Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-07-04

ANNpi1 AAOhA AACi AAANl W NllC lJOlANC-
man in plain clothes, who stood deferen-
TALLY before them, and then back again.
"Well, if the house is to be searched,
it had best be done promptly, suppose, -
said Miss Madison. Tell your man to pro-
ceed at once, Mr.. Jones'
'But, my dear Corisande, do consider!n
twittered Mrs. Madison "Somc of our
maids are so very superiorl The idea of
ransacking their trunks, as if they were
common burglarsl"
'lf they are innocent of stealing my
diamond ring they won't care, " said Cori-
sande, indifferently. eff they are guilty,
they deserve all the obloquy which can
descend upon them"
"Just here the French maid glided up
close to her mistress.
pardon, mademoiselle!" she whis-
pered, her half-closed gray eyes furtively
observing the detective as she spoke
"but it occurs to me that 1 have new
clue to this mystery. The little milliner
girl is below stairs; she has just brought
home this bonnet. Perhaps mademoiscl!e
has forgotten that she waited in made
moiselle's dressing-room half an hour
last Wednesday. Mademoiselle has not
seen her ring since"
Corisandc knitted her brows
"To be surem said she. "But you
don't suppose that she has taken its'
Adrienne dropped her eyelashes.
81 would venture to make no accusa-
tion, mademoiselle, said she, "but per-
haps, in moment of temptation"
"The matter is easily settled" said
the detective. "We can have the young
person up here at once and search her. !"
Little Rachel came up, much wonder
ing. She was startled when Adrienne
volubly explained to her the business
upon which she~was summoned, but con.
sented at once to the search.
"Why shouldn't I2' said she, simply.
81 have nothing to be afraid Of"
She turned her dress. pocket inside
out. A little, much-worn leather purse
appeared-an elevated railway ticket-a
scrap of poetry, cut from some news
paper, fell out-and then diamond
ring, with one glittering fascet of fire,
set in its plain clrclet of gold, flashed
suddenly upon their eyesl
"HaW said Adrienne, pouncing upon
it, as some raven might pounce on its
prey. Mademoiselle can see for her.
self! All, wretch! peridous thiefT
And she shook Rachel by the shoulder
with one hand, as she held up the ring
with the other.
Rachel had turned as pale as ashes.
81 think | must be dreaming!" said
she. II never saw the ring before in all
my lifew
"Come, come" said the detective,
"that sort of thing won't go down. Pm
afraid you're an old hand at the bust
ness, for all you look so young and inno-
cent"
OF course Rachel was arraigned be-
fore the court, but Corisande Madison
refused to appear for the prosecution.
''The matter has gone far enough"
she said. "The girl is not hardened
thief. She stole the ring in a moment
of temptation. She has suffered suffi-
GENTLY. l don't believe she will ever of
fend in this way again"
So little Rachel was discharged with a
reprimand from the magistrate.
But it was like clipping the wings of
wild-bird and then bidding it fly away
into freedom once more.
The fashionable milliner who had en-
ployed the girl would have nothing more
to say to her. No one wanted her SER
vices. And on the few occasions when
there seemed a prospect of getting re-
munerative work, the horizon was over
clouded at once when the question of
references came up.
No one wanted thief about their
premises
One person, however, believed in little
Rachel still--her stepmother, q hard
working woman, who let lodgings and
did up fine laces and old ladies' caps for
a livelihood.
".There is some jugglery about this
business" said she. my husbands 8
daughter never was thiefp'
1t was in the bleak winter-time when
Adrienne Moncontour engaged the one
attic bedroom that Mrs. Holley still had
to let.
Adrienne had left Miss Madison's ser
vice some weeks before. She could not
agree with the new housekeeper, who
loudly declared that the French maid
had once been employed as a waitress in
a gambling saloon in Paris.
Perhaps there was some truth in this,
for certain it was that Adrienne had an
unconquerable mania for cards, and at a
genteel gambling place, frequented by
haggish old women and sage young ones,
she lost all her little savings, and crept
into Mrs. Holley's back attic bedroom,
as she supposed, to die.
'I'm afraid she's bad lot" said Mrs.
Holley; ''but l wouldn't let even cat
die in my house, without a little care.
Rachael, you may make her little beef
tea, and I'll spare her wing off the fowl
for her dinner"
And the mother and stepdaughter to-
gether nursed Adrienne back to some
thing like strength.
81 don't see why you've done it," said
Adrlenne, harshly. "I'm nothing to
you"
eve try to be kind to every one who
needs Kindness" said Rachel, gently.
81 can't pay you even the rent of this
wretched holel" groaned Adrienne.
"We didn't suppose, me and mother,
that you could" said Rachel, simply
"But that don't signify"
"See" cried Adrienne, with feverish
eagerness, 81 heard you down stairs
yesterday. Since you cut the stove.pipe
hole to let the heat come up to warm my
poor bones, the sound comes up also
The ship-carpenter on the second floor
asked you to marry him. You confessed
that you loved him, but you said mol"
Rachel crimsoned.
Because did not wish to link his
fortunes with those of one who has been
called thief" said she, in low voice.
"You have saved my lifep said the