Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-11-14
Living Tapestry.

In Bath In the year ll9-, and the IadJ
who narrated it to the writer was (il
those days. young girl staying in ths
house. 1t was in the palmy days o.
Bath, when that now fallen city rivalel
London in brilliancy and dissipation
and when all the rich, the gay, and tn,
high-bcrn of England congregated ther.
in the season and graced the balls anc
assemblies. Mrs. R, once the belle
of the court of George Ill, but at thil
period gradually retiring from genera
society, possessed one Of the largest o.
the old houses, and .gave in it enter
tainments which were the most popular
of the day. She was celebrated fol
three things (once for four, but the
fourth, her beauty-was of the days
goue by), these things were, her fasci.
nation, her benevolence, aud a set Of
the most perfect and matchless anne.
thysts. Her house contained tapestried
chambers. The walls of one 10 which
she slept were hung around with de-
signs from heather mythology, and the
finest piece in the room was that which
hung over her dressing table. 1t rep
resented Phebus driving the chariot Of
the sun. The figures and horses being
life size, it filled up the whole space
between the two windows, and the
horses we're concealed behind the high
old-fashioned Venitian looking-glas
while Phebus himself, six feet high,
looked down by day and by night at
his mistress at her toilette.
One evening Mrs. R. had an unus,
ually large party at home. She wore
all her amethysts. On retiring to her
room, about four o'clock in the morn.
ing, she took off all her jewels, laid
them on the table, and dismissing the
very maid, intended to put them away
herself, but before doing SO, knelt down,
as usual, to her prayers. While en-
gagged in her devotions, it was habit
with her to look upward, and the face
of Phebus was generally her poiut Of
sight, as it were, and the object on
which her eyes most easily rested On
this particular night, as usual, she rails
ed her eyes to Phebus. What does
she see? Has Pigmalion been here at
work Has he filled those dull silk
eyes with vital fire ? Or is she dream
ing? No. Possessed naturally OF won
derful courage and calmness, she con-
tinued to move her lips ~ if in silent
prayer, and never once withdrew her
gaze, and still the eyes looked down on
hers. The light of her candles shown
distinctly on living orbs, and her good
keen sight enabled her, after cleverly
managed scrutiny, to sec that the tap
estry eyes of PhGbus had been cut out,
and that, with her door locked and
every servant in bed in their distant
apartments, and all her jewels spread
out before her, she was not alone in the
room. She concluded her prayer with
her face sunk 10 her hands.
We can we'll imagine what those
prayers must have been! She knew
there was some one behind that tapest-
ry; she knew that bells and screams
we're equally useless, and she lay down
10 her bed as usual and waited the
issue, her only omission being that she
did not put away her jewels. They
may save my life," she said to herself,
and she closed her eyes. The clock
struck five before sound was heard,
and then the moment arrived. She
heard rustic, descent from behind
the tapestry, and a man stood at her
dressing table. lie took off his coat,
and one by one he secured the jewels
beneath his waistcoat. What would
be his next move? Would it be to the
bedside, or to the window? He turned
and approached her bedside, but by that
time she had seen enough and again
closing her eyes resigned herself to the
Providence whose protection. she had
just been craving. The man vas her
own coachman. Apparently satisfied
by brief glance under his dark lantern
that he had not disturbed her, he qui-
etly unlocked her door and left her.
For two hours they must have seemed
two days-she allowed the house to
remain unalarmed, her only movement
having been to relock the door which
her living Phebus had left sjar.
At seven in the morning she rang
the bell, and ordered the carriage
around immediately after breakfast:
All this was according to her usual
habits. On the box was the man who
had cost her nights rest, and, most
probably, all her jewels. However, she
drove off /; she went straight to the
house of q magistrate. "Seize my
coachman," said she; "eecure him
and search him. have been robbed,
and hardly think he has had time to
diseueumber himself of the jewels he
has taken from me.r She was obeyed,
and she was right. The amethysts were
still about him aud he gave himself up
without struggle.
SOUND SENsE.-A parson was pic
turing to an old sinner upon his death
bed, the gIories that awaited him if be
would repent. He promised him among
other things that he would soon be an
angel. Don't talk that way, please,
parsou, 'said the dying man ssif there
is anything / have a horror Of 'is to be
an angel sitting damp cloud, picking
. harp in the moonshine." @
FLssH-coLoR CATERS, with the toes
stitched with black, to look ss they we're
bare, are reported to be the newest
mode. They ere said TO have shock
ingly natural effect.