Morning journal and courier., 1890-05-22
Prindle's implied suspicion that the captain

Prindle's implied suspicion that the captain had some difficulty in preventing scene.
 "Its very strange" said Mrs. Prindle, stifay, aa the captain helped her over the gang plank. "A box like that couldn't have gone of without hands. Somebody must know something about it, and if it isn't the maid 1t must be some of the passengers"
 But all the passengers had left the boat, and Mrs. PrindIe herself had to admit that to send a search-warrant after them would be an unwarrantable proceeding. Beyond question the bonnet was lost, and she re- turned to Hutehinville feeling that the pleas ure of her visit was already at an end. Even the fact that her travelling hat was pretty affair, and not at all out of style, afforded her little consolation. Still she could have Wrn the travelling hat in more resigned state of mind had the weather been such as to make the other seem trife in advance of the season; but from the hour of her arrival until she turned her face homeward scarcely a cloud marred the serene azure of the skies. The air was full of subtle hints of bursting buds, and robin songs filled the perfumed dawns, while up and down the streets from morning till night the merry children trun. dled their hoops, and high above the trees .kops scared the inevitable kite; but to Mrs. Prindle, bereft of her bonnet, these unmis- takable signs of spring served only to inten- sify her sense of loss, and she was scarcely sorry when the time came for her to return to town. The loss, triaing in itself, took the beauty out of the velvet lawns.
 Jack, like the dutiful spouse that he had always proved himself to be, was at the landing to meet her next morning, and on the way home she poured into his sympa- thetic ear the story of the missing bonnet.
 "You are sure you took it with youa" he asked when the recital was ended.
 'tJackl Of course I'm sure You don't suppose I'd have gone off without it after buying it on purpose to wear 1t when at
 'sHardly; but never mind, dear; all you have to do is to go to Madame Le Grande's and duplicate it," said Jack, eager to comfort her.
 "I may go to Madame Le Grsnde's and or- der another, but I shall not duplicate it," said Mrs. Prindle with much dignity. "I've no wish to have my bonnet a companion piece to Mrs. Bates'. That woman ought to be brought to justice, and soon as we're through breakfast, Jack, l want you to take description of the bonnet to some detective and put him on the watch for her." Jack barely succeeded in suppressing whistle.
 "Wouldn't it bs better" he began; but the stopping of the street car in front of their own door served to change the subject. "I feel like famished hunter" said Jack as he turned the latch-key.
 |i Mrs. Prindle, too, was hungry, and when Jack had deposited the parcels she asked him to tell Bridget to put breakfast on the table at once.
 "I,ll be down in moment" she added, as she pulled out her hat-pins Jack started to obey, but before he was halfway down the stairs cry from Mrs. Prindle caused him to face about, and on re- gaining their room he found her standing in front of the wardrobe gazing in dszed way at the upper shelf.
 "Jack," she whispered huskily, Sis that a bandbox up theref'
 Jack himself seemed little dezed ssIt slowly; s'but of course 1t is not the one you took away with you"
 "Pm-oh, I'm afraid it is, Jack" gaspsd Phebe as Jack took down the box, 'sor rather I'm afraid I didn't take it after ail I re- member telling Bridget 10 put it with the other things in the carriage-she had my bag and umbrella in her hand at the time | and just then the door bell rang, so I told l her to go on and I'd bring the box, but ] didn't think of it again till I was ct the gate l and then Bridget cams running ous with it, or at least with something that supposed tt
 be it, and slowed it into the carriage; bu now I think of it it must havs been thu
 lunch box. Oh, Jack, what goose Iv'
 beeni"
 "Moral," said Jack. taking the bonne
 from the bandbox and perching it on hi
 own head.
 "Please don't, Jack," entreated Phebe.
 'sWell, then, let's have breakfast" sait
 Jack, hungry enough to be glad of truce. But though the subject Was not alluded t
 again that day, whenever Mrs. Prindl
 shows disposition to be little oyeE-posi tive, Jack, with masculine memory fo
 feminine shortcomings, mildly reminds he of the lost bonnet.