Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-01-26
THE EVENING STAR.
THE LOST nEY.


my dear Philip, have you s-sn uy porss-
ar. Walters brew contracted .Iisn;iy a; lie
E"TGs, and BE- drew way the hand which had
hten caretslnx his 1if-s pretty hair.
'Ts that pcr,--rnocna;- To-: again"
"Ecv, Philip laid the little woman. with
werid OF pretty p"niisnce II me ieHz:aoa"d
H'= tn Fret TIME I've mi-iaid It hi. whole
ncrniIg."
cit 4. too provoking, Jane" said he has
fore him with a movement teaol:ag Intense
rrItztion- "~iil you 1Irsr break yourself Q.
isls careless batdL my lover
Jane wak silent looking down ike @ very
E2ESa'y child who had h-Sn chiUd-n n.
you don't know what Al annoyance these
essSiFts habits are 20 . metacdi.5i n1n ike
myself, GEAR be added, IN a gentisr tone, a.
tEs coral lip bsgsa % trp25!P and ths ryc -
sTGCs@- stDo ETy 20 - more thong htfui for
ry sake, Here is ysur los; ;rpasurv, ~ ar
Cd. quietly drawing L tiEy case OF pearl aHd
geld frcm his pcck-t- - found il lying 81
ii.a stairs, AID ;noughI l, a mos; excellent op-
Pcrtnnliy Tor giving lay careless little wife
Lesson ~
Jane ciapTed her bands at tie sign Of the
restored treasure, and danced out OF tie room
IL SiTii-h Eise.
a perfect child 1nurnured The husband.
IcoxlEy a::cr her wiki - smile aad sigh
binding aheonscionsly into one another.
" Well If doa't make haste, i shall oe 30
LATE for that engagement In thu city. Let me
eer-the NOTES are IN my iron SAT, beIiev
Nothing like locking up things and keeping
h- keys SouTseh II Jane only folio my
sx.:Epif-;
ET. Walter paused abruptly, seeking in his
various pockets, with nervous haste, fer some
ming which seemed not 70 % forthcoming
very strange, muttered h., biting his lip.
81 always put X in that waistCoat pocket Pos
silly may have laid il on the table among
those papers,
The aforesaid papers rustled hi:her aad
niiher. like animated snow flakes, as Mr.
" alter hnTTlediy sought among their confused
z i
81 can't have lost it, he exclaimed, IL dire
PerpiexIfy sand every one Of those notes is
CT ever Fet:inT a; il, But am Certain the KEY
can te LOST never lose anything, II won
&c 20 wait many more minutes-Iii inst put on
sifan shirt and run down town. Hang that
eCEtCunGed kryi'
Er. WALTER hssteEed up to his dressing room
70 con Iier tr "details of his toilet ere he left
III house: but his trials were not yet destined
- terminate. He was meihocicdi man, th=re-
lore MS wardrobe was carefully los ked: he
al az Kept things IN enc place, therefore ,ie
hf!" H:"r.' snusiy reposing in one corner of the
IE@CcFSsirfe iron safe.
tie rushed fraDticalIy back 10 the library
foTirF that the key might b On the maI-lpiece,
where he had net yet searched. NJ, - was not
th-rS, but treacherous inks tand tcaS the cea-
tents whereof, by oEe unlucgy swerp of the
elbow, descended IL a. ebOn catarac; over his
sEiTt-frunt-;Ae sbirt-front upon which alone
fC had dCpGndgdi
"Weil, here is a catastrophe ~ he murmured,
EiotmHr, sanching the lnky few with his
pocket-hendkerchief. "Ho.cyer, can button
nay coat over for The prs sent. Let ne sea
to-day, and
He stopped short; a cold dew Of disnay
breaking out on his forehead - the money
drawer was fixture Of the iron safe,
Penniiess and shirtless, wha. more desperate
state OF affairs could his worst enemy desire
Sr him There was lover deep yet, how
eysr-wouid he not BE- characterless, likewise
If his wifi should, by any inopportune chance,
discover that he, the model Of rule and order
had lost his key! Sofhought Mr.. Walter, a. he
went on 70 a day Of perpiexities and mortifca-
tons in the city.
'.Ii ever 1 trase Jane again about losing
things, he muttered inwardly. rs he entered
The room ON returning home, 81 hope 10 he
drowned with hundred weight OF k,.ys about
msr' = -'''A' oPo"
He unbuttoned his Goa, as he spoke, forye;ful
Of the ink-stains of the morning. Jane uttered
q FAINT scream and shrank back, exclaHniug:
"hy dear Philip, what is the matter with
your shirti' ------.
srhe matter, Ohr' said he. colorine and
laughing II remember now-I split a little ink
over II this morning. II don't signify much"
"I1o l't re get you out another, dear -
"No, no. said he, eagerly Obtaining her:
be easy, my lover
But Jane started away 10 carry her baby M
10 ihr nurss ~. Just as che reached the door,
sometiiing lngi'd softly IN the pocket OF her
little silk aIfon-she stopped ia the passage
"Oh, by the way, Philip, here is the kew 10
your iron safe / found il on the dining-ro1n
table this afternoon, and, she added, with an
arch sparkle in her roguish eyes, 81 Thought il
would be an excellent opportunity for giving
my husban u lessen 81
She laid The key in his hand. and ran ont Of
tie room as he recOiled inyoluniarily from he
sound OF his OWE pedantic words As he con-
feuPiated The cleaning wards OF tbs little STEEL
mis- hief-maker, in mingled delight and morti-
Eeation, the echo of James merry laughter on
the Stairs reached his ear like a chime Of silver
bills.
he laughed, too-he couldn't helpit
hire. Jane Walter was a discreet little fa-
male. She never alluded to the subject Of KEYS
again, and her husband was never after known
to repToach her for carelessness