The Portland daily press., 1885-08-28
[Harper's Bazar.1
a. LOST DIAM OND.

And it was the most beautiful stone thai
l ever saw in finger ring None of those pal
try things you can't wear till candle light or
account of the yellow there is in them. Sc
white, so clear, so brilliant, pellucid as q
water-drop and sparkling as star! 1t was
all but big enough, too, to have name of its
own, like those that the royal diamonds have
Star of the Four Points of the Compass,
Light of the World to Come Glory Of the
Middle of the Earth, Mother of the Moon.
Why under the sun, cried Mrs. Torrance
the pretty creature in beWitching gown
pouring coffee for her husband, the little but
Ter having been dismissed by Mr. Torrance
in fear of the wrath to come perhaps
shouldn't our diamonds have names as wei
as those of kings and queens and
yours ought to have one" said her hus
band, quietly; ut would be suitable; TO cal
now; it's in the yOcative, you know"
"Well, | must say don't believe any mar
was ever so undisturbed by the loss of such
thing as that. Archibald that stone was
worth a thousand dollars.
''Really ought to be aware of the fact
dear, if anybody is. You have offered to sell
it and procure that sum for my necessities
every time | have been hard up since we
married. And if | have Mildred arrested
for its theft, as you suggest, it will cost
another thousand before we are done with it.
For she would certainly be proved innocent,
and then libel suit would be the next thing
in order"
"But, Archy, Mildred can't be proved in
nocent. How can she be, when / know
she took it? And there was no one else to
take it," And Mrs. Torrance paused with
suspended cup, her great wondering eyes
searching space for reply. III ever any.
thing lay in straight line it is the evidence
against that girl" she continued. THE 9th
or day when the ring fell on the floor she
was in the room, and she asked me what q
stone like that was worth, and then gave
such sigh that said, i suppose you think
it's wrong for me to wear a thousand dollars
on my fnger? And she said, i wasn't
thinking of the ring; | was only thinking
of good. The mink! Well, | said, it does
great deal of good-in looking pretty on my
hand. Indeed it does look beautifully
there said she-she's very particular about
her adyerbs; | wish she was about her cate
chism-'but good deed done by hand is
its most beautiful jewel to my thinking.
just hear that! TO her nlistressi Are you
through? Why, have only just begun"
''She is quite missionary" said Mr.. Tor
rance, picking up his newspaper. And the
worst of it is, she is right"
Now, Archibald, don't, for mercy's sake
go to reading!" said his wife. II do think
the morning news might wait for once. Its
nothing but dynamiterS blowing up the Brit
ish empire, and Arabs making mummies OF
the British army-all distractions; but my
ring is something positive, tangible, here at
hand"
81 wish it were!'' said Mr.. Torrance "And
then / could be allowed" But as he
glanced at the lovely creature opposite, with
her reproachful brown eyes, in which stood
two tears as big as the diamond she had lost,
her color going and coming with her breath,
as you might say, and the rose-c0lored rib
bons OF her morning cap all a-futter with
her earnestness, he folded his paper and said
'Well, my dear?"
'Well, my dear!" mimicked Mrs Torrance
in deriSion. i should say it's anything but
well when man hears of a servant insult
ing-actually insulting-his wife, and says
she's in the right"
'sNow, Janet, will submit to your own
Judgment if that's a fair Interpretation.
"You needn't do anything of the sort. II
isn't fair to suppose have any Judgment, II
what | say concerning perfectly
ridiculous cognomen. Whoever heard of
Mildred for a servants name?'
p. ''Why not Mildred?"
'Why not Gwendolin, then, or Fredegonde
Thusnelda? How would it seem to be
cling Gladys to brush the dust off my shoes ?
And Mildred is just as bad. If | had my
way all the cooks should be Norahs and all
the second girls should be Elens, and if they
came from England, then they should be
Elias and Mary AIMS, and it wouldn't sound
as if you were taking liberty with your su.
periors when your own name Is just plair
Jane. [ ought to have been Rosamond my
self, you know" said Mrs. Torrance, absent
ly, tWirling the grounds i'll her cup, 'ol
sure | have trouble enough with these PEG
pie without being troubled with their names
And l don't believe her name is Mildred
anyway. believe it's just plain Martha,
and she took the Mildred. IL she took my
diamond, she wouldn't stop at taking name.
Or maybe it was just Milly-" And here
Mrs Torrance paused, not for BREATH but
in amaZement to see her husbands eyes
twinkle, and he himself lie back in his chair,
as he pushed his plate away, with a laugh
ha could lancer
IF she took your diamond. Well, my dar-
ling, am glad you have arrived at the dia-
mond once more. | began to think it had
been lost again. But don't tell me about the
workings are labyrinthine but the thought
always comes out at the place it went in
Now, let us be business like if we can, Ja-
net. What makes you think that this pretty
Mildred of ours took the diamond?"
Pretty Mildred! Well, perhaps because
like satirical sparrow.
Not at all impossible said her husband,
gravely.
you don't mean to imply that l would
denounee person as thief because you
said she was pretty?" cried Mrs. Torrance,
half rising to her feet. 1--WE as good mind
to leave the table as ever | had to eat.
would if the bucllwheat cakes had come
my dear childn
W hlNtte INT CAdtbly as II L were q
child, cried the outraged wife. What do /
care whether my maid is pretty or not? Be
ing pretty apparently doesn't keep her hands
from picking and stealing. | know She stole
my diamond just as well as ii had seen her
do it,"
but what would she do with it?"
.'What a question. AS if that sort of per
son didn't know where to dispose of things
easily and take care of the proceeds! won,
der if Patricia is never going to send those
cakes up"
''How In the world did our cook come tC
be called Patricia"
81 called her so myself when she came
Her own name is Hannah, a combination o.
sounds utterly detest, and wasn't going t.
have ringing in my ears all the lime. Ant
she is so tai and erect she justiiies Patricia
Don't you think sop
''All' right, said Mr.. Torrance, thinking II
best to make no reference to the Noralls OF {
few minutes since. but we were speaking
of Mildred"
Il did think very well of Mildred, 1 viii
confess, before this" said Mrs. Torrance