The Portland daily press., 1862-08-25
MISCELLANY.
The Lost Key.


Il say, Philip, have you seen my port mon
naie?"
Mr.. Walters brow contracted slightly at the
words, and he drew away the hand which had
been caressing his wife's pretty hair
4ls that port monnaie lost again ?"
'Now, Philip" said the little woman, with a
world of pretty penitence in the heightened
word, "don't scold. Upon my word, it's the
first time I've mislaid it this whole morning.
ut is too provoking, Cora" said the from
hearted husband, pushing back the books on
the table before him with movement demo-
ting intense irritation. "Will you never break
yourself of this careless habit my love ?-
Cora was silent, looking down like a naugh-
ty child who had been chidden.
3You don't know what an annoyance these
careless habits are to a methodical man like
myself, dear" he added in a gentler tone. as
the coral lip began to tremble and the eve to
suffuse. do try to be more thoughtful for my
sake. Here is your lost treasure,n ne added,
quietly drawing a tiny case of pearl and gold
from his pocket Il found it lying ON the stairs
and thought 1t most excellent opportunity for
giving my careless little wife lesson"
Cora clapped her little hands at the sight of
the restored treasure and danced out of the
room in girlish glee.
"A perfect child" murnured the husband.
looking after her with a smile and a sigh. blend
well, if don't make haste shall be too
late to meet that engagement on Ceder street.
Let me see, the notes are in my seeretarie
believe. Nothing like locking up things and
keeping the keys yourself If Cora only fol-
lowed my example,
Mr.. Walter paused abruptly, seeking in his
various pockets, with nervous haste, for some
thing which seemed not to be Forthcoming.
very strange muttered he, biting his lin.
~ ALWAYS il N hat vact, D. n
may have laid it on the table among those
papersw
4 The aforesaid papers rustled hither and thith-
er like animated snow flakes as Mr.. Walter
hurriedly sought among their confused masses.
but 1t was all in vain.
Il cant have lost it" he exclaimed in dire
perplexity. sand every one of those notes is
locked up in the secretarie, with no earthly
chance of ever getting at it! But Il am certain
the key can't be LOST never lose anythinpl
1t won't do to wait many more mnutes-Tl
just put on clean shirt and run down town.
Hang that key"
Mr. Walker hastened to his room to COM
plete the details of his toilet. ere he left the
house, but his trials were not yet destined 10
terminate. He was a methodical man. there
fore his burean was carefully locked: he al
ways kept things in one place, therefore the
keys were snugly reposing in one corner of the
inaccessible secretarie.
He rushed frantically back to the library.
hoping family that the key might be on the
mantle piece where he had not yet searched.
Not Is not there, but a treacherous inkstand
tcds, the contents Whereof by one unlucky
sweep of the elbow, descended in an ebon cat
aract over his shirt bosom--the shirt bosom
upon which alone he depended.
well, here is a catastropher' p he murmured.
gloomily staunching the ink fly with his pock-
hlnf II
coat over for the present. Let me see-there
is that money | promised to pay to Smithson
to-day, and
lie stopped short, a cold dew of dismay
breaking out on his forehead-the money
drawer was a fixture of the wretched secre-
tarie!
Penniless, shirtless and paperless, what more
desperate state of affairs could his worst enemy
desire for him? There was a lower deep vet,
however-would he not be characterless like
wise if his wife should, by any inopportune
chance discover that he, the model of rule and
order, had lost his key! So thought Mr. Wal
ter as he strobe off down town to day of per-
plexities and notifications.
III ever l tease Cora again about losing
things" he muttered inwardly, as he entered
the tearoem on returning home, Il hope to be
drowned with hundred weight of keys about
my neck! It's a judgment upon mer'
Ilc uifOuttOneu us MS coat as he spoke. for
getful of the ink-stamps of the morniog. Cora
uttered faint scream, and shrank back ex-
claiming:
MY dear Philip, what is the matter with
your shirt hpsom Tonight"
"The matter! OH" said he coloring and
laughing, II remember now-I split little ink
over it this morning. 1t don't signify much"
do let me get you another, DEAR"
NO, no." said he eagerly OBTAINING her: Sit
isn't at all worth while. Do sit down and be
easy, my love-"
But Cora started to carry her baby up to the
nursery. just as she reached the door some
thing jinged softly in the pocket of her little
silk apron-she stopped in the passage way.
"Oh, by the way, Philip, here is the KEY to
your secretary. found il on the dining-room
table this afternoon, and" she added. with an
arch sparkle of the eyes, II thought il would
be an excellent opportunity for giving my hus-
band lessonr
She laid the key in his hand, and ran out of
the room, as he recoiled inyoluntarily from the
sound OF his own pedantic words. As he con-
tempiated the cleaning wards of the little steel
mischief-maker, in mingled delight and morti-
fication, the echo of Cora's merry laughter on
the stairs reached his ears like chime Of silver
bells.
He laughed too-he couldn't help it,
Mrs. Cora Walter was discreet little female.
She never alluded to the subject of keys again.
and her husband was never after known to re-
proach her for carelessness.