Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-07-02
THE EMBROIDERED FLOUNCE.

Rosalie Drew was very pretty girl
with pink checks, blue eyes and golden
hair; and not having any faith in the
truth of the old saying that Beauty
unadorned is adorned the most" she
was fond of wearing bright ribbons,
pretty laces and fashionable hats. But
her father was poor man and it was
not often that she could indulge her
taste in making n purchase; and she
never went shopping that she did not
rebel against the poverty which made
the best and costliest of everything inn
possible for her. 1t was this love for
finery which led her to commit crime
which cost her very dearly.
The summer Rosalie was fifteen, her
father was induced to take charge of the
house of Mr.. Spear, who, with his
wife and daughter, was summoned to
Europe very suddenly by the dangerous
illness of son who was studying art in
the Royal Academy at Munich.
The house was n very handsome one,
with spacious grounds attached, and
Rosalie was delighted at the idea of hav-
ing plenty of room at her disposal for
lawn-tennis and croquet, and made all
sorts of plans for the pleasure of herself
and young friends.
Mrs. Spear had had scarcely any
time TO prepare for her sudden depart
ure, and so she had hurriedly stored in
o large room in the basement of her
house all those things which she did not
wish to leave in Mrs. Drew's care.
Everything is in confusion in there"
she said to Mrs. Drew, as she locked
the door of the basement and put the
key in her pocket, "but it can't be
helped. l have no time to put anything
away neatly"
Now Rosalie had large share of
curiosity, and she often wished she could
lake look into this room, for she had
no doubt that Mrs. Spear had all sorts
repay examination.
It happened one day when her father
and mother were out that while roaming
in the garden she discovered a window
which looked into this room, and which
she found-on opening the shutters
was unfastened. She hesitated mo-
ment, and then, thinking that surely n
look into the room could do no one any
harm, she raised the window.
AS Mrs. Spear had said, everything
was in great confusion. There were
several boxes and half dozen trunks,
all full to overfowing of garments of
every sort, and in one corner, on large
table, was heap of brackets, busts and
other ornaments, covered only with n
sheet.
Rosalie, catching sight Of black,
beaded dolman, which she had often
seen Louise Spear wear to church., was
seized with n desire to examine it
infinitely, and though her conscience
told her she was doing wrong, she finally
climbed through the window and en-
tered the room.
How true il was that one wrong step
leads to another! After examining the
dolman, Rosalie looked at other things,
and ended by taking everything out of
one of the largest trunks. In doing so
she came across piece of embroidered
white linen, a strip about three yards in
length, which seemed TO her the hand
soonest thing of the sort she had ever
seen. The pattern was novel and very
elaborate, and it was worked in the
most exquisite manner. Rosalie en-
broidcred little herself, but she had
never even thought of attempting any
thing like this.
II wonder if / could copy it," she
murmured. "What harm would there
be in my doing so? think will take
1t and try, and l an.-put it back at any
time.n
So, when at length she left the room,
she carried the piece of embroidery with
her. She was very careful TO shut down
the window; but in her hastc-for she
heard her mothers voice in the kitchen,
and feared discovery-shc forgot to close
che shutters.
1.-THE idea of Mrs. Spear going Off and
leaving the window of that basement
room unlocked" said Mr.. Drew that
evening at supper. ~ discovered this
afternoon that the shutters were not oven
closed"
II hope you closed them at once, :"
said Mrs. Drew.
Eyes, and I nailed the window Sc
curely down." was the answer. al im-
agine IL would take burglar somo time
TO get IL open now"
Rosalie had turned very pale at the
egst mention a the room, and POW she