Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-01-14
THE DIAMOND RING.

"Roxie, Roxie, child ~
A young girl, lovely as the mornin g, dis
engaged herself from the laughing group
about her to reply to the lady who called
her.
"Well, Auntie ?'' she said, with a. back
ward toss of the softest, brightest curls,
and a look Of saucy defiance out OF arch
hazel brown eyes.
"What was that I heard you say just
now ?''
Roxie colored, but looked saucy still and
laughed. II don't care" she said, pout-
ing very becomingly the next moment II
do like Frank TT ornly, although he is pa
pas clerk. I shouldn't have said so, only
Ellen Richmond was making fun of what
she calls his assurance in dancing with me
SO often tonight.
II wouldn't dance with him again, my
DEAR"
"Why not, pray ?" Roxie exclaimed, ell
evating her graceful eyebrows.
s'Because you are very pretty girl, and
he is very handsome, impressionable
young man. You may do him much
harm"
| ZIP"
''Such fiattering preferen ce as you are
evincing for young Thorley's society is
enough to turn any young; mans head ;
and, coming from a girl in your position to
man in his, is calculated to do HARM
Take my advice, Roxie he already sees no
one in the room hut you. Lavish your
witcheries on some one less liable to lose
his wits in consequence Of them"
| Roxie turned away from. hel' aunt a lit.
tie pettishly, and stole from under her
thick lashes a furtive glance in young
Thorley's direction. He was indeed watch
ing her. with his heart in his handsome
eyes; and the vain little beauty flushed
with pleasure.
1t was not long before Frank Thorley
asked her to dance with him again.
''He is so handsome and graceful and so
entertaining" Roxie unused during the in
stant's hesitation before she put her little
whlte-gloyed hand in his, 81 will dance
| with him-therel"
| And away she fioated in airy circles.
with some inward misgiving, as her eyes
met auntie's mildly disappearing look, OF
fell beneath the impassiorled and almost
too frankly admiring glance of hel' com
panion; "Of course he knows I am partic-
ularly kind to him. because he's pan2's
clerk; and he can't be SO ridiculous as to
fall i'll love with me really, and it isn't
likely we shall ever be together this way
again.
| Miss Roxie, however, was mistaken in
her calculations. She had INDUCED q. mo-
mentary whim, and had insisted upon his
attending her party
AS consequence, somebody else invited
him, and then somebody else, and he w as so
handsome and entertaining such gr. ace
full addition to any circie-that before The
winter was over, be had become very Pop
ular, and received more Invitations than
he was able to accept. Roxie was sur
prised, but secretly pleased atthis, and at
the continuance OF his undisguised and al
most romantic devotion to herself. Re Nie
accepted this devotion with occasional re-
lutance, occasional misgiving as to VIII ere
it was to end but she liked it too well TIC
lose it, and was perhaps more interested at
heart than she realized herself.
Imagine her CONSERVATION when Fra ns
Thorley asked her to marry him!
sI-I'm sorry, Frank" she murmure I'd
almost incoherently, as she dropped into q
seat.
Thoriey's eyes flashed momentarily.
"You've done wicked thing, Miss Ro K
lie Lyle" he said. eff ever woman led a
man to believe she loved him, you did me. II
Roxie stopped him there with haught y
gesture, and an angry-s'You forget you :
self, Mr.. Thornley," and she swept impe' =
rally past him, back to the drawing room:
she had quilted a moment before ON his
arm.
Mr.. Vincent Lyle was at the head of one
of the Oldest firms in the city. He was a.
man of sterling integrity and uprightness
himself, and sternly severe upon any dere-
LECTION in another. His clerks were all lib
orally paid and a young man, VINO could
obtain situation, be it ever so subordi-
nate, with Lyle Il Co., was considered to
have secured an uncommonly good start
in life. Dishonesty or unfaithfulness
among the clerks of the firm was rare
partly because of the discrimination exer-
cised in engaging them, partly because of
the severe and summary reckoning exact
ed from the few offenders.
Mr.. Vincent Lyle was not inclined there
d fore to deal leniently with the author OF
some small but daring peculation that had
been going on of late. Woe to the guilty
one, when he discovered him; and from
the searching investigation he was making
he was like to do that soon. The matter
! worried him so long as it baffled him and
he was sitting in his luxurious library a.
home, bordering it, when Frank Thorle,
sent in a note to him.
The merchant started, as he read, NUT
terinp