Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-05-08

had finished. so that them pesky servants
wouldn't come nigh heI any more
Breakfast was eaten, as usual. anc alter
awhile. three ladies called. and sent up
their cards. Mrs. Crosby would have re-
fused, but her husband oeercame her OBJ
jecIions. So the ladies called in. and
Mrs. c.. was once more 'on ne,iles.'3
At five o'clock. they left. and shortly
afterwards. Mrs. Crosby stole away 10 her
chamber. Tom had been watching her.
and he stole after her. and watched her
movements through the key-hole. She
first threw herself upon the bed, and there
she lay some time. Next. she arose and
went to the fire place. She moved the
gaudy screen, and then reached up and
took down the leathern bag. She took
out the stone and placed il upon. the
hearth. Within the fire place stood a
pair of small silver handirons with one Of
these Mrs. c. deliberately smashed the
stone to atoms. With peculiar chuc-
kle Tom hss,ened below. and attended
himself to prepsrirg his wife's tea The
meal 10 be eaten was denominated dinner,
but when Mrs. Crosby came down, she
distinctly said supper! ..,
She could eat but little. hut she drank
freely Of the tea. and within half an hour
afterwards. she felt SO sleepy that she
could not keep her eyes open, and she
went TO bed despite her husbands urgent
arguments to the contrary. eOfcourse she
was not long in falling asleep, ind she
slept sound too.
'To.n! Toni cried Mrs. Crosby. when
she awoke. Tom. Tom. for mercy's sake
look. Jehosophat and Jerusalem!
The sun was shining brightly in aslhe
little vine clad window, and the kitten
was purring costly upon the foot of the
bed. The enraptured woman turned her
eyes at the crib that stood by the bed
side, aud there lay her darling Effie fas;
asleep. .tfl.
Goodness gracious!' said Tom. starting
up, Somebody's stolen our stone. Our
magic stone is gomez
'Ho, no! Twas that did itI' the wife
shouted. leapiug from her bed, and dane
ing about on the painted floor.
With that. she opened the door of the
little bed room, where. in the cot bed lay
young Tom and Willie, and in the trundle
bed Lizzie was sleeping. -.t.-.l.-
Tom was up by this time, and he pro-
fessed TO be greatly alarmed.
Alas! Our wealth is gone!' 'afsa
sThen let it go!' retoried Hannah. For
my part, I've had enough of it. o, Tom,
doesn't this place look erand? 81 %
But how long will it be before you
will be moaning after carriages and siiks
again?' al- t
Never. never.'
At this moment Efiie walked Up. aud
gavea cry of JOY as she saw mamma
Mrs. Crosby, as soon as she could coll
lect her senses. began to think she had
only been dreaming. but when she heard
Tom and Willie talking about the new
school, and saw how the dust had coll
lected about the windows, she feared it
was. after all. q reality. But by and By.
she heard bell ring, end when she found
it was really Sunday she knew that her
past experience had been a~substantial
thing. reality, for it was on "Wednesday
that she had first seen the magic stone.
And then her headache and other bodily
pain yet remained TO admonish her Of .he
misery she had suffered.
II was over Two years before Mrs C'cs.
by discovered the secret of that three days
experience she had in high lifp,' and even
then discovered it By accidentally over
hearing conversation between her hus-
band and Mr.. Newton. Until then she
had firmly believed that she owned the
, experience to deed of magic. She now
realized the many blessings she enjoyed.
and no more gave way to discon.entrr