Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-08
SAVED BY A DREAM.

SAVED BY A DREAM.
Dora," said Mrs Harper to her errand
sri' nave you seen red pocketbook around
tne eounteri This lady has lost hers and she
says you have taken it." Mrs. Harper kept
. millinery shop in Brookville, a busting lit
sie town, and had quite large patronage
her errand girl, Dora May, was about is
years old, a neatly dressed, pleasant faced
girl, who had been employed in the millinery
Wore as general chore girl for over year.
She lived with her parents. honest. hard
working people, in a cottage on the outskirts
- brookville; and the slender stipend which |
S1e earned every week as errand girl for Mrs.
erper was great assistance to them. Dora |
was astounded by her employers words; |
asWrned red, then white, and her eyes were |
nnss. g,on Mrs. Harper's face as if fasci- |
erc,a ss bave taken her pocketbookln she
ahmed, replying to the latter part Of her
employers speech. why, Mrs. Harper, 1
oid not even see q red pocketbook. The lady
is mistaken
And Dora May flashed an indignant glance
az her accuser-a richly dressed lady with
handsome but cold face The lady was Mrs.
harwich, wife of Judge Harwich, one of the
richest and most prominent men in Brook
E1lle. Mrs Harwich was a grand lady in
Apokvile, She was beautiful and educated,
brilliant light in the social circles of
own. But Mrs Harwich was colder and
@0der than any princess of the realm, and
eSsy ungracious to those whom she consid-
s,I beneath her. She was, moreover, will
and impulsive by nature, which tenden-
cles she did not think it worth while to
check, and she was greatly disposed to jump
at conclusions. She was also selfish and in
considerate of the feelings of others, quail
ties which ill befitted lady in her position
Mrs, harwich regarded the errand girl with
cold, naughty stare.
~ do not think am mistaken, miss" she
answered, although have no proof thai
you took the pocketbook. | laid it down
Tor moment on the counter near
the spot where you were standing at
the time, while l was examining some
-rfoons, and when | went to get it 1t
had disappeared. did not take it, neither
did Mrs. Harper, therefore it must have been
you, as there was nobody else besides US here
to take itn
"But l did not take it, cried Dora May, as
tears of modification sparkled in her eyes.
81 don't remember laying my eyes on your
pocketbook. / was busy at that time wrap
ping up some bundles, and had no oppor-
tunity TO notice your pocketbook. 1t must
have fallen under the counter out of sight
somewhere
"a likely story sneered Mrs. Harwich.
Mrs. Harper glanced from one to the other in
an embarrassed manner. The wealthy Mrs
Harwich was an excellent customer of hers,
and she did not like to offend her; but on the
other hand she had every confidence in her
errand girls honesty, and could not believe
that she had taken her customers pocketbook.
"Let US examine under the counter" she
said, land see if we can find the lost pocket
book So Mrs. Harper and her errand girl
knelt down and searched everywhere under
the counter for the pocketbook which had so
mysteriously disappeared. The space under
the counter If Mrs Harper's store was oc-
cupied by miscellaneous collection of bon
net boxes, etc, packed in every way and
covered with dust. These were pulled here
and there, and vigorous search for Mrs.
Harwich's pocketbook begun. Especial at
tention was paid TO the spot where the article
was last seen, but though Mrs. Harper and
Dora searched among the boxes everywhere,
they could not find the missing pocketbook.
"Of course not" shifted Mrs. Harwich,
when the result OF the search was made
known to her II never for moment e1-
pected that you would And it there. That
wicked girl has no doubt stolen it, and in
vented that silly story to conceal her theft. ]
would advise you to discharge her,"
Mrs. Harper turned TO Dora May with a
grave expression on her face.
Dora said she, kindly, ''if you have
taken this pocketbook, confess and return it,
and you will be forgiven"
But did not take it, Mrs. Harper re
peated the errand girl, Indignantly. Il have
uever seen it, as told you before, and dc
not know where it Is
But Mrs Harper was beginning to doubt
her word. Heretofore, during the time hel
errsnd girl had worked for her she had fount
her honest and trustworthy, but Mrs. Har
per was woman who did not trust ANYBODY
too implicitly. Besides, she knew that Dor,
Mays parents were very poor, and sh
thought the sight of Mrs, Harwich's pocket
book, which she probably thought containe,
q large amount of money, had excited he
cupidity and tempted her to steal it Sh
you must have taken that pocketbook
child,n she exclaimed. LAS Mrs. Harwic
has said, nobody YVES here to take it but you
and it did not fail under the counter, as 70
suggested, or we would have found it. Pre-
duce 1t at once, or tell US what you have don
with 1t, you wicked girl"
But Dora May could only reassert her ute
innocence Of having taken the pocketbool
md 4boEr I,o l, /,
She turned the pocket of her dress inside GU
and exposed the contents to her employer
gaze to show her that she spoke the trut
and that she had no pocketbook. Mrs. Ha
per looked blank at this, and was disposed
believe Dora, but Mrs. Harwich dispelle
her belief By remarking:
"Ohi she has not got it in her pocket,
course; these thieves are 50 sharp. She b
probably hidden it in some safe spot uni
this affair blows over But it doesn't matt
much; fortunately there were only fe
dollars In it. However, you must excuse m
. must 60 now, and will leave you to de
with this peryerse girl as you think best.n
And with a parting adieu to Mrs Harp
the grand lady swept out Of the store, viii
Mrs. Harper, convinced now Of Dora May
guilt, and angry with her for denying
summarily discharged her, and sent b
home with smirch on her character.
poor Dora went home and told her stor
amid food of tears, to her parents, vi
gave her what sympathy they could Dor
parents were religious people, and had f,
confidence in their daughter, and they to
her to cheer up and things would come o
all right. So Dora dried up her tears a
made the best of her position. There W
plenty Of work for her about the house q
she was not idle. She expected every day
receive some communication from NJ
Harper, for Dora May told the truth wi
she said she had not taken the lost pock
book. She had had nothing TO do with
but circumstances were against her, and
this evidence she had been tried and c.
demned as we have seen. But Dora, v
knowing her innocence of the cruel chal
brought against her, felt that one day
lost pocketbook would be found and the st
upon her character removed She W
therefore, happy in her innocence, @
kept brave heart, trusting that ii
would clear up the mystery.
days and weeks passed, and she heard no
ing from Mrs. Harper. The latter had
cured new girl in Dora's place, and it lool
as If Dora would Fever return TO the mil
cry store. Bat sue kept her courage up, {
prayed every night that the strange AFT
might be cleared up. Time passed, howey
nd AAr --al