The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-09-02

lar case he 1elb more certain imam ever
that the locket-and he let the light
play on it so as to show the brilliant to
the best advantageous the very thing
to suit her.
{" think so, too," murmured the
widow but then you see there's the re-
sponsibilty. 1 tell you what you must
do. You shall send all your loekets to
my lodgings for an hour or so, and then
my niece, who is staying with me, shall
give her opinion on the matter and by
her advice I'll abide.'
Mr.. Riddel smiled, but shook his
beautiful head of hair. Every curl of
it-and they were thousands of them
expressed a polished, but decided mega
tive.
We couldn't do it, Madame, we re-
ally could not.''
What not leave the lockets for an
hour.
No, Madame, not for moment. OF
course 1t Is but mere formula, one of
those hard-apd-fast regulations, the ex-
istence of which one so often haste de-
plore; but have no authority to oblige
you as to your request. can send the
lockets, of course or bring them myself
but whoever is in charge of them will
have orders not to lose sight of them.-
This in an invariable rule with every
customer whose name is not entered on
our books.
Instead of getting into rage-genu-
inc, or pretended, if she was swindler
the widow uttered allow, rippling
laugh,
Like the voice of summer brook
In the leafy month of June,
Which, to the sleeping woods, all night
Singeth quiet tune"
only her teeth were much whittier than
the pebbles of any brook.
"You tickle me" she said,-of course
she was only speaking etaphorioally,-
$50 that 1 really cannot help laughing
it is so droll that you should think 1
came here to steal lockets."
"My dear Madame" said Mr.. Riddel,
"pray do not talk like that; if it rested
with me" (sly dog that he was) "you
could carry off the whole contents of
the shop to choose FROM"
You are very good and kind" she
said. If any person had expressed
such doubts of me I should have been
terribly offended. But 1 quite under
stand how you are situated. Well, you
shall bring the lockets yourself, and for
fear you should think had any wicked
designs" she added with a little blush,
twill you come this morning? 1t will
be equally convenient tony niece, and
you needn't be afraid of being garrotted
by daylight"
MY dear Madame" exclaimed Mr..
Riddel for the second time, and with a
deeper depreciation than before, how
can you? OF course, will come when
ever you please"
"Very good, as my brougham ia. here,
L will drive you home in it,"
In five minutes he had packed up all
the lockets and was following her ele-
CANT though stately figure down the
shop.
There he goes with another Duchess,
whispered Nation to Boltby =" see how
he runs his hand through his hair"
Let us hope she will comb it for
him, answered Boltby the bald, think
ing of that happy pair who had seemed
all in all to one another, but hadn't been
so preoccupied as to prevent them Civ
ing him chloroform. "I believe she's
no more Duchess than you are"
Months rolled on, but though you had
gone ever so many times to Messrs.
Moonstone's establishment you would
not have seen Mr.. John Riddel. His
flowing cataract of hair no more adorn-
ed the foreman's desk, over which
cleaned in its plaee-the moonlight af-
ter sunlight-the bald and shining head
of Mr.. Boltby. And yet our hero was
in the shop; he stool at the counter in
the farther corner, where the youngest
assistant was always placed lin charge
of the mourning jewelryl, with
Welsh wig on. His own mother-not
to mention the Duchess-would never
have known him. He had fallen from
his high estate, and was beginning life
again ON the lowest rung of the lad
der.
This was how it happened. Mrs.
Montfort and her niece, young lady
only less charming than herself, dwelt,