Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-08
all, the accident might have happened

~ NY NA~ Jan Wv - IAN. 10 W.
blame. The dlsagreeable feature was
the angry correspondence which had
passed between her husband and MI.
Consols, and for which she was response
BILE. After this she would feel extremely
foolish, to say the least, in having to
confess that the earring had been in
her possession all the while. The Con-
soils would have an excuse for sneering
and making themselves unpleasant in
speaking Of her conduct to mutual
friends. All this was very calling to
contemplate, but, in addition, she would
have to face her husbands righteous in
dignation. He was a very just and
s~crupulously honorable man, and would
feel bound to humble himself before
Mr.. C%onsols, and to apologize for his
wife's m%isadventure. The effect of this
upon his temper Mrs. Carnegie could
very well imagine, and, OF course, she
would have t. bear the brunt Of it all.
Mrs. Carnegie descendedt to the break
fast Dom without v%eutGring to go near
the earring. When her husband had
left thu house she would putlt. away still
o carefully. Meanwhile, it va safe
from observation, for he was not likely
to open any of the drawers in her room.
During breakfast she decided thatit was
not necessary to make a disturbance by
revealing her discovery to any one She.
would return the earring to the Con-
soils anonymously, and so avoid further
unpleasantness. She felt that this was
rather q cowardly course, but the gain
in peace and quietness would, she con-
sidered, be out of all proportion to the
moral delinquency. This reflection
cheered her a good deal, and the instant
her husband had started for town she
went up to her room to fetch the ear
ring, for the purpose of dispatching it
by registered post to the Consols. But,
when she opened the drawer to look for
it, she found, to her amaZcment, that
the case in which she had placed it for
safety had disappeared.
This shock was quite as startling and
unexpected as the one she had already
sustained. She could hardly believe
her eyes,, and turned the drawers inside
out in a frenzied search. Itseemed i'm
possible that the cast could have van
ished, yet it was clear that such was the
fact. The servants, when questioned,
knew nothing about it, and declared
that nobody had touched the drawer.
1t was absurd to suppose that n thief
from outside would have come in and
stolen that particular case, especially
when the whole household was astir.
1t never occurred to Mrs. Carnegie that
her husband might have taken il, until
she suddenly recalled to mind that
when last she had worn the bracelet he
had said something about having some
alteration made IN it. Extraordinarily
and unlucky as the coincidence was,
she ended by becoming convinced, af-
tor reflection, that this must be the ex-
PLANTATION of the mystery.
But this was doubly annoying, be-
c~dse her husband would find out that
she had concealed the discovery of the
earring FROM him. She would not be
able to deny that she knew of its being
in the case. 1t would be too bare-faced
to pretend to be ignorant how it got
there. Her husband might, therefore,
not unreasonably suspect that she had
some unworthy motive for hiding it and
saying nothing about it. At the least,
lie would be vexed with her r%eticence,
and she passed. a very uncomfortable
day in anticipation of the scene which
awaited her on her husbands return.
Mrs. Carnegie had guessed that her
husband had not noticed the earring
when no took up the case before leaving
the house, or he would certainly have
said something. Probably he had car
ried off the bracelet in a hurry, without
looking at it, or had merely glanced in
side the case to see that the bracelet
was there. But when he came home in
the evening, she at once perceived from
his manner that he knew nothing about
the earring, even to that moment. 1t
seemed very strange that this should be
80, but surely he would not otherwise
have looked good humored and cheer
full. She could not summo up cour-
age to ask him the question, until he
happened to say:
'By the by, Frances, I meant to have
told.you that took your rupy bracelet
to town with me this morning. Did
you miss it?n
mo. At least, I did by chance"
said Mrs. Carnegie, awkwardly. 81
guessed you had taken it,"
'Ive been intending to do so for
thought of it just as L was coming down
W UlcdhlIoU. L cADldlueu 10 IoeVlS
what l wanted, and think he will make
y neat job of it."
"Oh! you took it to Bevis," re-
marked his wife, n%ervously. "Did-
did you open the case?'
"Oren the case! What makes you
@sk9" inquired Mr.. Carnegie, evidently
struck by her n
''To see that the bracelet was there?"
said Mrs. Carnegie, hurriedly.
II didn't-but Bevis did. I suppose
1t was there all right. In fact, I'm sure
1t was, for l saw him take it in his
hand" returned My. Carnegie.
"Oh! | thought, perhaps, it might not
have been in the case" said Mrs. Car
negie. as carelessly as possible.
Nothing more was said, and Mrs.
Carnegie did not know whether to feel
relieved or the reverse at the turn of
events. 1t was satisfactory to find that
her husband had not discovered her Sc
rret. On the other hand, she wondered
~uneasily what had become of the ear
ring. She had certainly put it inside
the case along with the bracelet, and
xynt Rouis tho ioualor bod o,n,rn,+l,