The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-20

in clear. brazen tones to say: Josephine.
want you to lend me your new earrings, quick,
and never on any account to say word about it
to anyone" And the delighted josephine has
tened TO obey: and Mrs. Trench crept down stairs
with two bright points gliitering in her ears I'M
der the hall lamp, and ner cheeks roster than
ever. But as she stood there at the newell post,
II she had dared to raise her eyes,
1t would have struck her that
anything like the way in which Mr.:
Trench started back and looked aghast and
struck his hand on his breast pocket as if to
make sure that his heart was beating under it,
she had never seen off the stage. But he COM
manded himself Immediately. although he did
not succeed in getting out of sight at once the
look or amazement and of puzzled wonder
That's right he said. ''And now you've yielded
your point, I'll be fair and yield mine You
needn't wear them if you don't want to- No, no,
now, III insist upon it. Take them out my dear.
won't have you mortify you pretty vanity by not
being in the fashion" It wasn't that, she knew
in her guilty little soul, but she hated to
wear her servant girls mock finery. and she
knew that every woman in the audience would
know the sham at a glance. In her desperation
she had preferred that to the encounter with
she hesitated. And then came the tinkling of
the car-bell They ran hurrledly out of the
door and down the steps, and were in the cars
and there was Mrs. Courcy de Spenser going to
the opera, too. Before Mrs. Trench knew it,
those earrings, those hateful bits of glass and
brass. had been snatched from her ears, and
were slipping into the pocket of her black silk
skirt while pair of white earrings, as big as
peas, were flashing, and milking and rainbow
ing In Mrs Courcy de Sponsors ears for Mr..
Trench to see. Apparently he didn't see them;
nor had he noticed that the bits of Alaska crystal
were larger than her own earrings. She was
over the trouble for this time, but what was she
to do on the nextl At last, in the midst of the
lights, and dresses, and flowers and music she
forgot her sorrows and abandoned herself to the
general glory and ineffaole pleasure of the opera.
Mr.. Trench was very quiet all through the
OPERA AND on the way home he appeared to be
in deep thought. Two three times he looked
at his wife with that puzzled air; but ne was
very tender and gentle with her. for him, like
one who would invite confidence, in the few mo-
ments that they sat in the little drawing-room
before going up stairs; and the next morning as
he went to business he kissed her and asked her
If she were sure she loved HIM and nobody else,
in spite of his tempers why, who else should
loveq' laughed Mrs Trench needless of gram
mar. II don't know another man in the world
to speak freely with, except your brothers and
my sisters husbands; and I'm sure l don't love
them!"
Then will you tell me why you wanted to
give them Christmas presents to the extent Of
getting angry with your husband about IT.
Because l always have, and they always
nave. and L like things to go on in the way
they've been going on. and don't want to mar
the harmony and put an end to our old pleasant
ways, and they'll give us something. they always
have. and they always have come over here,
every one of them, to breakfast on Christmas
mornings, and don't want them to think we're
mean. and"
WELL" said Mr.. Trench, ''why didn't you say
SO, instead of blowing me up the other day.
Now. | can't help you drew my salary ahead
till the close of the year to make the last pay
ment of the house. you know. / had particu-
lar use for a hundred dollars, and borrowed it,
and I've spent it, and don't know where to Dor
row any more; and if ! did, doubt if it would
be right to borrow money and run in debt just
for Christmas presents-do you think it would
be2"
"N-no" said Mrs Trench, tearfully. And
then he kissed her again and said, sacrificing his
LAST scrap of principles: We'll have to explain
it to them, and make it all right next year."
But as he went up street there was hesitation
in his gait and manner which showed his mind
to be very much divided about something
Mrs. Trench saw it as she looked after him ac-
cording to her usual fashion when she was not
injured or angered; and she found herself asking
if she supposed he really had not hundred dol
lars he could have handed her at that moment, if
there were not some other plan in his head for
using it that he found it hard to give up. But it,
was idle to speculate. and she went up to over
haul her boxes and drawers. making by the close
OF the day contented arrangement Of her posi-
bilities IA perfect rag bag of Christmas"
she said. ''but guessit will CO. considering they
know Harry Is paying for the house. There's
my lace shawl hate them and Harry's mother
loves Their. and Pl give that to her. And there's
the silk remnants; they will make John two
and sister Sally can have
my French blonde fchu, it's fresh as snow
There's three And I'll give Margie my black
Spanish lace scarf declare l shan't have any
thing left! And Lawrence-wel there's the
silk socks knit for Harrys birthday. haven't
hava
those. And JANET know Janet would like a
crazy quilt. l wonder if could get it done
don't care; I'll try; Now there's only little
Janet-Ill make her rag dol-and Lolly, and
Will-Let me see There's that embroidery on
my old satin 1ounce; l suppose it would make
good smokingcaps against the time they're
grown up. lined with those blue silk handker-
chiefs. But then, there's the servants-weil. [
shall have to make my blue Shetland shawl do
and prayer book. and Harry must. just spudge
up little money besides for them"
And that reminded her of Josephine's
earrings, and she went to the ward
robecase, where hung the dress she had
worn out on the previous evening, and put her
hand in the pocket for the earrings. and there
were earrings there Josephine had taken
them back. of course. And yet. Josephine would
not do such thing. She turned the pocket
inside OUT she searched the floor beneath, the
room, the stairs. the drawing room. the street
steps, and then she sent for Josephine, and wished
did not value them at all; and giving the girl the
last whole dollar she owned to buy some others,
Mrs. Trench sat down at her crazy quilt, pre-
pared to forget all about it as soon as she had
said. Dear me. it seems as if there were an evil
fate about diamond ear rings and mel"
Mrs. Trench, in the following days. was al
most too busy to think In the first of them she
was haunted by an underlined fear of her hus-
bands again asking for the jewels; and she re-
solved that the first money she had she would
buy as good limitations as were to be found; and
then she thoughG how much vexation and un-
happiness she might have saved herself if she
had but confded in her husband in the first
place, and then she grew angry, thinking what
sort of husband was that In whom
you couldn't confde for fear of an outburst
that set your heart beating and your
nerves trembling to the point you couldn't bear,
And then she wondered whether Janet would
like robins egg blue with crimson better than
pale sulphur; and then she set the quiet Joseph
inc at work the crazy squares. while she
herself attended to the smoking caps. And up