The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-12-24
VOL. XXVIII.-NO. 8.

have to make my blue Shetland shawl do
and a prayer-book, and Harry Just must
spudge up little money besides for them
And that reminded her of .Iosephine's
earrings and she went to the wardrobe-case
where hung the dress she had worn on the
previous evening, and put her hand in the
pocket for the earrings, and there were no
earrings there. Josephine had taken them
back, of course. And yet, Josephine would
not do such thing. She turned the pock
ct inside out she searched the floor beneath,
the room, the stairs, the drawing room, the
street steps, and then she went for jose
phine, and wished she had done so in the
first place For Josephine did not value
them at all; and giving the girl the last
whole dollar she owned to buy some Others,
Mrs Trench sat down at her crazy quilt,
prepared to forget all about it as soon as
she had said, 'Dear me, it seems as if there
were an evil fate about diamond earrings
and me?''
Mrs Trench, in the following days, was
almost too busy to think In the first of
them she was haunted by an underlined fear
of her husbands again asking for the
Jewels; and she resolved that the first money
she had she would buy as good limitations
as were to be found; and then she thought
how much vexation and unhappiness she
might have saved herself if she had but
confded in her husband in the first place,
and then she grew angry, thinking what
sort of husband was that in whom you
couldnt confide for fear of an outburst that
set your heart beating and your nerves
trembling to the point you couldn't bear
And then she wondered whether Janet
would like robins egg blue with crimson
better than pale sulphur; and then she set
the quiet Josephine at work on the crazy
squares, while she herself attended to the
smoking-caps. And up early, and in bed
late, and snatching her meals, Mr.. Trench
declared that he had double reason for dis
liking holiday, preparation for which so
entirely absorbed his wife away from him.
But Mrs. Trench was far from happy in
those days-dark days they were to her.
She was busy with a sort of breathless
haste, and yet onlya if going through the
forms, Indifferent to the whole thing; her
heart held but one emotion then, and her
mind kept ringing the changes on one
theme She had always been interested
in Josephine, the pale and stately girl;
and she had meant to help Josephine about
her mothers eyes And now Josephine
was in great trouble Josephine in great
trouble? 1t was Mrs Trench who was in
great trouble, terrible trouble, and who did
not know which way to turn or where to
90. There was no one to help her. She
could neither eat nor sleep. Something
she must do-but great heavens, what?
Those earrings, those fatal earrings jose
phine, on the night she had bought hers,
had taken them to show to her sister Isabel,
who lived with Mrs. Courcy de Spenser,
and the two girls were so pleased with them
that when Mrs. Courcy de Spencer came
into the sewing room Isabel showed them
to her, and that lady expressed great ad-
miration and surprise, and even eondescend-
ed so far as to go and get her own earrings
and compare the two, and for moment
Josephine had held both pairs on the palm
of her hand. Going to see her sister again
after Mrs. Trench had lost the earrings,
she told that fact in confidence, and Mrs.
Courcy de Spencer, who was overlooking
some sewing work, went in great haste and
trepidation to her own room, and returning,
became very agitated. And it seemed that
Josephine had taken home Mrs. Courcy
de Spencer's earrings by mistake, and left
her own bits of glass. And Mrs. de Spen-
ser had said that of course she knew jose
phine was thoroughly honest, she never
doubted her, it was all mistake, and she
would say nothing about it if Josephine
paid the difFerence-she would say one
hundred dollars. And Josephine had no
hundred dollars; they had not yet saved all
of fifty dollars toward the operation on their
mothers eyes. And then the truth slowly
dawned on Mrs. Trench's timid compre-
hension; it was Mrs. Trench who had lost
Mrs. Courcy de Spencers earrings.
II don't believe she ever had any dia-
monds!" cried Mrs, Trench. II believe
hers were just like yours, cut glass or cry
stall She's the thief But that makes
no odds. She's got to have her hundred
dollars. And-don't you cry, Josephine,
dear-she shall have it somehow can't
think how-unless | sell the spoons, too
and they're not mine Or, might rattle
this crazy quilt, and say it's for charity;
and it is Or, could sell my sealskin,
or-or ask Mr.. Trench, if 1 can't get it
any other way. But l shall have it for
YOU, Josephine, don't fear, some way.
Only just keep her along; keep her off
awhile; wait till we get this Christmas off
our hands 1t may bring something in we
can use, anyway; and Mr.. Trench will have
to hand me some money some time or other;
and perhaps can get my courage up to
tell him all about it. | don't know why
can't-but don't dare-I'm so afraid =
and then Mrs. Trench broke down and
cried, and Josephine, who had become in
this stress something like an inmate friend,
cried too, and it was all very damp and
unpleasant After this the days only
dragged on heavily, and she expected
something more than had yet happened on
every succeeding one; she grew thin and
pale. and started at every sound, was
ready to cry at word, and lived in the
atmosphere of perpetual dread of she
knew not what.
az don't tknow what is the matter with you,
Mabel" said Mr. Trench, with irritation.
"Im sure shall be glad when Christmas
is over"
"I'm sure shalll'
"The idea of turning what ought to be a
happy time into season of such work and
worry ~
'You haven't helped make the season so
light to me that you need to talk in that
way r cried Mrs. Trench, quite beside
herself, her feelings rushing for the first
outlet.
II don't know what you want me to do
I've explained my circumstances fully" +"
exclaimed her husband, sand if you haven't
sense enough"