Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-09-26

cleaned in February, when the sisters re-
turned to Ii tie Street TO entertain the
usuaf party of that month. And the day
after they were sent down, the rubes
went. ave and practically everything else
OF value in the house went also.
And then what p weeping and wall
ing there wasi How Miss Layiuia shiver-
ell aud shuddered as she went up the wide
old ghostly stairs aud Insisted upon two
of the mer servants sleeping in room on
the other side of the corridor. and thar her
maid should sleep in her dressing room:
how she upbraided Miss Theodosia for
her cruel heartlessuess in giving all her
thoughts to the jewels, when she was
frightened nearly out of her seven senses
at which Miss TheOdOsia retOrted sharp
" that she could not possibly be frighten-
ed out OF what she hadn't got, "a remark
which Miss Lgvinia took as personal and
resented accordingly, gOin" indeed so far
AS to sing .est in territorial insult on her sis
ter's part
Nor would Miss Lavinia listen to reason
on her part-in vain did Miss The0dosia
explain that rs Mis-. Lavinia was not alb
normally constituted in her body, she
could only have the five senses with which
weak humanity is ordinarily endowed, in
vain did she beg her sister to believe that
she TneOdosia. had referred only to the
number OF senses Of which she had spoken
and not "a any way TO the guilty OF them
yes, all in vaiu-Mis5 LaviuiI tossed her
head add put her nose high in air and
made whitening remarks at the wall IbOve
Miss TheOl. 81 - devoted head, ana then
she finished her protest and clinched the
matter bg going off Into a wild 1it Of viO-
lent and pr0irac,ei Mysteries, So violent
and so prolracted that poor Miss TheO-
do-ia sent Off pOSt-hn~te for tn doctor
vino lived five miles AWAY, while PEmDe,
the undrr-mHid twho h al never quite for
giyer Miss I.ayiuia Tor once stopping
very pleasant tr.p which was in view Tor
few weeks sojOurn in Whrnecliffe Bar
racGs) deliberately slid 'avy aud eX-
ceedinglv chilly KY t-dovu her mistress
back and took advantage Of the gasp with
which she realized the strange FubStanc
to hold large toilet jar of the strongest
lump ammonia under her lose greatly to
the poor victims Inconvenience and dis
tress. But it cured the h, sterics, and
when the doctor in due course arrived,
Miss LJvinia was well enough to be or
dcred to bed 'to he kept exceedingly
quiet" and Miss TheoIo,ia had time to
think about the loss of the exquisite gold
plate which had been their pride for many
a dav, and to mourn pla'ntively over the
loss Of her beautiful rubies.
1.-The finest ruhies in Europe, Doctor"
she said, when she had told the sad story
to the CHEEKY man Of medicine: Il knew.
OF course, always, that they were very,
very valuable, for Streeter. in Bond street,
told me more IAN o zee that he hoped !
would give him the chance Of them if ever
! wanted to sell them. They were my
mothers. not Stanton jnwels, and they
passed TO me, and had them reset when
] came of age. ! was so proud of my ru-
bics; and Strecter said they were very val
liable. but still didn't know till last sea-
son that they were worth quite so much
The finest rubieS in Europe all the pa
pers said. | used to wonder that papers
had never noticed them before, but they
never did somehow: you see things are diff
ferent nowadays papers seem o take
so much more interest in such things than
they used to do"
"Oh! worm get them back again-rubies
are difficult things TO dispose Of" said the
doctor chccrilv.
"Never DOCTOR" said Miss TheodOsia
az shall never set eyes on them AGAIN
excepting perhaps in a different setting
when | shouldn't know them again. And
I'm the more vcXcd because | had prom
tsed to leave them to my nephew, Sir An
thouy, and only the last time they were
here said in joke 10 her. poor thing,
that some day she would be able to boast
that she had the finest ruhirs and sap
piires in ENGLAND. For the Stauntou
jewels are eapphires-yes, sapphires."
"And | hope her ladvship will be able
to wear both" said the doctor, calamity;
81 hope so with all my heart-with all my
heart"
"Thank Won, doctor" replied Miss Theo
dosin. with appropriate tone and geS urn
much as she might have returned thanks
for sympathy expressed for her in Il
heavy bereavement, thanks, You are very
ktud-verr kind. And my sister doctor
what do you think at hcr?" She ASKED,
auXiousIv.
The doctor made a comprehensive gest
IRE with his ont spread fingers. "Ohi
Miss Invinia is Il little Over-wrOught, up
set naturally by all this"
ooh, moi it was not this that upset her
n all, " replied Miss TneoAoSia, who was
afflicted with an Unsuitable desire for all
solute truthrulncss. you see they are
nv rubies that are gone-my sisters dia-
mOnds are in town being re-set-so absurd.
as told her, to have diamonds reset at
our time of life-and with her the gold
plate is really very secondary cDnsidera-
ton. But she was very nervous fauCied
that burglars would get in and-and-
well, and steal her, | think; said she
would have all the meu-servants to sleep
up in the guest-rooms and that was per
fectIy cold-bluoded to be thinking about
my ruhirs when she was frightened out of
her seven senses, and then just because |
told her she couldn't possibly be frighten.
ed out of what she hadn't got. she took 1t
as personal matter and went into hys-
terics over it."
We'll but I dare say Miss LAWNS
would not have gone into hys cries over
the same remark ut any other time" said
the doctor. soothingly. "And, rs is gen
orally the case with hysteria, she is now
very weak aud PROSTATE and must be kept
perfectly quiet for tonight. | have told
Warner that will send over a composing
draught, and in the morning l have no
doubt that she will be better"
And when the morning came. Miss
LaVinia was better. decidedly better. but
wore the interesting air of an invalid
just dashed with martvrdom She got
out Of her bed late in the afternoon and
appeared in the Grawug-room in very
becoming black moirc tea-gowu with a
good deal of rose-culored silk and creamy
Old lace about il.
There WAS quite a crow, OF visitors, the
news having spread round the county and
MANY OF their friends had driven over TO
inquire into the truth OF the rumor and
offer tnCir condolences to the sisters on
their .ucetrlcvable loss. 1t was positively
startling TO Miss fhcodoSia to see the way
III which matters arranged themselves.
she had lost her ruhies but il was the trail
bundle of uyStrril and nerves in the elan-
CRATE black and rose tea-COwu who com
placeutly received all the pity and the
sympathy, and at that point, that is when
the idea fairly dawned upon the old lady's
mind, il is safe to say that Miss Theodosia
would dearly like to have shaken her SIS
ter. Indeed believe that il circumstances
had permitted of such process being put
into operation. the Shaking would have
been so sound aud so thoroughly admins
tered that Miss Layjnia Staunton would
never have had the nerve to indulge in 4
fit of Mysteries again as long as ever she
lived! What a pity it Is that otteutimes
politeness steps in and puts stop to meas
ureS of the most saIutary and beneficial
description.
But then in the kind of society in which
AIis. -EL..l ~.