The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-02-14

dow. She :opnd tue bonnci oil thg ,lT,ii,
aud being lidy soul. opened the close, aud
put it Into the bonnei box which stood there,
shutting down the cover Halt an hour
from that time Tho spare bedroom had
resumed its usual condition of Swallowed or.
dor
As for poor Ella, what she suffered no
one knew. The picnic was one long misery
10 her She thought of nothing but the
lost bonnet If she could have forgotten it,
Silas would not have permitted the oblivion,
for he talked about it constantly, and the
fact that Ella Haskell was run away with
and had lost her bonnet was the topic of the
day. Nobody found the lost treasure, of
r,s,rse. Aud it so happened that during the
afternoon Aunty Wheeler was sent for, in
aer capacity of nurse, by certain Mrs. Jor.
k;ns, who lived twenty miles away, end that
she did not return to her own home for
three good ponths. Therefore there was
no comfort for Ella on her homecoming,
and nothing remained for her but full con-
fession. Solemn scenes ensued. Cores
pondenee commenced between the two
matrons. Ella had the modification of
knowing that her cousin knew she had bor-
nowed her bonnet because she had no nice
ore of her own And horror fell upon the
Haskell family when, having insisted on
paying for the bonnet, they heard that it
cost twenty-five dollars.
Ella "did =" with her last nt2r's dres
that year, and very shabby it grew before
spring came, and with spring visit from
Cousin Hester. who. much against her will,
was sent 20 her uncle's by her father every
year. More airs, more graces than ever. 4
large trunk, or rather larger trunks, and
more extensive Boosting. Ella conducted
her relative to the spare bedroom, fresh
with its new curtains and pillow-shams, and
the girl began at once, as Ella had declared
she knew she would.
"There's my hat box. Dear me, how did
you lose the hat off without knowing it !?
You never thought OF tho long pin. Here
1t is in the cover That cost dollar; ii hai
an enameled head. wonder who picked it
up. Why, Ella, whore did you find ?"
az never found it." replied Ella, snap
pishly. and as ma paid for it, think we
might as well drop the subject
a. but here II is" said Hester
Here what is p asked Ella.
"The bonnet" said Hester
Aud there i, was, indeed, as Fila saw on
looking in. Fresh in tint and dainty in
shape as ever. How it came there was q
mystery doomed never to be unravelled.
The new "help" had long before given
sass" and been dismissed; and Aunty
Wheeler had never found time to slip
over TO Mrs Haskells" in her brief sojourns
at home
Mrs. Haskell declared that Ella had never
put it on at all but Sins Perkins, now hel
accepted lover, remembered the blue satin
and crushed roses too well to admit of that
explanation. No spiritualists were on hand,
and Ella felt the situation beyond her.
But she had suffered too much for that bon
net
"Ma," she said, eagerly, you paid for
that bonnet l went without my winter
dress for it. II is mine"
.ssvsaa, .s-f ;. ----.,~ te.-.ss~," re;a Ara.
Haskell
"pm sure don't want last years bon.
net" said Hester, scornfully,
VERY well; let nobody reproach me-"
said Ella, Selling the tongs which stood near
small fire in the open fireplace
She left the sitting-room in which this
conversation occurred and returned, bearing
the bonnet before her between the tongs.
There" she said, depositing it in the
midst of the flames sit is mine, and thnt
is what choose to do with it."
Nobody stirred The satin blazed, the
flowers crisped 10 finder, the feathers
smelIed as burning feithers will.
81 never know you had such a temper,
Ella" said her mother; but Ella was happy
for the first time since she had lost her
cousins bonnet -.Hary RgIe Dallas.