Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-04-22

Laddie, who had treed the cat in the
branches of the old dead oak under
Adele's window, himself powerless in
the grasp of Jack, who had descended
from his frequent perch in those
branches, and planting himself firmly
on Laddie's shoulders, had proceeded to
tear out his hair by beakfuls. At the
approach of Laddie's reinforcement.
though. in the shape of Mrs. Pierson,
Jack extricated his claws, screaming
and futtering back; and following his
fight with their eyes, they all saw what
Mrs. Pierson had seen-the end of some
thing deicately white and fibrous peep
ing from the moss and lichens in the
crotch of the hollow tree.
Philip, who had not followed. but
had remained, hushing Adele's sobs,
heard the voices that called him; and
in less time than it takes to tell, he was
in the crotch of that tree Whose
magpie is thisP" he cried, as well as he
could be heard for Jacks scolding, sit
ting astHide the. branch, and beginning
to pull out long string, firmly quilted
and felted in the hollow with hair and
matted moss. Here is his nest, which
he has hidden away; and here" Che
knew very well what il was y" is this
string of any consequence"
It is the lace! it is the lace!n cried
Lucia.
"The laeep' echoed Jane. "And
that is Adele's room just over the hol-
low. He got out with it from Miss
Mahoney's room, and the wind fiuttered
this end into Adele's window while he
was stowing it away; and that is what
Maria Meyer saw, If she saw anthing."
Oh, my lace! my lacei 1t is ruined
it is almost ruinedl" cried Miss Ma
honey; and then she rememb bered
Adele. am so sorry. Miss Mon
trosep she said-s'so sorry! Indeed
am! How can you overlook itP"
g | never can," sobbed Adele, trem-
bling sill in every fiber.
You may just pack yeur trunks,
Miss Mahoney, for the afternoon stage, y
said Mrs. Pierson. ''I can't have"
And here's a comb" interrupted
Philip, still bringing out one thing after
another yours, by its air and bring
ing up, Mrs. Pierson. And thimble,
and bow of ribbon, and a curl of yell
ow hair, and stuffed humming-
and-and-what is this, Adele?" and he
held up gold chain and onyx locket.
Oh, it is mine!" exclaimed Adele,
II lS Gllc Oitc yOu gave u16 Ou 1ly DlIbII-
day. couldn't imagine what had be-
come of it."
"And you didn't make any outcry'
"Oh, ] thought thought mean,
| thought she never came honestly by
SO many things. and ] was sure she had
taken it to add to the others, and it
didn't seem worth while to make any
fuss. So after that / just locked my
drawers"
"ShePn cried Miss Mahoney, now re-
covering her lost breath. "She? Me?
"a Mahoney? Is it I, you little"
"Oh, yes!" replied Adele, And I
am so ashamed! And you never can
forgive me.n
Il never can,n said Miss Mahoney.
But directly afterward she broke into a
hearty laugh. 8" My dear Miss Adele y
said she. II can, and do; and you
must, and you shall. AS for that bad
Jack, he deserves to have his neck
wrung; and I'd do it-indeed, then,
would-if I didn't need him to keep
Laddie in subjection. Now / beg your
pardon heartily, and everybody's, and /
know you're going to grant it. The
poor Devonshire pointl that will take
me weeks to restore, and | suppose it
would have 1pcn''afn' HI associations,