Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-05-21

one had died, and were really approach
ing heaven" And in her W ite gown,
with her bright brown hair floating out |
about her face IN the wind that famed |
so pure a color there, and with her .
luminous eyes borrowing the very color |
Of the skies, she looked almost as II she |
were. As she stood there, rapt in |
reverie and happiness-the world was |
so beautiful, and Phil.w coming any
day now, and she had hardly any other
thought she did not notice Miss
Mahoney, under big umbrella, toiling
up 10 meet her, till that individual was
close upon her.
81 have followed you here, Miss
MontrOse,n said she, sullenly, IN her
most rasping tones, "to save you any
modification before the other bOarders,
and TO ask what you have done with my
Devonshire point"
"With whatPn
"With my Devonshire point"
"What | have done with your Devon
shire pointp Why, Miss Mahoney,what
do you meanP" she exclaimed, descend
ing from her day-dreams.
al mean what say. My Devonshire
point has disappeared. / have searched
everywhere for it-so have two OF three
Others-every box, every bag, every
basket, every drawer. l have shaken
every garment, have left no nook or cor
ner neglected, and it is not to be found
You were the last person seen with it
the only one who appreciated it. What
have you done with itP"
You must-yOu must-yOu must be
dreaming, Miss Mahoney," said Adele.
"What in the world should L do with
your laceP"
"Finish bridal toilette with it, per-
haps," said Miss Mahoney.
ado you mean-is it possible you can
mean"
"Miss Montrose, / mean that some
body has taken my lace, and that, to be
plain, suspicion points to you, and that
/ am giving you chance TO restore il
to me before l cAll an officer. For
doubtless, since you could do such a
thing, you know the value of that lace ("
Am | talking to a crazy woman?"
cried Adele.
mo" said Miss Mahoney. "But l
am talking to thief"
For a moment Adele was dumb.
Then the full meaning of the accusation
smote her, and her anger flashed up like
a flame. How did it happen," she
broke forth, "that so dreadful, so con-
temptible woman came under the same
roof with me! Leave me-leave me
this Instant refuse ever to speak to
you again"
"YOu will speak to the officers OF the
law, then," said Miss Mahoney, using
her umbrella like q tip-staff. "The
people at the house have but guessed
that suspected you. Now shall speak
at once to Mrs. Pierson and the other
boarders, and tell them my certainty
never dreamed that coming into a
country farmhouse was coming into a
den of thieves" And she was as good
| as her word.
Adele herself hurried down the noun
tain, slipping and scrambling and roll
ing. But fast as she went in her indig-
nation, Miss Mahoney's long legs had
/ gone faster; and, as she drew near the
house, she saw that the usual gay morn
| ing parties on the piazzas were absent,
and she presently understood, by the
sound of the loud forgetful tones that
came through the open window, that the
loss of the Devonshire lace was under
discussion.
"Nlr. Philip Hunt will learn" Miss
Meyer was saying, "that before one
marries a beauty it is best to see wheth-
er or not she is a kleptomaniac.
"Kleptoiiddlesticks!n cried Miss Ma
honey. GA thief's a thief. Rich or
poor. She has my lace, or she hasn't.
If she has, she's thief, and four strong
walls will hold her before night-fall, and
save the lace of other people"
1t seemed to Adele that she was Ger
tainly going mad herself. She walked
in among them and stood looking about
her, white as ashes, and with blazing
eyes. "Is there any one here capable
of believing such frightful thing a;
this woman's wordsP" she exclaimed
"Niss Montrose!" cried Mrs. Piersol
-" Miss Montrose, don't you be a mite
troubled. There's no body believes her
We'd trust her, all of us, with untold
gold"
"I don't know" said Maria Meyer
then, slowly, and very white herself
" But feel it my duty to say that pass
ing Miss Montrose's door the Other
morning, saw what looked very much
like long strip of lace tluttering at hel
window" ="
"Maria Meyer!" cried Lucia. &C.
would far sooner believe you told false
hood"
"Thank you," said Miss Meyer, will
a scarlet face. " But your belief will
not end the matter" And Just ther
every ones glance followed in the di
rection of her own, and they saw the
tall figure of dark young man in the
doorway. "What is all this?" cried 6
CHEEKY voice. And at that Adele turned
too. "Oh, Philip! Philip!" she shrieked
holding out her arms. "Save me, saw
me, save me from this dreadful woman! ;
In another moment the dark younl
mans arms were about Adele, and h,
was possessing himself of the state o
the case.
"And so, because Miss Montrose ad
mired your lace, you dare to make such
an accusationl" he exclaimed, turning
on Miss Mahoney, and his face almos
gray with wrath.
"Imake no unsupported accusation, >
said Miss Mahoney. "Miss Meyer ha!
seen the lace in Miss Montrose''
ROOM
"Oh, you don't believe it, Philip!'
cried Adele, in an agonized tone.
" Believe it! Not if all the"
Just at that time so furious a barking
rose without from Laddie, that Mrs
Pierson, who at any other time woult
not have minded it, now, with all he
nerves futtering, ran to see what wa
, the matter, and in another moment he
cry and call rang out so wild and lou,
, that, by natural instinct half the peopl
J in the room had followed her-to se
, Iaddie. who had treed the cat in tn