The Penn's Grove record., 1888-01-28
A BREAKFAST DISH.

of those paltry things you can't wear
till candle light on account of the yell
low there is in them. So white, so clear,
so brilliant, pelluc,d as a water-drop
and sparkling as a start 1t was all but
big enough, too, to have a name of its
own, like those that the royal diamonds
have-'Star of the Four Points of the
Compass Light of the World to
Gomez GLORY Of the Middle of the
Earth,' Mother of the Moon.' Why
under the sum-" cried Mrs. Torrance,
the pretty creature in a bewitching
gown, pouring coffee for her husband,
the little butler having been dismissed
by Mr.. Torrance-in fear Of the wrath
to come, perhaps-"shOuldn't our dia
monds have names as we'll as those of
kings and queen and"
"Your's ought to have one. "said her
husband, quietly. ut would be suit
able to call now; it's In the vocative,
you know"
"Well, l must say I don't believe
any man was ever so undisturbed by
the loss of such thing as that. Archi
bald, that stone was worth a thousand
dollars"
"Eeally, I ought to be aware of the
fact, dear, If anyone is. You have
offered to sell it and procure the sum
for my necessities every time I have
been hard up since we married. And
IL l have Mildred arrested for this
theft, as you suggest, it will cost an
other thousand before we are done
with 1t; for she would certainly be
proved innocent, and then a libel suit
would be the next thing In order"
"But, Archy, Mildred can't be proved
innocent. How can she be. when l
know she took itp And there was no
one else to take it." And Mrs. Tor
rance paused with suspended cup, her
great wondering eyes searching space
for a reply. ''If over anything lay in a
straight line, it is the evidence against
that girl" she continued. 1.-THE other
day when the ring fell on the floor she
was in the room, and she asked me
what a stone like that was worth. and
then gave such a sigh that l said: 4
suppose you think It's wrong for me to
wear $1,000 on my fnger?' And she
said: Il wasn't thinking of the ring; l
was only thinking that $1,000 a do a
great deal of good.' The minxl 'Well,'
I said, 1T does a great deal Of gOod-in
looking pretty on my hand.' Indeed
1t does look beautiful there" said she
-she's very particular about her ad-
verbs; / wish she was about her cate
chism-'but a good deed done by a hand
is its most beautiful jewel, to my
thinking Just hear thatl To her
mistressi Are you through? Why,
I've only just begun"
"She is quite a missionary" said
Mr.. Torrance, picking up his news
paper. "And the worst of it is, she is
right"
I,Now, Archibald, don't, for mercy's
sake, 20 to reading" said his wife. ~
do think the morning news might wait
for once. It's nothing but dynamlters
blowing up the British Empire and
Arabs making mummies Of the British
army-all distractions; but my ring is
something positive, tangible here at
hand.n
81 wish it were,' said Mr.. Torrance.
Sand then l could be allowed" But
as he glanced at the lovely creature
opposite, with her ~reproachful brown
eyes, in which stood two tears as big as
tu6 ulhulOuu buO hdu lOSb, IICl SOlOl
going and coming with her breath, as
you might say, and the r~ose-colored
ribbons Of her morning cap all a tlutter
with her earnestness. he folded his
paper and said: swell my dearP"
swell, my dearl" mimicked Mrs.
Torrance, in derisiop. 81 should say
it's anything but well when a man
hears Of a servant insulting-actually
insulting-his wife, and says she's in
the right"
Snow, Janet, / will submit 1t to
your own judgment If that's II fair
Interpretation"
"You needn't do anything of the
sort. 1t isn't fair to suppose 1 have
any Judgment, il what l say concern
ing Mildred-perfectly ridiculous cog
nomen. Who ever heard Mildred for
a servants manner"
"wby Iot Mlldred?"
"Why not Gwendoline, then, or
Fredegonde, or T~husnelda? How
would 1t seem to be telling Gladys TO
brush the dust off my shOesp And
Mildred is Just as bad. 1t / had my
way, all the cooks should be Noras and
all the second girls should be Ellens.
and If they came from England, then
they should be ELIAS and Mary AIMS,
and it wouldn't sound as if you were
taking a liberty with your superiors
when your own name is just plain Jane.
I ought to have been Rosamond my
self, you KNOW" SAID Mrs. Torrance.
absently, twirling the grounds In her
cup, "or Katherine, or Eloise, or some
thin~ Rnt am aura I bava trnnhla
enough with these people without
being troubled with their names. And
1 don't believe her name is Mildred,
anyway. / believe its Just plain Mar
tina, and she took the Mildred. If she
took my diamond she wouldnd't stop
at taking q name. Or maybe it was
lust Milly-" and here Mrs. Torrance
paused. not for breath, but In amaze
ment to see her husbands eJes twinkle,
aud he himself lie back in his chair, as