Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-01-02

J happy, Cousin Margaret? | am 81
happy" she cried suddenly, seizins
Margaret by the shoulders, "that
feel as if something was going to hap
pen But / suppose, "she added, turn
ing away directly, "that it is only be
cause | don't deserve him He is 81
great and good and fine and noble
and" And then, with her hand,
clasped above her head, she was of
all alone by herself, swimming down
the room in a waltz to the tune of hel
own carolling. And suddenly a strong
arm stole around her, hand had
grasped one of hers, and Haydon
Roth, who had been shown i'm by the
butler, was waltzing down the room
with her.
1t was in moment or two.
She disengag ed herself almost as soon
as possible, before they had quite
made the circuit of the room, blush
ing and laughing till
"Blushingto her laughter gave grace
And laughter to her blushing."
half angry with Hayden, half longing
to 90 on with the dance. And then
all at once she sprang after some
thing that rolled away, Ind cried
in a piercing voice: "Oh, Margaret
my ring my ring 1t is broken-it
has come off-the stone is gone Oh,
what am to do? help me-help me
find it oh, it was his mothers !" she
cried, forgetting all about Haydon's
presence. ''He said it was sacred.
mustn't tell him; he will think
took care of it. And | was dancing,
| was dancing - And she was NOV
ing everything, looking everywhere,
searching in vain for the stone and
the broken fragment of the fragile
setting with it.
sit may be up in your room. You
bathed your hands just before lunch"
said Margaret. And up to her room
like the wind sped Rose. And then
all the house was in arms, men-ser-
wants and maid-servants were peer
ing into every nook, rugs and curtains
and draperies were disturbed, carpets
were swept, and although he retreat
ed before the brooms, Haydon Roth
remained in the house, and looked
in all the corners too. Cousin Mar
garet retreated from one room to an
other-down-stairs where the maids
were running, promised anything, ev-
erything, if they found it; upstairs,
where Rose, trembling like leaf with
excitement, was going from one jew
ell box to another, tumbling over
drawers full of ribbons and laces, in
feverish haste, and with cheeks stain
ed like autumn leaves.
sit is of no USE" thought Marga-
ret. 81 won't have the child suffer
so for the few hundred dollars an
other stone would cost 1t has rolled
into some chink of the house, and
will never be found" And she came
down and handed the broken ring TO
Hayden Roth, asking him to leave it
ut the jewelers. and have il repaired
and the stone replaced at any price
before the next noon.
Rose descended dressed for the op-
era when her lover came that night.
joined Immediately by Cousin Mar
garet, even their gloves buttoned and |
there was time only for Gordon to
note a singular agitation and color |
about her, an agitation, indeed about |
both of them, while she wept and |
laughed at the music in a half-hyster-
ical way, and trembled as he handed |
her up the steps at last.
"Oh,' she said, nesting a moment
in his embrace rs they parted in the
din dining-room, ''nothing could ever
let you leave off loving me?"
''No power in all the universe" +" he
answered her
81 shall have to tell him to-mor-
row. said Rose, tearfully, after he
had gone
"Oh, tomorrow we may find it,"
said Cousin Margaret" and afford to
laugh about the whole thing"
A half-hour afterward, as Marie
was taking down the great coils of
hair, something bright as any star
was seen to hang fixed in the meshes.
There was a chorus of glad outcry.
1t was the diamond that her rapid
turn of hand and wrist had torn away
from its slight stem of gold after it
had caught in her hair.
eyes" said Cousin Margaret, ''we
can tell the whole story tomorrow,
and | shall have a diamond to spare.
You didn't know ! had sent the ring
to the jewelers., did you?"
And tomorrow Gordon Penmore
met Hayden Roth drawing on his
glove over an obstructing ring upon
his little finger.
"Where did you come across that
ring, may | ask?" he exclaimed, ,paus-
ing directly in front of the other.
And moved by that same spirit of
mischief with which most people think
lovers should be treated, and know
ing little of the volcanic nature he
addressed, Hayden answered sit
belongs to a lady with whom | was
dancing yesterday afternoon in a
drawing-room in Heaventh Street.
do not like to take liberties with
names; it is enough that it was given