Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-08

az was one OF those men who al
ways seem rather glad of an excuse to
quarrel with their neighbors. He
Gspoused his wife's cause warmly, and
oeclared that he would make Mi, Con-
sols apologize for his behavior. Know
my MS dangerous tendency to magnify
grievances, Mrs. Carnegie endeavored
10 o matters over q little when she
perceived how enraged he was, but only
succeeded in bringing down a share of
ms Indignation upon herself.
"My dear, it is impossible to find ex-
cuses for him; his conduct was deliber-
ately insulting" he said, impatiently.
81 don't think he meant to be DELHI
erately insulting" hazarded Mrs. Car
negie.
"What else could he mean? Really,
FRANCES, Your remark is childish" re-
turned her husband, looking at her
sternlv.
81 may, perhaps, have conveyed a
worse impression of his behavior than |
intended" said Mrs. Carnegie, twisting
her rings about.
Whatever you intended, it is quite
clear to my mind that he insulted you,
and l shall certainly write to him. At
the same time, Francis, I consider that
you brought the unpleasantness upon
yourself"
81 was not the only person who
touched the earrings" said Mrs. Car
negie, feeling suddenly inclined to cry.
What l Q is that by visiting
people like the Consols, who are VULGAR
and ill-bred, you subject yourself to this
kind CT thing. never cared for your
friendship with the Consols. I don't
think you are particular enough about
whom you associate with. You may
remember that I said Consols was q
snob the first timeI set eyes upon him."
You so easily take preiudices, John.
For that matter, you always find fault
with my friends" said Mrs. Carnegie.
with a flush of defiance.
"For the future, Frances" said Mr..
Carnegie, more severely than ever, II
must Reg you not to make acquaint-
ances without consulting me. It is evil
dent Your judgment is not to be trusted.
See what an awkward position this af-
fair places me in. l now find myself
involved in an unpleasant correspond
ence with a man I detest."
81 do not think there is the least oc-
casion to WRITE" said Mrs. Carnegie,
quickly.
1--WE need not discuss that. One
thing is certain-our acquaintance with
the Consols is at an end," returned her
husband, with Il sort of grim satisfac-
ton in his tone.
Mrs. Carnegie did not venture to ar
que, but left her lord to himself, heartily
wishing she had not said a word to him
about her grievance.
The foregoing dialogue has, no doubt,
shown MIR. Carnegie in an unamiable
light; but he was by no means a do
nestle ogre. On the contrary, he was
a most devoted husband, though his
naturally severe and d%ictatorial DISPOSE
ton rendered him somewhat, tyran-
nical. The fact was, he insisted upon
having his own way in everything, and
would not brook contradiction; but SUBJ
ject to this, he was both affectionate
and indulgent in the domestic circle.
He cooled down considerably when his
wife quilted the room, and ever felt
conscious that he had been rather in
c%onsiderate in his remarks. But this
twinge of remorse did not soften him
toward Mr.. Consols, and he immedi-
ately sat down and with great gnsto
wrote off a letter to that gentleman
which gave vent to his irritated feel
ings. He was an adept at epistolary
lucubrations of a singing and exasper.
ating kind, and the specimen he dis
patched admirably fulfilled its purpose.
An angry warfare ensued between the
two gentlemen, which resulted, after a
sharp exchange of amenities, in COM
plete arrangement between their re-
spective families.
However much Mrs. Carnegie de-
plored this, she had to put up with it,
and, indeed, she was too loyal not to
side with her husband. Consequently,
she saw and heard nothing of the Con
soils for three weeks, and was, of course,
ignorant of the ultimate fate of the miss.
ing earring. One morning she hap
pened to remove from her wardrobe
the cloak she had worn at the Consols
on that unlucky afternoon, and was
naturally reminded of the incident.
Just as she was beginning to wonder
vaguely what had become OF the ear
ring, and whether it had been found.
She heard something drop at her feet,
and, looking down. beheld, to her hor-
o and amazement, the subject of her
speculation.
Of course, it was obvious how it came
there. The cloak she held in her hand
was lavishlY ornamented with fringes
and lace, and it was evident that the
earring had adhered to some part Of
the garment. Whether she had swept
it off the table Or had accidentally drop
ped it instead Of replacing it in the case,
it had undoubtedly been hidden in some
fold of the cloak, and had only now
been dislodged. The explanation was
simple enough, and it flashed across
Mrs. Carnegie's mind on the spot. She
therefore realized without loss of time,
the very awkward position in which she
was placed, and almost tainted from
sheer dismay and vcxation. She hur-
riedly snatched the earring off the floor,
lest her husband, who was in the adj
joining dressing room, should happen
to catch sight Of it, for she instinctively
shrank from letting him know of her
discovery. OF course. she could not
expect to hide it from him altogether,
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