The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-08-22
INTERESTING SKETCH.
THE RUBY CHARM.

Some of you young ladies' certainly saw
Il, Mr. Leaning said, as he nodded his
head With an air of perfect conviction
Miss Chasuble declared that she had it on
Ehen she was in the carriage, just before
she came in the room, for she distinctly re.
members dissntangling it from her shawl,
and it was certainly gone when she went
outside"
There was dead silence among the girls
who were sewing in various parts of the
room, and Hattie Challis looked up at her
employer with great, innocent eyes.
"Still, il we had seen it, we certainly
would have brought it to yoa-wouldnt any
Of u.s."
Well, you certainly should have done
so" Mr.. Leaning replied, little discounted:
by her straightforward question.
But hope you don't think any of us
would steal it?" Sue Taylor said, tossing
her ribbons with an air and a grace.
g II was very valuable ornament, and
worth, am told, at least fifty dollars" Mr.
Leaning replied, obviously and vaguely
81 dare say Miss Chasuble has got it
somewhere about her shawl now" said Sue,
Indignantly; "and wonder how it is she
hasn't been in better business than going
about and making accusations against poor
Woodworking sewing girls !"
" It's perfect shame, that's what it is !"
cried Josie Brandt, as she stabbed her needle
viciously through Miss Chasnble's pearl gray
satin waist
Aud SO the girls sewed on, Hattie Challis
singing softly at her work. with the January
sunshine falling full upon her innocent face,
when there was little, soft rustling of silken
skirts, a murmur of aristocratic voices out
side the door, and then the door opened to
admit Miss Chasuble herself-a tall, snowy
lady, with bright, black eyes, and way of
carrying her head slightly backward, tina,
conveyed the idea of extreme haughtiness
And when Hattie looked up, she was
evidently inclined to resent the fact TINT
| Miss Chasuble looked rather particularly at
| her
II know | must have lost it in this very
room, and insist upon thorough search
genuine ruby, and certainly cannot justify
it to myself to allow the matter to drop So.
" Certainly not certainly not!n Mr.
leaning replied, hardly knowing which
| way to steer the little vessel of his tongue
between his desire to please SO valuable q
customer and not to offend his sewing. girls
81 do not suppose any of my young ladies
will object"
At this moment, Susie Taylor crossed the
room to where Hattie Chas was sitting
and asked her for the spool of gray silk.
" In the upper drawer look for it." Hat
tie returned, quietly.
And as Susie opened the drawer accord
ngly, Miss Ghasuble, gancing in the direc-
ton, instantly saw the fiery CLEAN of her
ruby charm in the little box where Hattie
kept her different-colored sewing -spools.
There Didn't l tell You SO 2" she
cried, as she fairly bounced upon the charm,
her eyes flashing, and the color flowing
fapidly to her checks. "She has stolen it,
the artful creature, and hidden it away there,
where she thought we would never find It'll"
Poor little Hattie she sat like one trans.
formed into statue of marble She could
not speak she could not plead her own in
nocence. She felt powerless even to stem
the torrent of Miss Chasubles vehement re.
proaches.
She could only see the other girls gather
ing mutely around her-only hear Mr..
Leaming's panied, shocked voice;
Hattie Hattie | would not have be
ieyed this of you"
And then she found voice.
"Indeed, indeed" she said, family, I"
did not put it there. / cannot imagine how
it came there |"
"Oh of course not :" said Miss Chasuble,
cOntemptuously-" of course not / dare
say it removed itself from my chain and
walked there of its own accord Oh, OF
,ourse you know nothing shout it"
Women are very differently constituted
Had Hattie been plain old maid, Miss
Chasuble would doubtless have forgiven he,
in the delight at the recovery Of her charm
but for din ple-cheeksd, brown-eyed girl,
with a face like wild flower to dare to alb
stract the jswel-that, of course. vas an IN.
pardonable ofense.
"Of course, you will discharge har p
Miss Chasuble said .urning to Mr.. Leaning
Otherwise, l shah be under the painful
necessity of summoning policeman myself.
Such an audacious theft must not bs allowed
to pass UNPUBLISHED"
"Of course l shall discharge her." Mr..
Leaning said, gravely, "unlcss she can give
a satisfactory account of how the charm
came there. Hattie, child-speak out, ana
tell us how it was"
But Hattie could not speak she could
only sob and tremble, and look mutely
about her, as wounded fawn might have
done in the midst of its enemies
Miss Chasuble was memorable; and SO il
came to pass that, when half an hour later
she crept to her poor little home, she was
not only deprived of the privilege of work
ing for her morsel of daily bread, but WA
branded with the stigma of a thief
Poor little Haitiei She had been 81
blithe and happy that morning, and some
how it had seemed to her life had never
before looked 80 sunshiny.
For she had even dared TO think that
grave Mr.. Leaning spoke more gently to
her than to the other girls, and fingered
longer by her side in giving the directions
for the days work.
That had been this morning; but now
and Hattie clasped her two little, cold hands
over her eyes, and wondered if it would bs
very wicked to end all this weary horror in
q placid, amending sleep.
And while she sat, crouched all in heap,
beside the dull fire in her little stove, won-
lering what to do with life that seemsa so
nopelessly wrecked to her, Pete Mccarthy
the janitor for the firm Of Leaning Il Com.
pany, had just come in the work-room With
big, steaming pitcher of hot coffee for the