The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1877-01-25

| flavor islslightly peculiar, but aromati
} and pleasant-very pleasant" 70 tel
lfhe TRUTH I didn't like it at all, but
J wouldn't Aave said so for worlds.
4 We snpked OH in silence. Wha
, wonld thi, superb creature say to me
wonderedlif | were to tels her hoy
, madly Illad fallen in love with her
Wonldshe reject me with scorn, o
would Sae--I gave sudden start an,
was Stocked to fnd I had been falling
aslee. Fortunately tie madame hac
not niticed me. Her large melauchol.
eyesSera bent npon the store. Ihor'
was cfrtainly something very soothing
some hing that inclined 10 slumber anC
hapDA dreams about madame's peculiar
cigardtes. II I had but two Thousand
a yead now, and this sweet creature tC
el,areaxyith me, how happy could | be
| Gertehiy she mast have been some si'
or 'sesgh years older than myself, but
nevefkas one for your chits Of school
girls, who set up for women before they
were slt of their teens. IL re vas, al
ancelmho had been left desolate, whC
had lien cast on q bleak and d'unfeeling
worldwide pinned for heart and home
for heart that brimmed oter with
love. Gracious goodness! had aheart
that yarned toward her-that-that-
Why eh-how was this? And where
was I'll
aqSke with shiYer. But for the
lamp i the courtyard the room would
hayef len quite dafk. My head was
achil! !fTigl fully. Tgos MP and stas-
gerealo thes:wfadow WhenT looked
out aa saw the familiar couft-yard;
ever JAisg a.eme back to me like flash
of ii ht.$yWhere was madame? Why
had 1slept SO long? What a boor she
musltake me to be. I groped for the
bell And rang it violently. Up came the
waiser with a candle. "Where is mad~
ana?" I demanded. "Madame," he
arI.H cred, event otit hehrly three hours
aga, saying that she wanted to make a
fev purchases, and would be back in a
Lille while. On no account, she said,
was her brother, who had suffered ter
:bly from NAL de mer in crossing, TO be
disturbed. Madame" he added, 'has
MT yet returned"
| Gone three hours age! Her brothcri
| Yaf tie meri What could q all mean?
As [ sat down, utterly bewildered my
ann pressed against the little box i'll my
picket. Mechanically l glanced at my
fnger. The ring was no longer there.
Nv heart turned sick within me. [ sank
bwn and butsied my face in my hands.
ghe waiter thought I was i'll, and went
h fetch some cognac. / saw it al now.
Foo,-fool that | was, had allowed
Ssseif to be swIndled, and by com
,<op sdyentnress.4
AZ nine o'clock next morning, I stcor
before nay father, q miserable, haggard,
woc-begone wretch. 1 told my tale; but
as | did so I could not quite keep down
my tears-tpars of mingled shame and
vexation. lie listened to me with a Gu;
rious cynical slnile. When ! had done
he went to his bureau ana opened a
drawer "Set your mind at rest, Ned, y
We said. "Here's the ring safe and
pund!'
[ could only stare at him with open
iouthed astonishment.
"When madame, with the ring in her
pssession, left you asleep, she was Just
| i time to Catch the afternoon boat back
, Dover. The ring was in my hands
gain before ten o'clock last night"
"But-but," I stammerca out, 81
ont understand. When she had once
bit the ring in her possession, why did
he bring it back to yon?"
| ,"Becauso she was paid to do SO. Be
cnse she was hired by me through a
,t;7ate inquiry Office to act as she d'd
d.. Madame, by profession, Is not n
tief but a shirf catcher. You had
| Erown 40 self conceit,d q late, master
Ned. Won hal Rnt strh y mis!.y tall
opinion Of yourself and rour abilities.
lthat Thought il would do Jon no harm
to take you down Prs or t%o' nope
II,nye succeeded III convincing yon thar
I there are people in the world quite as
acycr, on maybe c'ev'rer than a certain
bung gentleman Of one>an nI-t~"nty.
I you profit by the lesson my money
vii have been well spent." ."
Al hour or two later I snid. But
.asn't it rather risky thing to do with
drinr worth five hundred ponDds?'
| Nv father winked at me with the So
emnity of o judge. "M dear Ned
What do you take your old dad for? The
aiamopds we're nothing but paste.