Frostburg mining journal., 1883-12-22

| Hello old fel. loo much Christmas, eh z
| 1t was Smith.
"oh, no. l replied, with CHASTITY lightness
'T'm only dizzy-subject to such attacks"
'"Too bad said Smith. 'Hold on to me.
| So. Feel better now? You've been to the
Darcys; saw you coming out. What stunning
ring you sent Constance p
''You sent her nice present last year."
! ratified out of dry throat.
"Oh, yes; so did this year. They're not
| well Off but they keep up appearances, the
| Darcys do, and they take full advantage of q
| very bad and indelicate fashion in accepting
| expensive presents. Bless you, Constance is u
| charming woman and not of my family CthanS
Heaven D. and l don't begrudge the presents.
If she can afford to take 'em, why can afford
to give EN-
'7How old is Miss Darcy?" l asked.
'She's-let's see-about thirty-three. But
she's beauty, and understands toilette.
| There's so much in toilette. By-the-way, Rey-
nolds is going to marry her. Imagine man
marrying Constance Darcyp'
"Why not?" / stammered.
'Mercenary," answered Smith, shortly
''mercenary and heartless."
''0h, indeed !" said l, in such an unnatural
| tone that Smith exclaimed: 81 say, you're feel
ing ill again." and he kindly took me home.
A few days later, while was trying i'll vain
| to conquer an unreasoning love that wouldn't
| be subdued even by some ugly facts, shock
that received helped to cure me. This moral
| counter-irritant was in the shape OF note
| from Tiffany's
'DEAR SIR:-we find it impossible to pro-
| cure diamond as fine as the one we reset but
| we can furnish stone nearly as good for about
| five thousand dollars. Yours was of eXtraor
dinary brilliancy, large (though the old setting
nearly covered it), white and without flaw
| Five thousand dollars Why, the utmost |
expected from my guardian was only three
| thousand. l thought the stone was trifle
| that | could borrow, so to speak, and easily re-
places but good heavens l was thief ! My
| first impulse was to confess to Aunt Annette;
| then, argued why give the poor old woman
| needless pain? In two weeks l can put money
| into stocks, and soon have the finest diamond
| in America.
| tried, by sitting my feelings and motives,
| to ease the pangs of conscience, yet the bald
facts were unpleasant. After having been told
distinctly, and in writing, that the stone was of
great value, had nefariously disposed of it.
| The legal points were plain
| Well two weeks passed, and instead of the
| three thousand dollars from my guardian, there
| came lawyers letter with the information that
Mr.. Black was completely ruined and the trust
money had gone past hope in the general
| wreck This second shock completely stunned
me. / was penniless and in debt TO Joe for
| five hundred dollars. Constance had cost me
| that. beside the family diamond and untold
heart-ache. Perhaps it was well was so over
come and helpless, or when the clearinghouse
servant-girl came with another piece OF fearful
| news, | might have done some desperate deed.
sSor." said Biddy, ''there's an auld wo-
man below, and it's your aunt she says she is. )"
While | greeted Aunt Annette my knees
smote together, yet l managed to jerk out re-
marks about Long Island crops, until she
stopped me by saying, tartly:
'!Bring me at once all the Van Boosen relics,
| particularly the buttons and the ring"
''Wel, auntie," said |, trying to be light and
| airy ''and what are you going to do with those
precious antiquities?'
''Going to lock 'em up at my house, she an
swered. ''Ive bought a safe at last.
''Now" and facetiousy ticliled her under
her massive chin-''now what would you do ii
anything had been stolenY'
''Stolen p cried my aunt, starting up and
glaring at me (she had a violent and vindictive
temper )-''stolen! Why. I'd prosecute the
thief to the utmost extent of the law; I'd inn
prison him. blast his name, torture him IL
| could! I'd be a very wolf on his track as long
as | lived"
"Come, now"-and was most horribly spark
ling and jaunty-"come, now, not II the thief
was Van Boosen, not if he were in the direct
line from Jan-eh" !"
s'Yes," the old vixen answered, glaring at me
and clinching her mittened tists-'yes, even
if he was my own flesh and blood-even if he
was you-rd pursue him to the death The
Van Boosen relics! Great goodness why
Don't excite yourself, auntie dear" broke
in; 81 was merely jesting. The things are
here, all except the ring, and I'll get that IN a
few minutes.
SIS it locked up in safety. vaults " she asked
| made gesture to avoid answering, and
rushed out of the house with the ring i'll my
pocket
One hesitates to write down facts that are alb
solutely blasting to his own character, but l
was in u dreadful complication. The ring
would probably one day be mine and Well,
brOnght it back to Aunt Annette set with u
faIsg ma piece of white glass.
The next time / heard from my dragon OF a
relative she wrote from the rickety homestead;
~ keep the family treasures in safe in my
bedroom. l don't promise to leave them to
you, although you represent the straight line OF
descent. because don't think you appreciate
the character and virtues of the great Jan.
This, considering my only hope of settling
matters with my conscience, was very lar
from cheering.
more easily than a guilty mind can be set at
rest In less than year had ceased to care
for Constance. / used the sternest economies,
earned better salary, and was paying Joe by
small installments and still there was the aw-
full secret Of the ring. or course confession
would bring me into the public courts. Some
times felt impelled to make it, sometimes to
wait until, in the course of events, | would be
found out by my great-aunt's heirs, or worse,
by herself. There were plenty OF witnesses
against me at Tiffany's and the gentlemanly
clerk could give excellent testimony.
One day met Bessie Clapp in the street. II
would be effrontery to speak to her, Thought
but it would be a great comfort, and speak
did.
She seemed very lovely, girlish, and frank
though she did say, sarcastically; 80 Miss
Darcy is marriedY
"Of course" was my careless reply. sYor
know Reynolds was devoted to her at Long
Branch
$50 were other people" said Bessie
81 understand you," l answered, meekly
''but that affair was only the glamour of mo
, ment."
We soon fell into our old ways and her fathel
| coming to the rescue pecuniarily, we were mar