, who confessed himself bewildered. In turn he showed the clipping to Robert Delmore. “I’ll take this home with me arid study it out," said Delmore gravely.’ and his first visit was to the nearest cable office, where lie sent off a long message to Linn A Iloddy at Sydney. While he waited for a reply he made I what investigations he could concerning Anthony Craveth and his family history. To liis surprise, he found that the only Anthony Craveth. who was known to be living was a native of Australia and had never visited America. The New York Craveths repudiated any acquaintance with the man who had engaged himself to Ina Sta. dish. Inquiry at Craveth’s hotel revealed the fact that the man had paid his hill and departed four days before. No one knew where he was or the reason for liis sudden departure. Roll (*rt Delmore asked permission to ex amine the rooms lie had vacated, and there lie found a pair of mud stained shoes which proved to fit exactly the footprints around the Standish residence.

Two days after lie sent the cable message to Sydney Robert Del more called upon lua Standish and her father. “At last 1 have uncovered the mystciy surrounding the disappearance of the black opal ring,’’ be said gravely, “and 1 must say, Ina, that the ring certainly brought ill luck to you as well as td its real owner.” “Its rei| 1 owner!” echoed the girl. “Didn’t it belong to Anthony Craveth after all?” “Yes, it belonged to him safe enough, and the tradition concerning it was authentic, but it happens that the man you knew as Anthony Craveth was not that gentleman at all, but a thief who stole the ring from Craveth’s home in Australia. The real Authony Craveth Is married and has a family.” Ina shuddered. “I was afraid of it,” she sobbed. “But it served me right for being such an ambitious wretch! I didn’t really care for Craveth, and”— Delmore’s arms Avent around her. *‘l know you didn’t. Ina. I knew A’oti loved only one man in the world, and if you had AA’aited another day lie would have asked you! But it’s all right now, and I’m sorry, dear, that Craveth’s black opal brought vou sucli ill luck”— “111 luck!” cried Ina, with shining eyes, as she drew away and looked at him adoringly. “To find out my mistake, to be prevented from making a lifetime blunder, to find ouf that you love me-why, Robert, that" the best luck in the world!” “So the black opal brought us good luck after all,” laughed Delmore tenderly.

“I’M AFRAID OF IT!” SHE SHUDDERED.