The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-01-01

| - "'io'h stdtuette-ApOllO.
with bent bow and Grecisn face,
crashed to the marble floor.
Mr. Lacy advanced, with a face
purple with repressed wrath, to pick
up the fragments.
Ten dollars, Miss Erskine,' he Mt.
tered, In low tone. 'Of course yeu
are responsible. Our young woman
always expect to make good what
they break. It's one of the rules of
the store "
'Mr. Lacy, cried Mildred, breath
iessiy, i did not break that. 1t fell
OF when the young lady caught her
1T was your fault, then, for not
seeing that it was properly secured
said Mr.. Lacy, oraftily-for of oourss
1t was his business to affix blame not
to the wealthy customer, but to the
defenceless shop girl, who had no
one to take her part. 'You are re.
sponsible for this counter. And
Tape u Sparkle expect these lille
things to be settled up at once
Mildred grew pale. Ten dollars
AS far as she was concerned. he
might have said ten thousand. She
had just arisen from long and ex-
penslve bed of sickness, and beyond
the fifty cents that was to pay for
her dinner aud car-fsre, she had not
penny in the world.
Gerald Avenel stood quietly by the
counter, while Flora Watson guiltily
arranged her furs and settled her
bonnet strings, affecting to be igno,
rant OF the oolloquy going on. For
1t was Flora's hand that had precipi.
tated the statuette to the floor, and
she knew 1t perfectly well.
will she be base enough to LET
the other girl suffer for her fault p
he thought. IF so, it is a revelation
OF her character which | had new
er dreamed OF before
Bat Miss Flora did not mean to
spend any unnecessary money. She
disliked Mildred, first, because she
was pretty; secondly, because Ger
aid Avenel seemed to be interested
in her, as an old acquaintance third
ly, because she was shop girl earn
ing her living by her own hard work.
Come, MIR. Avenel,' she said i'm
patiently. Il don't see anything to
suit me here. Let US CO.
Not yet, said Gerald, composed
ly, opening his porte-monnaie. Not
until | have paid for tie statuette
which you knocked down.
Flora burst into tears.
1T wasn't my fault, she cried. |
couldn't help 1t. And | wish | had
never seen the horrid thing' Come,
Aunt Libbie, let's go home
i will put you in the carriage
said Gerald Avenel.
But you are coming, too, Mr..
Ayenel p said the discreeter matron.
Not at present. Perhaps | will
come around this evening, for little
while.
So he shut them into the hand
some, olaret- cOlOred brOugham and
watched them drive away, before he
went Dack TO the store.
Flora, said Aunt Libbie, almost
Indignantly, as the horses moved
away, what made you behave so
like petulant school girl You've
lost him now. A man can never en-
dure display of temper like that |!
You may depend upon it, he will
never propose to you nOw.'
Meanwhile, the unconscious sub
ject OF Aunt Libbie's harangue had
returned to the counter, behind
which Mildred no longer stood.
"Where is Miss Erskine p be
asked, with that innate air of ,supe-
riOrity and command which belonged
to him as by gift of nature. Mr..
Lacy inVoluntarily oringed before
him.
She's gone to put on her things,
sir he said. Miss Erskine is dis
charged
Discharged =
yes, sir. Wouldn't pay for the
figure she broke, Lacy gibIy answer.
ed.
Your statement is erroneous in
two particulars said Gerald, calmly.
I'm the first place, it was not she that
broke the image. In the second
place, you have already been paid
for 1t, out OF my purse
Much obliged to you, I'm sure
said the smirking Mr.. Lacy. 'But
it's our invariable rule, always to
make the young woman responsible
for their own counters. 1t teaches
them to be careful, sir, you see =
Gerald Ayenel turned away with
a sneer before whose fiery scorn Mr.
Lacy could not but vince, in spite
of himself
at will teach me to avoid such 8
den OF cheating and villainy in the
futurer he said, as he left the ele.
giant, marble -hoored Emporium,
thereby depriying Messrs. Tape &
Sparkle OF one of their best custom
ers.
But he fingered outside, until the
gray, slight figure crossed the thresh
old.
Mildred =
How she started. 'Mr. Ayenel
/ thought you were gone
Il waited for you. | have no um
brella-neither have you. Whers
are you going? What do you pur
pose to do r
i am going home-if you can cal
a fourth story back room home.
purpose to starye,' with a forced
laugh. 'For really, know not whst
else to do
Mildred, will you take my advicei
We were old friends, once you know
What is it?' she asked, turning
her wan face away from his.
'There was man once asked yot
to marry him. He was perhaps
little abrupt-you were young anC
eapricious. You said no. WoulC
you say otherwise, if-haying loved
you well and truly all this time, b,
were to ask you second time p
sBut he would not she faltered.
'He would. He does, Mildred
will you be my wife p
'Y es.'
And then she told him how, al
these years, she had regretted be-
. first answer.