Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-08-14
A LOST DIAMOND.

"And it was the most beautiful stone
chat ever saw in finger ring. None OF
those paltry things you can't wear till
candle light on account of the yellow
there is in them. So white, so clear, SO
bril- liant, pelucid as a water drop and
sparkling as star! 1t was all but big
enough, too, to have a name of its own,
like those that the royal diamonds have
Star of the Four Points of the Com
pass Light of the World to Come.
Glory of the Middle of the Earth,
Mother of the Moon Why under the
sum-" cried Mrs. Torrance, the pretty
creature in bewitching gown, pouring
coffee for her husband, the little butler
having been dismissed by Mr.. Torrance
-in fear OF the wrath to come, perhaps
shouldn't our diamonds have names
as well as those of kings and queens
and -"
yours ought to have one," said her
husband, quietly. 1T would be suitable
to call now; it's in the vocative, you
know"
"Well, Imust say I don't believe any
man was ever so undisturbed by the loss
of such u thing as that. Archibald,
that stone was worth thousand dol
lars"
Greatly I ought to be aware of the
fact, DEAR if anybody is. You have of
fcred 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 thou,
sad b r. we are done with it. Fer she
would certainly be proved innocent, and
then libel suit would be the next thing
in order.n
"But, Archy, Mildred can't be proved
innocent 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 wonder
ing eyes searching space for reply. "If
ever anything lay in straight line, it is
the evidence against that girl" she CON
tinued. THE other day when the ring
fell on the floor she was in the room, and
she asked me what a stone like that was
WORTH and then gave such a sigh that |
said, 4 suppose you think it's wrong for
me to wear thousand dollars on my fin
ger2' And she said, 4 wasn't thinking
of the ring; I was only thinking that a
thousand dollars can do great deal of
good The mink! We'll, said, lit
does great deal of good-in looking
pretty on my hand Indeed it does
look beautifully there, said she-she' s
very particular abouther advcrbs; Iwish
she was about her catechism but good
deed done by hand is its most beauti
full jewel, to my thinking Just hear
that! To her mistress Are you through?
Why, I've only just begun"
"She is quite a missionary" said Mr..
Torrance, picking up his newspaper.
"And the worst of it is, she is right"
Nov, Archibald, don't, for mercy's
sake, go to reading!" said his wife" II
do think the morning news might wait
for once. It's nothing but dynamiters
blowing up the British empire, and Arabs
making mummies of the British army
all distractions; but my ring is some
thing 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 op-
posite, 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-coored ribbons
of her morning cap all a-flutter with her
earnestneSs, he folded his paper, and
said, "Well, my dear?"
"Well, my dear!" mimicked Mrs.
Torrance, in derision. 81 should say it's
anything but we'll when man hears of a
servant insulting-actually insulting
his wife, and says she's in the right"
"Now, Janet, will submit it to youl
own judgment if that's fair interpreta
tion.n
"You needn't do anything of the sort
1t isn't fair to suppose have any judg
ment, if what l say concerning Mildred
perfectly ridiculous cognomen. Who
ever heard of Mildred for servant
name2"
"Why not Mildred2"
"Why not Gwendoline, then, or Frede
gonde, or Thusnelda2 How would ii
seem to be telling Gladys to brush thu
dust off my shoes? And Mildred is jus
as bad. If l had my way all the cookl
should be Noras, and all the second girl
should be Ellens, and if they came from
England, then they should be Elias anC
Mary AIMS, and it wouldn't sound as i
you were taking liberty with your su
periors when your own name il
just plain Jane. ought to hav,
been Rosamond myself, you know,
said Mrs. Torrance, absently
twirling the grounds in her cup" O
Katherine, or Eloise, or something. Blu
I'm sure have trouble enough will
these people without being troubled
with their names. And | don't believ
her name is Mildred, anyway. | belev
it's just plain Martha, and she took tn
Mildred. If she took my diamond, sh
wouldn't stop at taking name o
maybe it was just Milly-" And here Mrs
Torrance paused, not for breath, but i
amazement to see her husbands eye
twinkle, and he himself lie back in hi
chair, as he pushed his plate away, wit
a laugh he could repress no longer.
'If she took your diamond. We'll
my darling, am glad you have arrive
at the diamond once more. began t
think it had been lost again. But don
tell me about the inconsequence of
woman's mind. It's workings are laby
rinthine, but the thought always come
out at the place it went in. Now, let i
be business s-like, if we can, Janet. Wh'
makes you think that this pretty Milo
red of ours took the diamond2"