Connecticut western news., 1883-06-27
VOL. XIII.

was something just dazzling about her, and young Master Ancel was bewitched from the very first.
 ''Did his mother like this !? Bless you, no She looked as black as & thunder ! cloud every time they danced together which was so often as to attract atten- tion, can tell you.
 marry either Miss AdeIina or Miss Dora for both were great heiresses-and she had never dreamed that the little brown eyed lassie, the dependent, would over turn her plan. "But true love is often willful, you know, and I rather guess that Miss Ethel and Master Ancel both found out at that birthday ball that they loved each other.
 "And for the next month there wasn't t much peace at Oedarcroft. you can bet ter believe. Madame was so cross that | none'of us servants knew whether we stood on our heads or our feet. And fin ally, when Master Ancel was off in Scot- land hunting with some friends, madame and Miss Ethel had dreadful quarrel, which ended in the young lady packing her trunk and leaving the house.
 "And that wasn't the worst of it The next morning, early, was called into madame's room by sharp ring of her bell. I knew the minute got in there that something unusual had hap pened; for madame was standing in the middle of the room, her face pale with anger and her great, black eyes spark ling.
 "'The daring hussy?' she cried. Look, Martha The sapphires are stolen
 "And with her long, lean fingers, trembling with excitement, she held out the silver casket.
 "Not a solitary sapphire sparkled on its white-satin lining.
 "'Oh, ma'am P screamed out, for I was dreadfully startled; however do you s'pose the thieves got in? There wasn't door nor window left unfas- tened last night-I saw to them myself And all the silver is untouched-not @ spoon gonel
 "'Don't be an idiot, Marthap ma- dame snapped out. It wasn't oom- mon house-breaker that robbed me. It's that viper I've been warming in my bo- som-it's Ethel-Ethel Seyne! I'm sure she's taken the sapphires
 tAnd in spite of what everybody said, she still stuck to this belief, and before Master Ancel came back te hinder her, she had sent for detectives to find Miss Ethel, who had gone, nobody knew where.
 "But, my stars never saw a mad der man than young Master Ancel when he returned and found out what had happened
 "He was just as iery-tempered as his mother, only his was burned to white-heat instead of being only piping red
 "He told madame that if she didn't dismiss the detectives he would leave Cedarcroft and she should never look upon his face again, and he fairly scared her into quietness.
 | "Of course, his next business was to find out the real thief. He questioned and cross-questioned every one of the servants, but he couldn't find out any thing that pointed to the guilty party.
 There's some mystery about it Martha, he said to me, one day, 'and ] mean to find it out, even if it takes al my life Poor Ethel I wonder where she is? I'd stake my soul on her inno
 cence
 "And he brooded over the matter st
 much that he grew pale and haggaret
 and his mother got real worried abou
 him. To tell the truth madame hersel
 was half-siclz about it, and had begul
 to repent that she had been so nasty.
 "And now that Miss Ethel, who, witl her bright smile and merry laugh, wa gone, Cedarcroft was anything but pleasant place. It was so dismal day times and had such strange noises nights that the servants really began to thinl . the house was haunted. "One night, as lay awake listening t the rain-drops pattering on the roof there came gentle tap at the door. ' ""Thinking that it was Mary Jane the house-maid, who had been pestere of late with an awful tooth, and wh had now, perhaps, come for some ere osote, I hurried out of bed and opene
 the door.
 "There stood Master Ancel, his fac :, pale and excited.
 "'Hush, Martha ! he whispered ;, don't make any noise. Slip on you dress quickly and follow me. I think , have found the thief who stole the sal
 phires ?
 "Hardly knowing whether was awak
 or dreaming, did as he bade me, an n then followed him down the long hall 'f the end where the door to the garrt r was.
 ), "'We must go up the stairs, he whi ', pered. 'They creak little, but be It careful as you can, and don't make ar
 more noise than you can help. e ''It was quite dark, but when we hs s got nearly halfway up I saw dim ligh n and when we reached the top he pointt ,, to the farther end of the garret and the e crouohing among old dusty spinnin e wheels and trunks, boxes and barrels d all kinds, was woman, wearing lon d trailing night gown. d "I knew by the short, gray curls stra IS gling from out the lace-trimmed nigh ls cap, that it was Madame Seyne! B