Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-06-14
She went to visit friend in Boston. and

She went to visit friend in Boston, and
lost an exquisite stone cameo pima head
of Venus crowned with roses, embracing
Cupid, who nestles his curly head against
her beautiful throat, and smiles. The
subject was peculiar, and the gem valu-
able. Nan was sure she had put it in her
trunk, but some delay occurred about
leaving, and the trunk stood in her room
a whole day, while she went out to Rox-
bury. Of course the chamber-mai had
stolen it; there could be no doubt of that.
Considering the past, l felt for the
| chamber maid, 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
behind the bureau or into one of its draw
ers; but no pin had been seen, deeply to
| the regret of Mrs. Greene, who appre-
ciated and admired it thoroughly 1t
| then occurred to my wife that ST e had been
| the trunk was packed, and it was Just posi-
BILE the pin might have dropped there; so
friend of mine being about to visit Boston
on business, | commissioned him, not
| without some misgiving, to inquire at the
library for the lost article; but it was not
| there, and Nan tried to accept the situa-
ton, though she regretted the loss much,
In the autumn she was about to put away
her summer inery in spare chest kept
| Tor such purposes, and suddenly heard
sort of glad call from her chamber:
ooh, Jack, here it is! here's my pin!
Oh, I'm aWfully giadp'
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, madame 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 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 go on for another
week. But unhappily, these friends were
obliged to leave my wife three days ear
lier than they had intended, owing to the
serious illness of one Of the party. Nan
staid on, waiting for me, and the day be-
fore | was to 60 to her | received a tele-
gram 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
a dangerous lunatic. The message ran
thus: .a
CENTENNIAL GROUND,
CoNNEcTIcUT BUILDING, July 80, 1876.
What is the number and street of the house
where l board in Philadelphia? Answer imme-
diately, 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 lone
illness.
Oh, Jack! l never, ne0e3' was so scared
in all my life. | couldn't possibly think
where | was going to. 1t was almost
time to leave the grounds; in fact, l 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 sorry for
me, and SAID II L never, never would tell,
she'd let me stay there al night and sleep
on sofa: I was frightened to death, but
she was so kind did stay, and cried my
self TO sleep. Your telegram came in the
evening before [ went to bed, and this
morning | got out after the gates opened
some time, and got back here. But, oh,
Jack, it was DREADFUL"
"Nan," said l, solemnly, "Ill make
WOW, and keep it strong like the fair
Sophia in Lord Bateman,' never to let
you go out of my sight again. What
could be expected of a woman who loses
everything else, but that she should lose
herself?'
Mans irate answer was characteristic,
but self-respect forbids me to record it
Rose Terry Cooke, IN H01per's Bazar.