The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-06-09

ldluGI NC SWOTu az any udJ. NON YOU
think l haven't lost that veil. hare l
know l have. But I'll go myself"
Indeed you won't, Mrs. Nan. But can
you blame me, remembering the claret?"
The blessed little woman flew after
me to box my ears, but am nimble, and
escaped-by hairs breadth.
Of course Mr.. Scott had not seen the
veil. And then Nan recollected she had
it in one hand coming out of the station;
therefore she must have dropped it in
the street, and it had to be thoroughly
advertised in the local paper. But no.
body restored it.
About year after, Nan came to me
with one hand behind her back, and the
sidewise, doubtful look of cat caught
demonstrating.
What have you found?" laughed l,
sure of a sequel of this sort.
She brought slowly before her the blue
length of the lost veil, and then threw
herself into my lap, hid her face in my
beard, and proffcred this shame-faced
explanation: Why, l was pulling out
box Ofepapers from under the bureau in
that little room up-stairs-you know it
wasn't cleaned last fall-and l touched
something soft. Oh! | thought it was
mouse, and l screamed. But it didn't
move; SO poked it with the cane, and it
was my veil, all folded and rolled up. l
suppose l put it on the bureau with my
black hat, and it rolled off behind"
What could l say?
Poor little Nan! things got no better
with her for all my laughter: she would
lose dress skirt, only to discover that
she had put another one over it, and worn
it half the day; no morning passed with
out hunt for the small slippers she had
stepped out of the night before wherever
she CHANGED to be when she thought of
it-by Gracilis' bedside, in the dressing
closet, in the bathroom, or by the parlor
sofa.
She went to visit q friend in Boston,
and lost an exquisite stone cameo pima
head of Venus crowned with roses, en-
bracing Cupid, who nestles his curly
head against her beautiful throat, and
smiles. The subject was peculiar, and
the gem valuable. Nan was sure that
she put it in her trunk, but some delay
occurred about leaving, and the trunk
stood in her room whole day, while she
went out to Roxbury. OF course the
chambermaid had stolen it; there could
be no doubt of that.
Considering the past, felt for the
chambermaid, and therefore persuaded
my wife not to mention her suspicious,
but to write calmly to her friend and ask
If the missing pin had perhaps dropped
hah nd l,n
drawers; but no pin had been seen,
deeply to the regret of Mrs. Greene, who
appreciated and admired it thoroughly.
1t then occurred to my wife that she had
been to the Boston Public Library the
day before the trunk had been packed,
and it was just possible the pin might
have dropped there; so, friend of mine
being about to visit Boston on business,
| commissioned him, not without misgiv-
ing, to inquire at the library for the lost
article; but it was not there, and Nan
tried to accept the situation, though she
regretted the loss much. In the autumn
she was about to put away her summer
tinery in spare chest kept for such pur-
poses, and suddenly | heard sort of
glad call from her chamber:
80 Jack, here it is! here's my pin!
Oh! I'm awfully gladw
She had become quite callous by this
time to any shame about her numerous
losses; so she confessed, and | laughed
with serene freedom; and when | could
recover myself madam explained that in
putting away certain lace jacket she
had found the pin caught in its folds; in
moment of haste or carelessness she
had put the pin into the trunk tray with
out its box, and thrown the Jacket over
it. never yet have found out whether
she wrote to Mrs. Greene about the dis
covery.
But the climax of all Mans mishaps in
this line occurred at the Centennial. |
could not spend a long time away from
my business, but l determined to have
her enjoy the great show fully; so per-
suaded her to join party of friends who
were to stay three weeks, and when their
visit was over | could 60 on for another
week. But unhappily these friends were
obliged to leave my wife three days
earlier than they had intended, owing to
the serious illness of one of the party
Nan stayed on, waiting for me, and the
day before | was to go to her | received
a telegram that first startled me, and
then made me laugh till my dusty office
rang again, and the telegraph boy, stolid
as most of his kind, evidently began to
consider me dangerous lunatic. The
message ran thus:
CENTENNIAL GROUND,
CONNECTICUT BUILDING, July 30, 1876. {
What is the number and street of the house
where board in Philadelphia? Answer i'm
mediately, to Connecticut Building.
NANoN.
| telegraphed back at once, according
to orders, but was wicked enough to add:
Have you lost anything?"
The next evening | repented of my lit
tie sarcasm when Nan threw herself on
my shoulder in a passion of tears and
loneliness.
go Jack! l never, neoer was so scared
in all my life, l couldn't possibly think
where was going to. 1t was almost
time TO leave the grounds; in fact had
gone out once, but didn't know which
car to take, and had no memorandum
in my pocket; so went in again, and
told the Connecticut woman | was lost,
and she advised me to telegraph home,
but it would be too late to get an answer
then; and cried so she was awfully sor-
ry for me, and said if | never, never
oil La1l Lea Ill