West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-09-04
"wiso woman" groanod Mr. Tor

rance.
"And so, you see, didn't accuse
Mildred i'm the first place. | searched.
and took every precaution. / didn't
h'nk Of such a thing till ] saw her
stand there turning more colors than
the lady in the lobster"
You don't say that you really have
accused herp'
"We.l, what if I have? l must
lose my diamond that my dear
grandfather gave me when | was
married, and that | treasured so, and
endure IL all in silence for fear
some little hussy's feelings viii be hurt
My feelings are Of no consequence at
all! 1t isn't to be reckoned to my &C
count that l was ready TO giUe her the
diamond-and i love diamonds. Idon't
think there's anything so beautiful in
the whole world. There's no other
one thing that holds so much in so lit
tie; don't mean money or money val
ues. IL IS the concrete essence of sun
shine-realfy, materially Once that
Identical stone of mine. ages before
man WAS made, was nothing but flood
OF sunshine, married TO the wet air as
1t reached one spot of the earth, and a
wonderful tree sprung from that mar
riage, and flourished and lowered and
fell, great strong marvel of growth
that belongs to those past @ons when
the earth itself was buthalf crystallizea
ont of its gases, and that grows now
nowhere. For they can't find any sub.
stance that can quite produce it. And
that made my diamond-by slow concen-
trat'on. Or else, even if il is not that, il
is the very compression of that ancient
atmosphere, almost all carbon, which
hung over the earth in that first mys-
terry of chaos. And, at any rate, it is
OF the purest physical perfection known
to-day and of the simplest chemical
composition. Sor'
"My love. how much you knowl You
take my breath away. IL seems to me
wickeder to have stolen your diamond
than to steal the Koh-i-noor!"
ut is The Bible says so. Nathan talked
to King David about the eve lamb.
And that was all the diamond bad. 1t
would seem so to you, really. if your
head clerk had stolen it, or ANYBODY
had stolen it but this pretty Mildred"
tive"
"How can you say SOP What am l
ever positive aboutP You wouldn't
have me distrust the evidence of my
sensesP And if ever l saw guilt on any
face
There is nothing more fallible than
the evidence of your senses"
IL beg your pardon. / can see as far
and hear as quickly and taste as keenly
as any one alive And for YOU to bepin
to run down my eyes nOw-perhaps
they're not so bright as they have been
but l never thought-to hear YOU
twitting me of growing old-in this
way, all of sudden" Crying hard to
swallow her sobs)-"because you're
interested-in-in my servantmaid-"
"For Heavens sake, Janet, think
what you're saying"
81 do think what l am saying" she
cried then, in a fury. And / say,
Whatever. the evidence of my senses may
De. have every evidence that you
care nothing at all for my feelings. and
can see me robbed without lifting your
voice, and and oh, husband ought
TO love his wife, and protect and take
her part" And here Mrs. Janet rose
hurriedly and pushed over her chair,
and was running from the room.
But Mr.. Torrance was not TO be out
done by any such sleight of foot, and
had caught her in his arms before she
reached the door. "And do YOU think"
he exclaimed, that / don't love Won.
you abominable little mass of contra
d'ctlonsP DO you suppose / won't pro-
tect you with my life itselfp Do YOU
fancy for moment that / won't take
your part, when you decide what your
part isP''
Let me go! Let me go, sirl'' she
exclaimed. "Or else, at any rate, let me
find my handkerchiefr' And she struo-
gled for her handkerchief that the kisses
her husband gave her might not be too
salt, and pulling it from her pocket,
something in great arc and stream of
luster whirled out with the violently
wrenched handkerchief sailed through
the air like nothing so much as a flying
rainbow, and fell at her feet
1t was the lost diamond
Mrs. Terrence stopped in the midst
OF her tears, blushing, disheyeled.
diamond-dropped herself, as pretty a
sight as a rose bush in shower. and
held back her skirts with both hands
while she looked at the great shining
| eye there before her on the carpet.
The horrid thing" she said .'tThe
horrid, unwinking accusing thing 1t
Is calling me all sorts of names /
| shall never want TO see il again. ONLY
| think if hat denounced that poor
/
! 1t to her ] remember 1 had on this
| very gown when Mrs. Veasey was in.
| How stupid of mel Now, I'll take this
! down 10 diamond brokers' to day. and
! Mildred Mabel shall have her thou
sand dollars, worth Of lessons. / dare
say she'll sing az our parties by and by.
| She II be our particular prima donna.
! And by that time / shall have improved
! Mildred into companion. Oh, / should
| think you would despise such ridcu-
lous, wicked little wife rs | amt she
/ crlfd, turning 20 her husbands you
/ ought 70 have married q saint What n
! good man YOU are. Archy"
MY dear said Mr.. Archv. '1ife
! with any other woman who didn't
arrange these little oircuses for nv
/ morning entertainment would be to
/ stale, fat and Improbable TO endure
] should run away from the saint and
TAKE 10 the flying trapezc AMI YOU. 49,
Harrtet Prescott Sp0B0rd, IN turner's
| BuzQr.
FlRE-CRACKERS.
1 Where. How. Of What wstortI ,,d ty