The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-04-13
Maggy smiled indulgently, secretly

Maggy smiled indulgently, secretly
thankful at such cheap release.
You may have any curl you want,
Ned, and welcome. Only you must
take it as pledge of banishment, Ned"
And now Maggie laid down her sewing
and looked into his moody, half scornful
face. / wish for your sake it had been
as you desire. But as it is not, as am
so content, let it all be forgotten. Which
curl will you have?"
She leaned her head toward him CO.
quettishly, and he awkwardly, trembling
ly, cut one off close to her neck, so close
the cold steel made her start. The mo-
ment he had severed it he threw down
the scissors, thrust the curl in his pocket
in wad, and arose from his chair.
" / said Pd go. Good bye, Maggie" :"
Almost before Maggie could recover
from her surprise at his wild, abrupt way,
he was of, his footsteps ringing loud on
the frozen ground. His eyes were brighter
than usual, and his face fairly worked
with exultation as he drew the.tangled
black curl from his pocket, aud with it a
band of black velvet to which a tiny,
plain gold cross was attached.
"Little did my lady know l cut the
velvet with the curl, and only begged
the hair that / might secure the cross.
Little did the lovers-curse 'em-know
l overheard their sugar-candy romance
about the token of the cross; but if
George Wayland don't get this back
before I'm week older, it'll be strange.
Trust either of them for an explanation;
they're too plagued proud"
And Maggie went on with her sewing
for another hour in blissful unconscious
ness of the loss of her treasure. After
ward, she and Bessie had a game of
romps before Bessie went finally to bed
and still later-at halfpast nine-she
and brother Ben went down to the last
mail to see if there was letter from
George. Itwas not until she had retired
to her own room and stood before her
dressing bureau to arrange her hair for
the night, that she missed it, and then
she missed it at the very first glance in
the glass. 1t was down stairs, of course,
on the floor, where it had fallen when
she and Bessie had their game of fun;
or oh, suppose she had lost it on the
street on the way to the post oficel 1t
was very probable, very; and when she
had crept softly down stairs, lamp in
hand, and thoroughly searched the sit
ting room in vain, she knew it was really
lost on the streets. What would George
say to her carelessness? How could the
velvet have come united? And with
little fit of crying over her loss, Maggie
went to bed and dreamed of wading
ankle-deep in gold crosses.
George Wayland, on his way home
from hard days work, stopped at the
post-office, in far-of Weston city, for
the long-delayed letter from Maggie
Carol. 1t had been a fortnight since
he had received the last. and worried
sort of feeling took possession of him at
the delay. Was Maggie i'll, away from
home, or-George hated himself for the
ugly thought that more than once fitted
unbidden across his mind-was it posi-
BILE that since his short absence, and Ned
Morrison's heirship to long disputed
estate Maggie could have changed her
mind? Yes, it was, barely, and that
was all, George decided; and when the
mail at last opened, and the rush at the
boxes was lessened somewhat, and he
actually saw one for him. he felt it was
impossible. But he shook with surprise
and sick fear to see Ned Morrison's
handwriting. What was the news in the
sealed eDvelope? He tore it rudefy open,
and, wrapped in piece of tissue paper,
dropped into his trembling hands-Mag-
gie's gold crossl Not word, only this
mute sign-the very token he had sug-
gested How contemptuous the blank
sheet of paper seemed to him, and how
unutterably mocking did his name,
in Ned Morrison's hand writing.
appearl So it was net only possible
or probable that Maggie could
throw him over, but actually,
undeniably the fact that she had done
so. And he, away out West, with but
one friend-his companion in labor, Mag
gie's cousin Jim-and stinting to save
money for Maggie, and working
night and day for Maggie's sake.
Oh, was it any wonder he gnashed his
teeth in rage of grief? He crushed
the letter in his pocket and pushed his
cap far down on his eyes, and strobe on,
dumb from the blow, never seeing, never
hearing Jim Carol, who had got let
ter from home, and having read it, was
waiting to deliver messages to George.
q What can al. the man % thought Jim,
wonderingly, and started after him and
stepped on some little hard object as he
put his foot down. He stopped and
picked up the little goldencross. George
lost it off his watch chain, suppose" !"
He put it in his pocket and went on,
intending to oyertake Wayland and give
him his lost trinket. But, by dint of
fast walking, maybe, George was out of
sight and Jim did not see him that
night. And on the morrow one Of the
hands gave him a penciled note from
Wayland.
Pve little business to attend to further
down for week or so. Keep things going
on. Back soon as can. G. w.
Then, when Jim started off on his DAVIS
work, it suddenly occurred to him that,
as George would be away probably more
than week, he would send his cross
home to Maggie for safe keeping. He
knocked around so among the machinery
that it might get broken or lost, and he
knew George priced it highly. So-and
the fates ordered it that he had no time
to write line before he went on-he
thrust it into an envelope lying on
Georges desk, already directed to Mag
gle, and sent it on its ill-omened mes
sage, all unconscious of the mischief he
was brewing.
The long winter had passed away
somehow or other-Maggie Carol hard
ly knew how. 1t was enough for her to
know that she had been very wretched
and unutterably miserable since aday,
months past, when without word or
sign of warning, she had received from
George Wayland the cross he swore al
ways to wear for her sake.
Ned Morrison had seemed delighted
when he learned-how such pitiful facts
do leak out-that it was all over with
Maggie and George, and, full of pompos.
ity and selfimportance over his inherit.
ance, had tormented Maggie half crazy
to accept him. And now, when even his
dull head had been made to know it was
/ L L {.