The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-07-19
THE LOST RUBY.

"Some of you young ladies certainly
saw it," Mr.. Leaning said, as he nod
ded his head with al air of perfect con
viction. "Miss Chasuble declared that.
she had it on when she was in the car
riage, just before she came to the room,
for she distinctly remembers disentan
Cling it from her shawl, and it was GER
tainly 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, if we had seen it, we certainly
would have brought it to you-wouldn't
any of us?"
well, you certainly should have done
so," Mr.. Leaning replied, a little dis
comfted by her straightforward ques-
ton.
.'But, I hope you don't think any OF
us would steal itp" Sue Taylor said,
tossing her ribbons with an air and a
grace.
at was a very valuable ornament,
and worth a great DEAL" Mr. Leaning
replied obviously and vaguely.
udIc Shy N1lS5 SIdSuUlC SOt II
somewhere about her shawl now," said
Sue Indignantly; land wonder how it
is she hasn't any better business than
going about and making accusations
against the poor hard-working sewing
girlsH'
The girls sewed on, Hattie Challis
singing softly at her work, with the jan
uary sunshine falling full upon her in
nocent face, when there was little soft
rustling of silken skirts, a murmur of
aristocratic voices outside 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,
that conveyed the idea of extreme
haughtiness.
And when Hattie looked up she was
evidently inclined to resent the fact that
Miss Chasuble looked rather particular
| ly at her.
II know 1 must have lost il in this
very room, and 1 insist upon thorough
search being made at once. The charm
was a genuine ruby, and l certainly
cannot justify it to myself to allow the
matter to drop so.''
Certainly not-certainly not" Mr..
Leaning replied, hardly knowing which
way TO steer the little vessel of his
tongue between his desire to please SO
valuable a customer and not to offend
his sewing-girl Il do not suppose
any of my young ladies will object
At this moment Susie Taylor crossed
the floor to where Hattie Challis was sit
ting and asked her for the spool of grey
silk.
''In the upper drawer. Look FOR it, "
Hattie returned quietly.
And as Susie opened the drawer, Miss
Chasuble, glancing in the direction, saw
the fiery gleam of her ruby charm in
he little box where Hattie kept her diff
ferent-colored sewing-spools. .ho
There! Didn't 1 tell you SO.
cried as she pounced upon thea; theanw;no
her eyes flashing and the COLI .5 stoia55
rapidly to her cheeks. "Sh' b;Jden =
it, the artful creature, sht we would
away there. and she the Q
never find it." sba cot lilo ON.
Poor little Hattie tine @ Of marble
transformed into sneat. che conld not
| She could neodence E She felt now
plead her owp stem the torrent of Miss
eriess eVehehement reproaches.
onasuoieald only see the other girls
one Ig mutely around her only
gatnMr. Leaming's panied, shocked
hge:
! Hattie, Hattie, would not have be-
lieved this of you!"
And then she found voice.
Indeed, indeed" she said faintly,.I
did not put it there. cannot imagine
how it came there"
"Of course you will discharge her."
Miss Chasuble said, turning to Mr.
Leaning. Otherwise, shall be under
the painful necessity of summoning a
policeman myself. Such an audacious
theft must not be allowed to pass un.
punished.
.'Of course l shall discharge her."
MIR. Leamihc said gravely, unless she
can give satisfactory account of how
the charm came there. Hattie, child,
speak out and tell us how it was"
But Hattie could not speak; she could
only sob and tremble, and look mutely
about her, as a wounded fawn might
have done in the midst of its enemies.
Miss Chasuble was inexorable; and SO
it came to pass that when half az houl
later she crept to her poor little home,
she was not only deprived of the privi-
lege of working for her morsel of daily
bread, but she was branded with the
stigma of thief!
Poor little Hattie! She had been 8,
blithe and happy that morning, and
somehow it had seemed to her that life
had never before looked SO suushiny.
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 day work.
But now-and Hattie clasped her two
little cold hands over her eyes, and won-
dered if it would be very wicked to end
al this weary horror in placid unend-
ing sleep.
And while she sat, crouched all in
heap, beside the dull fire in her little
room, wondering what to do with life
that seemed so hope,essly wrecked to
her. Pete Mccarthy, the janitor of
the firm of Leaning and Company,
had just come into the work-room with
big steaming pitcher of hot coffee for
the girls usual four o'clock refresh
ment
AN is it the ruby ye're after maxim
all the commotion aboutP" he asked, as