The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-01-05
came % see the whole collection in q

came 20 see tue WnOl0 COlleCLlOn IN
mass.
.'Of course / shan't let him see 1t, y
she soliloquized. alluding to her hus-
band. ..l'll get the bill from Madame
before leave: and then there II be no
fear Of its coming In to him at the
Grange"
Mrs. Dalrymple asked for the bill.
and Madame, under protest that there
was no hurry in the world, promised
to send ii in.
Selma was sitting in the drawing
room by twilight when it was delivered
to her. inclosed in large thick enyel-
ope. with an imposing red seal. She
opened it somewhat eagerly. What
makes it such bulk.' she exclaimed
to herself '.Oh. she has detailed the
things. | did not care about that" 1t
was written in bnsiness-like, but ele-
giant hand. that Of Mrs. Cooper: dates.
details. all were there. But Selma
could not sec clearly in the evening
gloom, and she struck match and
lighted the wax taper on her writing
table. anxious TO look at the sum total.
"f94.' she soliloquized, glancing at
the bottom of the first page. 1T must
be deal more than that; what does
Madame meanP Pshar' she found she
was only looking at one item; the Ven
ice point-lace for the decoration Of a
dress.
She held the taper to the bottom OF
the second page. MORE antique robe,
lace, trimmings and sapphire buttons.
f125.' Pshar' again exclaimed Selma.
With a rapid movement she turned
the account over to the end and gazed
at the sum total: gazed at it, stared at
it, and recoiled from it. Three thou
sand and odd pounds, odd snillings and
no pence! What the odd pounds were.
whether one. or whether nine hundred
and ninety-nine, she did not catch in
that moment of terror; the first grand
sum of three thousand absorbed her
eyes and her faculties. And there
iOated over her confused conscious
ness Of other bills to come in; one from
the jewelers.. one for shawls. one for
extensively trimmed linen. There was
one shawl, real India-but she dared
not think of that '.Have been mad?"
she groaned.
1t would be thought SO. For she
knew that if her husband settled all
these, he would be for years beggar
on the face Of the earth.
At that moment she heard his step
coming in from the dining room. and
turned sick. She crushed the bill and
the envelope. both Of stiff satin paper,
in her right hand; and thrust them, in
her terror down the neck of her dress.
Then she blew out the taper. and
turned. with burning brow and fe-
vered frame. to the window again, and
stood there looking out, but seeing
nothing.
Oscar came up and put his arm round
her, asking whether it was not time to
have lights.
"Yes. presently"
"What in the world have you got
hereP" cried he. "A ball?"
She pushed the "ball' higher up.
and, shaking, murmured something
about some paper"
''What is the matter with you, Sell
ma? You are trembling"
The night air, perhaps" she man.
aged to answer. in tone that stroye
for calmness. Il feel chilly"
Yet it was hot night. Mr.. Dalrym-
pie Immediately began to close the
window. He was a minute or two over
it. for one of the cords was rough, and
did not go well. When he turned
round again his wife was gone: she had
glided silently from the room.
Up the stairs and into her own cham
Der she had flown. and there down
upon the carpet, in her remorse and
agony. her hot brow PROSTATE on the
floor.
Disgrace and ruin!' she walled
forth; .'what will become OF me?"
Ruin. ruin. inevitable ruin! nothing
but disgrace and ruin!"