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

to find me at fault But l thought at
first the stone must have washed
out"
80 1t seems you did wash your hands
with the ring onP" said the turning
worm.
Eyes. I did. Therei And 1 sent
for the plumber Immediately, for !
knew If it had washed out that it must
have caught in the first trap; and he
took up the trap, but 1t wasn't there.
And be said If he made a real job of 1t
and went down to the main something.
he might find it there; but l thought
that would cost more than the diamond
Itself"
"Wise woman" groaned Mr.. Tor
rance.
"And so, you see, 1 didn't accuse
Mildred in the first place. 1 searched
and took every precaution. / didn't
think Of such a thing till / saw her
standing there tuning more colors
than the lady in the lobster"
You don't say that you really have
accused herp"
swell, what IL / haveP 1 must lose
my diamond that my dear grandfather
gave me when l was married, and that
| treasured 80, and endure 1t all In
silence for fear some little hussy's feel.
ings will be hurt. My feelings are OF
no consequence at all. 1t isn't to be
reckoned to my account that l was
ready to give her the diamond-and l
love diamonds. I don't think there's
anything so beautiful in the whole
world. There's no other one thing that
holds SO much in so little; I don't mean
money or money value. 1t is the con.
crete essence Of sunshine-really, ma.
terially. Once that identical stone Of
mine, ages before man wa made, was
nothing but q flood OF sunshine, mar
ried to the wet air as 1t reached one
spot of the earth, and a wonderful
tree sprung from that marriage, and
iourished and Powered and fell, q great
strong marvel of growth that belongs
to those past con when the earth
itself vas but half crystallized oat Of
its gases, and that grows now nowhere.
For they can't find any substance now
that can quite produce it. And that
made my diamond-by slow ~concentra-
ton. Or else, even IL 1t is not that, it
is the very compression Of that ancient
atmosphere, almost all carbon, which
hung over the earth in that first mys.
terry of chaos. And, at any rate, it is
of the purest physical perfection known
to-day, and of the simplest chemical
composition. So?"
"My love. how much you knowl
You take my breath away. 1t seems
to me wickeder to have stolen your
diamond than to steal the Koh-i-noori"
"It is. The Bible says so. Nathan
talked to King David about the eve
lamb. And that was all the diamond
l hal. 1t would seem so to you, really,
if your head clerk had stolen it, or any
body had stolen it but this pretty Mil.
dred."
"But, Janet, you are always SO posi-.
tive"
s'How can you say sol What am I
eve positive about? You wouldn't
have me distrust the evidences of my
senses. And if v l saw guilt on any
face"
"1here is nothing more fallible than
the evidence Of your senses"
II beg your pardon. l Ia see as
far, and hear as quickly, and taste as
keenly as any n alive. And for you
to begin to run down my eyes
now-perhaps they're not so bright as
they have been-but 1 never thought
to hear you INVITING me Of growing old
in this way, all OF a sudden" trying
hard to swallow her sobs)-"because
you're interested-in-in my servant
maid"
"For heavens sake, Janet, think
what you're saying!"
Il do think what l am saying" she
cried then, in a fury, ''and l say,
whatever the evidence OF my senses
may be, I have every evidence that you
care nothing whatever for my feelings,
and can see me robbed without lifting
your voice, and-and-oh, q husband
ought to love his wife, and protect her,
and take her part" And here Mrs.
Janet rose hurrledly and pushed over
her chair and was rushing from the
room.
But Mr.. Torrance was not to be
outdone by any such sleight Of foot,
and had caught her In his arms before
she reached the door. sand do you
think" he exclaimed. 'that 1 don't
love you, you abominable little mass Of
Contradictions Do you suppose I
won't protect you with my life itselfp
Do you fancy for u moment that 1
won't take your part when you decide
what your part TSP"
"Let me go! let me 60, STRIP she OK
claimed; ''Or else at any rate, let me
find my handkerchief" And she
struggled for her handkerchief, that
the kisses her husband gave her might
not be too salt, and pulling it from her
pocket, something In a great arc and
stream Of lustre whirled out with the
violently wrenched handkerchief, sailed
through the air like nothing SO much
as a flying rainbow, and fell at her
feet.
1t was the lost diamond.
Mrs. Torrance stopped in the midst
of her tears, blushing, disheveled, dia-
Handicapped herself, as pretty a sight
as a rosebud in a shower, and held back
her skirts with both hands while she
looked at the shining eye there before
her on the carpet. 1.-THE horrid thingI"
she said, "the horrid, unwlnking, ac-
cusing thlngi 1t is calling me all sorts
of alnes I shall never want to see
it again. Only think, if I had de-
nounced that poor grill Pm so glad I
never breathed Of IL to her. 1 remem-
Der l had on this very gown when Mrs.
Yeasey was in. How stupid OF mel
Now, III take this down to q diamond
broker to-day, and Mildred's Mabel
shall have her $1,000 worth of lessons.
l dare say she'll sing at our parties by.
and.by. She'll be particular prima
DONNA, and by that time l shall have
improved Mildred into a companion.
OH l think you would despise such a
ridiculous, wicked little wife as l aml''
she cried, turning to her husband;
''you ought to have married a saint.
What a good man you are, Archyl"
"My DEAR" said MI. Archy, "life
with any other woman who didn't ar
ral!Asie these little ~cIrcuses for my MORN
ing entertainment would be too stale, /.
fiat, and Improbable to endure. l
should run away from the saint and
take to the flying trapeze and YOU"
Making Dimes From Scent Pieces.
A detective at Columbus, Ohio, re-
Gently came into possession Of several
3-cent piaces which had bean nassad aa