Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-12-08
anntiuusd from first psge.l

bic be the windy"
''Oh. that makes Ire think; could yor
wear them ?"
''Oh. sure ma'am. an phase he Lord
niver had me ears holed from that day &c
this; but my Mary Ann, an she not three
year old come March, she fetched thin
down Monday off the bureau; An, Moth
err, seq she, be the help O. God I'll wesr
thin earrings wan dav.' seq she. She's
raal smart. that wan !"
This was to much for Nan; she left
Polonious to her scrubbing, and turned to
me with a desperate yet comic express
sion:
Its no use, Jack they're gone
If she oniy could have accepted the sit
uaiion we should have had peace; but day
after day went on and our possessions
were daily turned inside out, outside in,
aud bottom side up, while al our friends
were regaied with The wotu tale, and ev-
erybody wondered who could have stolen
the claret
Six weeks after as I came into the par
Tor at night. beheld strange pile on the
table. carefully yelled with towel. Nan
sprang up from her low chair. with a
naughty sparkle in her eye and highly
dramatic sweep OF her arm, snatcbed off
the towel aud revealed the three claret
bottles.
| sank on Ia the sofa and laughed Till /
could laugh no more.
you hUrrid thing :" she exclaimed af-
ter she had laughed little to herself. II
Thought you'd he SO glad"
''My dear, I'm as glad as | can be; but
consider the weakness OF humanity. !
had to laugh | should have died OF its
suppression and The flood of memories
cihis apparalion called up.
20! p Exclamation marks cannot
give the Indignation which ihi- ht,le syl-
Liable hurled at me.
Where did you fiud them, Nan ?"
81 don't want to tell. | thought you'd
he magnanimous and you're not bit. |
know | never shall hear the last OF that
claret But if you must know, they were
in my work-basket, rolled up in Gracey s
new flannel night gowns"
Here she had to laugh with me; and
though | lose all character for magnanim-
itv, must own that Nan never did hear
the last of that claret. for IL was perpetu-
ally brought to confront her during the
next three months, when at one time ev
cry pair of scissors disappeared, to be re-
covered from the crease of the sofa, the
middle of Websters Dictionary, and the
top of iam-pot on the highest pantry
shelf, places where she had laid them
down in some emergency and quite for
gotten them.
As for spools, neck ribbons, pencils.
handkerchiefs, gloves, they seem TO SYM
bolze the lost tribes of Israel tor
number and persistence, except that they
always come back.
II is true that | also lost things. but in
the natural way; a seeve-bulton that
dropped out in the street, and never came
back; a new buster that tell from the
buggy on drive. and probably did
somebody else good service long since.
Mans worst losses were retrived inevita-
bly,.
But in three months came loss that
was really Annoying. Nan had dreadful
headaches after any exposure to cold,
and consequently wraps her head up in
long and thick veil ii the weather is the
least threate ming when she is obliged to
face it.
There was funeral one dav in Port
land, some thirty miles from us by rail,
which she must attend. being one of the
immediate family; and though it was
NAV, the sky looked dark enough when
Nan left me-for | could not leave my
business to go with her further than the
station. OF course she took her veil
new and expensive one Just obtained
from New York. But after she reached
town, the weather changed to extreme
heat. and the next afternoon ] met her at
the train flushed and painting, with her
shawl over her arm, scolding about the
day live been almost roasted, do as
sure you. The cars, oh, how hot they
were! Please, I'd rather walk home I'm
too warm to ride"
So we walked home; and matters went
on as usual for two or three weeks, when
one day picnic being afoot. Nan came
to me with wide eyes:
Jack, do you remember that day
came home from Aunt Doacas' funeral
seeing my dark blue veil in my hand ?"
mo, don't Il il lost, Nanp"
"Of course it is" she retorted with
some dignity. IL must have left in the
cars. | remember taking it off my hat,
was so warm. and hanging it over the
back OF the seat. VIII you please 90 up
10 the noon train and ask conductor Scott
II he found ii ?"
Now | have been on so many fools
erraDds OF this sort, | gently demurred.
Are you quite sure you haven't it in the
house, my dear p'
''Ot course am. Jack. do wish YOU
wnnld never say my dear to me. I'd
rather be sworn mt any day. NV You
think haven't lost that veil. | know |
have. But I'll go myself"
''lndeed you won t, Mrs. Nan. But can
You blame me, remembering the claret Pr
The blessed little woman flew after me
10 box my ears. but am nimble and es-
caped-by a hairs breadth.
or course Mr.. Scott had not seen the
veil. And then Nan recollected she had
! it in her hand coming out OF the station /;
therefore she must have dropped it in the
street, and it had to be thoroughly adver-
iised in the local paper. Bat nobody re-
stored it.
About year after, Nan came to me
with one hand behind her back, and the
sidewise. doubtful look of cat caught
cream stealing.
what have you found p laughed |,
sure oil sequel Of this sort.
She brought slowly before her the blue
lerglhs oil the lost veil, and then threw
herself into my lap. hid her face in nv
beard. and proffered this shame-iaced ex.
PLANTATION why, | was pulling out a
box OF papers from under the bureau
81 Il.