The Western advance., 1874-07-18
20 no, my love, I shall be here, ,"said
Mr. Rothely, reassuringly.

"But that won't hinder them. WHY.
they blow chloroform through key-holes'
and smother you with pillows. and if YOU
scream they shoot. Mrs. Ever has iust
been telling me how she lay still and
held her hand over Mr.. Ewer's mouth,
and saw the men going through his pock-
cts, without daring to breathe
| Mrs. Ever l thought she gave an
alarm"
! 80 yes, finally, when they went to
the drawer where she keeps her diamonds,
you know. 0 dear, dear me If could
only find that key! shall vex myself
into fever. | am all tired out, and I
have been so afraid you would saw it was
careless"
"Careless, my love? Not in the least.
And as for the key, never mind it. 1t
will turn up; that's way things have"
According >to-the Hsttstal ldepraSity of
inanimate things" said Mrs. Rothely,
laughing as easily as she cried "Arc
YOU ready for dinner? There's Lawrence
| making eyes at me outside the door.
Come in! What is it, Lawrence? Have
you found the key? What a jewel an
honest servant isl"
May bc this ull bc the kay, num-
said Lawrence, with shuttle.
"That rusty thing? o DEAR no! It
is little ornamental brass key that is
lost;' and she tossed the rusty tool unon
the fire. "Was there ever ANYTHING so
vexatious as to have all your expectation
| reused just to be destroyed?"
"Thcrc's no occasion for frctting. nv
| darling,' said Mr. Rothely. II viii have
the men up here to open the safe by force.
take 1t away, and put another in. That
will outt1ank the thieves" He felt, and
was conscious that he looked, like moth
ing but thief himself:
res, and we may all he killed in our
beds tonight Well, we must seize the
moment as it flies, suppose; which
means that you must make haste and
dress for dinner and get what pleasure
we may out of the day if we are not to
have another. l expect that superb
Count Pescovitch-thc Pole, you remem-
ber-to dinner (now don't make mis-
take and take him for IL Russian, or-you
know the old saying-you'll catch Tar
tar, and the Du Barris and Van Vlcets,
that's all. I'm sure it's Il blessing sent
especially to divert my mind, though
dare say they'll talk of nothing but bur
gIary and murder after tell them about
the key"
DoA VII tACiH tuCu
Well, I declare, Mr. Rothely! Ishould
think it was something to hide! When
Providence makes subject for CONVEX
sation to hand, to decline it Why, of
course shall tell them, and ask their
advice. Oh, it's too bad! l had such
delightful plan, and such surprise for
you, too. But perhaps Fate was wiser
than ," said Mrs. Rothely, signing, and
1,n
doubted the proposition.
My DEAR" said Mr. Rothcly, "don't
alarm yourself any further If it will
be comfort to you, promise to sit un
in the hall with coup pie of loaded re-
volvcrs all night And then he laughed
| and went up stairs.
"How good he is" said Mrs. Rothely.
Never to whisper Il word about his own
great troubles because he saw minc He
doesn't know what | heard him saving.
On, there never was such husband!"
For two or three mornings after that
having neglected to send up the men
who could remove the safe-thc first
thing that saluted Mr.. Rothely's eyes as
he opened them was his wife, with her
pretty lace cap askcw, and shawl drag
ging from her shoulders, reflected in two
or three long mirrors, and going over the
room in 4 renewed search, while she
talked vigorously to herself. ut is
getting to be worse than Blue boards
key" she was signing. II sha'nt wait
another day before calling in the police.
Ii any Of the servants took it and arc
biding their time for raid On the safe
we are only assisting at the cutting of
our own throats by this delay" And Mr..
KOthely, muttering something about its
turning up all right would dispose himself
Tor another snooze, but not a sweet one,
we may surmisc; for, somehow or other,
light-hcarted as Mr.. Rothely ought to
have been in relation to his business, lie
did not in these two or three days find it
possible to smile, and Mrs Rothcly could
not but observe his depression and de-
rive fresh trouble from it.
1t might have been on the third or
fourth of these mornings that as Mr.
Rothely opened his eyes he saw his
pretty wife prowling about the rooms as
on the previous days
"Still on the look-out:" he said.
"Wcll, you will lose your wits. Here,
let me sce!' And he seized his dressing
gown, wrapped himself in it, and was
presently beside her. "Do you expect
to find it by shaking your ball dresses
like prcstidigitatcur?' he asked
"But it may have gotten caught in the
folds, you know" she urged.
| You had the furniture moved, you
said. Did you turn back the edges Of
the carpet?"
"Turn back the carpet! Mr. Rothely,
it is your wits that are in danger Do
you suppose the key has been lost super
naturally, that it Can get under car.
pct?"
II thought you didn't. Well, let us
see. H'm-h'm. Can you help me a
little? Monstrous thing! Give me those
scissors, please. m-h'm-thcrc! Mrs.
Rothely, what do you call this? Here is
your key, slipped between the carpet
and the wall; and all the agitation of
your search, with it's sweeping and NOV
ing, is only calculated to slip it still
further into hiding. told you the thing
would turn up" And he went back with
apparent composure to his sleep; but he
did not close his eyes at once, for it was
lous moment too to his wife; she clasped
profound an ejaculation of thanks as if
she had been on her knees, and then she
flew to the little safe and unlocked it
and snatched the casket. Yes, there it
was, and there were the jewels in it
with their old and exquisite filigree set.
ting in gold-work of tiny shamrock and
thistle.
ooh, my beauties!'' she exclaimed
"How glad-how glad am to see you
sparkling up at me again! Oh, how
precious you are! What should l have
done if had lost you?"
II was quite right" said Mr. Rothel,
| To himself g II is cyidant cha ,,ould r, q,