The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1891-06-10
JANETS ROUGH LESSON.

Judge Seaton had arranged to take his
daughters to Long Branch for the sea-
son, and he invited Janet to accompany
them. Janet was beautiful girl grace.
full and well bred, and the Seatons fan.
cied her; and the judge, being a remote
relative of her mother, felt it kind OF
duty to look after Janet little and to
do what he reasonably could for her.
"'Twill do the child good" he ex-
planned to his wife, "and no one knows
what a pretty girl may accomplish in
the run of a Long Branch season."
Mrs Seaton elevated her delicate
brows in well bred surprise, but she was
too amiable and ladylike to raise any
objection to her husbands will, SO the
matter was settled.
On the very afternoon before their de-
parture, while Janet was packing her
crisp muslins and her one silk, an old
camphorwood box arrived. Captain Lar
rimer, of the brig Nautilus, brought ii
down. He had just got into port, and
had spoken with the White Swan on his
homeward voyage. Jack billiard was
first mate on the Swan, and sent the old,
sweet scented chest as present to Janet.
They were not formally engaged, but
they had been lovers ever since child
hood, and Janet wore Jacks plain gold
ring on her engagement finger. Jack
never forgot her, and now he had sent
the camphorwood box over the seas as
birthday present.
But Janet was too much excited, too
full of her trip to Long Branch to notice
1T. She went on with her packing, and
when Tom Seaton, the judges handsome
son, drove down to take her over to the
Cedars, she hurried off, not even pausing
to bestow a glance upon the queer old
box. When Janet had fairly gone the
old farmer shouldered it and carried il
up to her chamber.
"Ah, my GIRL" he muttered, 'ye'l be
glad enough to come home to Jacks box
by and by-this sudden fever II soon
burn itself out"
Janet found her sojourn at Long
Branch perfectly enhancing; the gay
company, the balls, the music, and, more
than all else, Tom Seaton's constant and
hattering devotion, bewildered her brain
and silenced both conscience and COM
mon sense.
From Long Branch the judges party
went to the mountains, and one hazy
September afternoon Janet found her.
self all alone with Tom Seaton in one of
the most romantic haunts of the Cats
kills.
"What in the world makes you wear
this old fashioned ring, Janet2 Is it a
love gift or anything of the lrindY"
''No," replied Janet, coloring with en-
barrassment.
"Then let me take it off and put some
thing prettier in its place"
Janet was too weak, too fond of his
fiattery to resist, but sharp pain
pierced her heart as he drew the plain
gold band from her finger and put cost
ly diamond in its place.
"Now, that's something like" he said.
"You must wear it for my sake, jamie,
and I'll keep this"
He dropped Jacks ring in his pocket,
and Janet sat silent, vivid remem-
brance crowding through her mind of
the night Jack put it upon her finger.
Poor Jack! Her eyes grew dim with
tears as she thought of him, but she
made no effort to remove the flashing
diamond.
The season was over at last, and the
travellers turned their faces homeward.
1t was the middle of October when
Janet returned to the farm house. Farmer
Gresham was busy gathering in his
stores Of grain, and his thrifty wife was
up to the eyes in her preparations for
winter.
After the first greetings were over
Janet ran over to her own chamber,
with its sweet and simple appointments.
She sat down on the snowy couch and
looked about her. Not an article had
changed, and there in one corner stood
the old camphorwood box.
A vague curiosity stirred the girls
heart as her eyes fell upon it. What had
Jack sent her, she wondered, and she
glanced down at her snowy diamond
with a sudden pang.
Presently she stole down to her fa-
theirs chest and obtained hammer and
chisel, and then she set to work at the
battered lid.
The box was lined with silk and
emitted quaint odor. Down in the
very bottom she came to marvel of
loveliness-a snow white shawl, with
long trailing fringes and web Of folded
silk that cleaned like the bosom of
swan; and deeper still little casket,
and in it lace veil that looked like O
film OF moonlight, and string OF great
milky pearls as lustrous as eastern
moons.
There was strip of paper, and
scrawled on it were these words:
my darling, when / come home /
shall ask You to be my wife, and II you
say yes these may help for your we'd
ding things"
Janet let the battered lid fall, and
dropped her head upon it. Then she
broke into storm of passionate tears
Poor, good Jackl and she had forgotten
him and given away his ring. Then she
went on with her sobbing till the sound
OF voice below interrupted her-Miss
Tabitha Turner's voice raised to an ex-
cited pitch.
eyes, it's SO, an no mistakel Jake
Miller got here this mornin'. and he was