Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-03-28
Cora Min0t's Emerald Ring.

n
full Girl =" asked Cora NIinot of her friend
Jane Wiswall, as they met bv chance on
the street
"What a strange ouestion |" calculated
Jane. 81 do. most certainly, consider hei
TO be a truthful person. and as nearly per
feet in every wav as any Girl I know"
"That's what everv one saws" cried Cora
pettishlv. "and suppose when | proclaim
her TO be thief I shall have the whole vii
lace about INV ears"
aT should saw that that would be a nat
ural consequence of such a proclamation"
replied Jane casting a half surprised half
INDIGNANT look into the face of her com
nonion "Rpt what do Won mean Please
ovnIoin vourselfn
II uos about to do co said Cora. mTast
Thursday was NV birthday as Won know
anJ Az tIorriat ,ybo noned me- cont m,
nresent as sbe docs every wear Tbi.
time ia was n lovely emerald ring and of
conree tba fret thinG 7 did wac to rusb ove,
In the Randalls and show il TO Maria.
Z. She admired If as enthusiastically az |
could desire and said she wished she had
ono like If II fitted her better. too. than
it did me. for il was ouite loose ON nv fin.
GER as aunt wrote me she feared it would
he. but IL was tbe only one of the kind she
conld find in T.exinpton. where she lives.
"When I started TO 90 home only mt
on one Of INV oloves THINKING I might meet
soma of the girls and want to shoy then
nv new rinp. lust as was poinp down th,
stems talking to Maria. who stood in tn,
door 7 gave n Glance at nv hand TO see /,
the emerald rlistened in the sunshine and
bebold il was gonel
"Tt did not take me lono to announce thc
fact. Won NAV be sure. We both reentered
the drawino.room and searched evervyher,
for the ring bnt il was not TO be found
althouph I l,ofo I must have dropped il
sitber in tbat room or in tbe balI ",
bnntad and hunted nrt;l II oot 10 he eo lat,
that had 70 ao home IN tbe borse.cors and
yery s r'cb % op1 of sorts Too 7 assure von
oVn.tordoy ,,,o,,,,,a coli,d a. ths Ran.
dolIs 10 COO ahont II Sba doesn,t besitat,
- all l., soyin,r tho+ Naria bos found il
She il c,oinr a,yoy ON n Io,g visit soon
mamma saws and vyben a,nono strangers
.be cam wear the ring without fear of emo.
,mro NJ Rsndaii sovs Lo u'il, ro,,lace n,
ring If If cannot ha fonnd and mamma saw.
he would never offer to do that were he not
couvinced That II is in the possession Of som,
member If his bonsebold,!
ar r,rs+ adr,it hot what Won cav abou,
l,s;n,r ,'o,,r er,era,d ;s verv sinonlar said
lana ,yyith noined evrression sbadino he,
ros,, franl, faca =" h,t 40 NOT baIiave an,
,nc hos stolen II have no dnnbt that Il
oil, ,st he found in some tinv bidinq.nlac.
where it has rolled. l think, too, that YOU
mother, excuse me for saying it, is too hasty
to say the least, when she attributes the mo
tive she does to Mr.. Randalfs Offering to re-
place the ring. Let us call on Nara now
we shall pass her house on our way-and see
whether there are any new developments.
"Nery we'll, replied Cora, and soon the
two girls were standing on the broad stone
steps of Mr. Randnll'7 reaidenGo'
Maria herself came 10 the door III answer
to the bell. and after greeting her two
friends cordially she SAID cheer1nlly, "fleas'
to come into the dinlngroom. hope yol
will excuse all this dust and confusion, fol
we have Just had the carpets IN the nan an'
| front parlor taken up, and the sofa ana easy
chair covers removed, trying to fnd you
missing ring, Cora"
! hope You will succeed Cora replied
rather distantly, arching her eyebrows Jus
a little; IL don't think 1T can be very ia
off with knowing look toward Jane
who hastened to say
What a pity you should be put to Sc
much trouble, alter your house has had 1t
thorough autumn cleaning. and everythin:
placed in order for the winter-is common
emerald ring so Uery precious = she coul'
not help adding.
"Oh, the trouble is of no account il onl,
we are able to find the lost keepsake; al
emerald is not so very costly. | know, but
was present from Cora's aunt in Kentucky
and so all the more valuable. Besides, m
mother saws we must leave no stone un
turned until it is found
And so the carpets were taken up and pu
down again, the furniture looked over, bu
no ring was discovered. Cora, who wa
inclined to be hasty, severe and unjust in he
judgments on all occasions, did not hesitat
to openly accuse Maria OF the thelt. As sh
could not prove her Innocence, and clrcun
stances being against her, the communlt
were divided in their opinions IN regard t
her guilt.
1t came about that the two families, tn
Randalls and the Mlnots, who had hereto
fore been quite intimate did not speak t
each other even, and the Minots oecaul
almost rancorous IN their ennlty toward
the Randalls. As usual, IN such state o
affairs, the friends OF the two families IT
spectively marshalled themselves on opp'
site sides, and lamentaole condition c
things followed.
IL came near making rupture IN IN
church, Tor some Oh lle people VINO hau