Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-08-02
tho hall to her aunt's roor,, which was

just opposite ncr own. M
Miss Abigail never locked her bureau
drawers, and in the upper one was the
small faded velvet case containing the
brooch. 1t was s. very handsome piece of
jcwclry, Pearls and small diamonds sur
rounded the Anticipated picture of Becky's
great grandfather, and the gold rim was
heavily chased. Becky lost no time in
pinning this ancient heirloom to her col
lar, and then gazed at herself i'll the glass
with much complacency. How the dia-
monds sparkledl The brooch seemed to
enrich her whole costume.
81 might wear it, anyhow. shall be
back long before Aunt Abbie, and she
will never know. ON, it is such a temp
tation!" thought poor Becky.
1t was not, however, a temptation that
would not, probably, have been yielded
to had not Amy's voice at that moment
called to her from the foot of the stt,.i:s {:
'The carriage has come, Becky. They're
waiting for YOU"
Becky hesitated just an instant. Then
al will wear it," she muttered, and
thrusting the case back into the drawer,
she turned out the gas, caught up her
SicitN sisib luSiiCQ ttOW uStNitS.
''Let me see how you look, f" said Amy
But Eec&y, flushing holly with the con-
seriousness Of the borrowed piece of jewclry
ut her throat, said she couldn't stop, and
hurried out to the carriage waiting at the
gate.
The concert was to be g.;en in the
Town Hall. A dressing-room had been
fitted IN nt opn on1 onI ;,4, tb;c pocl-,,
with half dozen other girls was ushered
on her arrival. A temporary dressing
table had been made of n large table, over
which hung IL mirror, and about this the
girls crowded as soon as they removed
their wraps.
owe have no time to waste. IT is
almost eight O'clock" said Carol Cresson,
as she gave n finishing pat to her hair,
and away she hurried, followed by all
except Becky, who had taken off the
brooch ill order to put the lace collar u
little lower down, and had been waiting
u chance to get before the glass.
90 Becky" cried some one behind
her. "Im so late! Do help me! Just
tic this horrid bow! l can't do thing
with it, my fingers are so cold!"
She turned and saw Florric Goddard,
who had just come in, and was throwing
off her cloak and nubia Becky lent her
aid Mt once, and was pulling out the
loops OF the bow when Mr.. Starr the stage
manager, put his head in at the door
"Young ladies, we are waiting for you, +"
he said. "Comc; the curtain is about TO
rise"
Eoth girls followed him immcdia. ely,
all in Il tiutser OF excitement, and Becky
did not think of the brooch again until,
in the middle OF the second song, she
happened to put her hand to her throat
The shock OF discovering that the brooch
was not there made her brain reel Every
particle of color left her cheeks, and the
song died OH her lips.
She went through her part mechanically
after That, not conscious what she was
dong. People in the audience said they
had never heard her sing so badly, and
wondered what made her so white. How
thankful she was when at last she was able
10 leave the stage She seized upon =
small boy in one of the wings, and with
tine promise of a reward of fifty cents, sent
him in search Of the missing brooch.
With what agonizing impatience she
waited his return-only TO be told that
The article could not be io;ind.
at must be there, " she said, frantically.
"Pll go myself and look"
But her looking was in vain. The
brooch had disappeared.
Poor Becky! what she suffered can DC
easily imagined. She looked like the
ghost of her bright, happy self when, at
eleven o'clock, she reached home, and
hurried upstairs to her sisters room. Amy
had retired, but sprang up, lighted the
gas, and unlocked the door when she
heard Becky's imperious knock
why, what's the matter, Becky2" she
cried. "You'rc us white as Sheet
~ feel worse than look, said poor
Becky. "Amy, something dreadful has
happened; give lost Aunt Abbic's
brooch"
'Lost Aunt Abbic's broccoli" repeated
Amy, sinking into the nearest chair.
"Beclly, you surely never"
eyes, did. borrowed it without
her leave. 1t was awful, know, but
wanted it so much. o Amy, don't look
like that. I feel bad enough as it is"
And then Becky, needless of her
dainty silk dress, threw herself on the
bed, and wept until she was almost hys-
terical. Amy tried to sootne her, of
course, but could say nothing comfort
ing. Indeed, comfort of any kind was
out of the question, for the terrible fact
remained that the brooch was lost, and
would, in all probability, never be seen
again. And the thought that Aunt Abbic
must be told weighed on both the girls
like nightmare.
"But You needn't tell her tonight"
said Amy, "for she has been in bed two
hours, at least. She didn't have to sit
up with Mrs. Mills, after ALL"
Becky was so pale, so nervous and so
depressed during the next few days that
Amy wondered Aunt Abbie did not re-
mark upon it. Every morning when
Becky rose she said to herself, an tell
her to-day" but when night came, the
terrible confession had not been made.
The longer she deferred it the greater
grew her dread of making it,
81 can't tell her" the poor girl would
say when Amy urged her not to put of