News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-02-02
neck, and she tremulously asked her
friend if she would consent to lend it 10

friend if she would consent to lend it 10
her,
Nine. Forester very willingly assent
ed and Renee, wild with delight, rushed
home to acquaint her husband with the
result of her mission.
At length the evening of the ball ar
rived, and Renee created positive SEN
sation when she made her appearance in
the Minister'S salon.
She was by far the prettiest woman in
the room, and was so beset with invita-
tiOns to dance, compliments and atten-
ton from all the gentlemen present that
she did not allow her husband to take
her home until o'clock in the morning.
They had great difficulty in finding 4
cab to convey them to their lodgings,
and it was only after walking nearly a
quarter of mile in the cold, damp
street that they met with one of those
horrible night cabs which patrol the
streets of Paris in quest of adventures.
skThey were both very tired and out of
sorts when they reached their quarters,
she because the fete was over, ard he
because he had to be at his Office at 9
o'clock, and consequently had only three
| hours of sleep before him.
Renee, however, went to the glass to
give one more admiring look at all her
finery, when suddenly she uttered g
screamsof horror.
The diamond necklace was gone!
Her husband and herself, both as pale
as death, and trembling from head to
foot, searched the rooms, the staircase,
their own pockets, to no avail. The
jewel was nowhere to be found. Unfor-
tunately they did not remember the
number of the cab which they had
taken.
In despair the poor husband dressed
himself again and went back to the Min
istry to see if the necklace had been
dropped there. He returned at 7.3O
o'clock, broken-hearted and worn out.
He made inquiries at the police sta
ton, and had notices inserted in the daily
papers, promising handsome reward If
the diamonds were returned to him, but
he acknowledged that he had little hope
of ever seeing them again.
''You must write to your friend, said
he to his weeping wife, "that you have
broken the clasp of her necklace, and
that you are having it mended. This
will give us few days to look round,
and see what is to be done.
A week elapsed and the poor young
couple lost all hope Of ever recovering
oughly i'll, and her husband looked at
least ten years older than before their
misfortune. The only thing to be done
was to buy another necklace and send it
to Nine. Forester. But how could they
do it! They went from jeweller to jew
eller, and found necklace Mt length
Oh ,,,oc ot1I- i1ar 70 tho Loot ono
It cost 10000 francs.
Their entire fortune amounted to only
half this sum. They borrowed the rest
from money lenders at enormous rates,
giving their signatures and engaging
their whole future, and at last, after
fortnight of agony, they bought the
necklace, and Renee, trembling at the
idea of being detected, took it to Nine.
Forester who, without even opening
the casket to look at her returned prop
erty, told her very coldly that she might
have brought it back sooner!
Then began a life of ntter misery and
AFFECTION for the unfortunate pair. They
gave up their ledsins,. aont aw"y. theiF
only servant ard went to live in two
small rooms in tenement house.
Poor, pretty Renee was obliged to
cook her husbands scanty meals and to
wash his linen. She wore out her pink
nails in scrubbing the floor, and was
forced to do all her little marketing her
self,
They sold all that they had in order
to try to pay the heavy interests on their
enormous debt. Work, work, work, and
no pleasure for Renee from one end of
the year to the other.
The husband. too, worked day and
night, posting up petty tradesmen's
! books and addressing envelopes by the
thousand for ridiculous pittance. All
this was in addition to his office work.
Ten years elapsed. Renee had become
an old woman, prematurely aged, worn
out, haggard, vulgar and coarse through
dludgery and hard work. Her husbands
hair had turned quite gray, and he was
bent almost double like a cripple.
At length they succeeded i'll paying
ND the entire amount of their indebted
ness, and once more they were able to
breathe freely.
One Sunday afternoon Renee had gone
for little walk in the Champs Elysees,
when she suddenly saw an elegantly dress
ed woman walking in front of her, and
after q moments hesitation recognized
! Nine Forester.
She felt much moved on thinking of
all that she had suffered for that woman,
and determined, now that she had paid
her debt, to tell her all.
APPROACHING her, she touched her on
the shoulder and said softly:
"How are you, Jeanne!'
Nine, Forester turned round and
stared at her. She did not recognise her
old friend again in this elderly, common
| looking bOurgeOise, and Renee was for
ced to name herself.
"What, Renee Is it possible?" ex-
claimed Nine. Forester. ''What has
happened to you? What has changed
you so 2
"Weil." replied the poor woman,
"these last years have been hard ones
for us, and all on your account.
son my account"
eyes. Do you remember your lend
ing me your diamond necklace ten years
ago? 1 lost it.
"Lost it but my dear Renee, you are
crazy! How could that be You
brought it back to me -
"No, not that one. I lost it and l had
to buy another for you, [ am so glad
you did not notice the difference, But
it has taken us ten years to pay for it,
notwithstanding the sacrifice OF all the
ready money we possessed. The one
I bought was fully as fine as yours, was
it not? And you lost nothing by my
stupidity. am so glad p
Poor creature, She was smiling with
pride and qualification.
Nine. Forestier's eyes filled with tears
as she caAelt hold of her friends hands.
"lIy poor, dear girl" said she, sadly,
'.mv diamonds were false and the neck
lace had cost only 500 francs.
Supporting Captive King.