Middletown transcript., 1892-01-07
recollection did not tend to restore
her seIfpossession, for she was q
humane Young woman.

g Yes 20 in tone of polite encour-
agement. /" Does it relate to me Z"
q / think it does," he answered,
family. with steady but unconscious
look at the point of her slipper.
~ hope you have no bad news to.
break ?n said Miss Allen for IN
stance, of Jack, my brother, who was
hunting in Florida ?''
. On the contrary, the news is good.
and I do not know your brother. !"
fMentaIIy-the usual wish. The
fact is y fpulling himself together, II
have found it, and I know you will be
glad to have it returned, because it is
SO valuable-an heirloom, probably
something you prize highly. There,
it is out p
He looked lip at Miss Allen, guiltily
feeling that now he had the advantage,
and the tables were turned.
She was as serene as winter moon,
but prettily perplexed.
6 am glad it is out" she said at
length, with little laugh, ! because
it seems to afford you relief, but !
don't know what in the world you
mean. There seems to be misappre-
hension.n
mo. I think notn desperately, for
her tone had a touch of frigidness, in
spite of the laugh.) This is NO,
3007 Fifth Avenue, isn't it p''
Certainly
81 was directed to bring it here. -
"Well, what is it ~
The question was put with well-bred
but firm insistence.
Poor Selwyn could not muster up
courage to answer, but he drew the
now hated thing, which he had put
into jewelers. box, from the coat
tails of his Prince Albert.
+" Perhaps he stammered.
Yes. perhaps had better look at
this-heirloom, y remarked she, hold
ing out her hand.
The whole interview was incompre-
hensible to her, but she was naturally
curious to learn what the trouble was
with this good-looking and gentleman
ly young fellow, who, by the way, was
not unlike her brother Jack.
Selwyn gave sigh of relief. He
felt he had acquitted himself well,
after all, in not saying what it was.
Miss Allen opened the box daintily,
and then she burst into a hearty and
musical peal of laughter. Selwyn i'm
mediately became so abashed and be-
wildered that he was on the point of
making hasty exit from the house
without waiting for an explanation.
If Miss Allen had been perplexed be-
fore, he was now, to put it mildly,
g flabbergasted.
How very, very silly of me ~ ex-
claimed the young lady, when she
could control her merriment; and
then regaining her feet, she said !:
/" Kindly hold the, box moment, !"
and disappeared, with her lace hand
kerchief at her lips and an arch
twinkle in her eyes.
1t seemed like a century that Sell
wyn was left alone and until the quiet
of the lall was broken by the sound
of som cone approaching. The step
was quick and sharp, quite unlike the
glide of Miss Aliens, which had made
her skirts rustic as breeze in
young shrubbery.
A frightfully ugly little woman
with corkserew curls, in dress OF
stiff, black stuff, now appeared in the
doorway.
$50 you have found my garter,
young man ? !"
81 called in answer to an advertise
ment," said Selwyn, sombrely.
Just so let me look at it." The
old lady raised her lorgnon.
You mean the"
/" Garter, of course, young man.
What else should I mean? -Ah, yes
(peering into the box), :" that's it
the Madame de Maintenon. Where
did you get ,it?"
Well, l came by it honestly re-
torted Selwyn, whose color was rising.
Rubbish! OF course, you did. 1t
I thought you hadn't, I'd call in
policeman. But the thing was stolen.
There's no doubt of that"
Z" Might | inquire who you ares
asked Selwyp, who was experiencing
SYMPTOMS of goose flesh.
II am Miss Louise Allen
Why-why-I thought .
"Oh, she's my niece" remarked
the old lady, grimly, I" Penelope
Allen. You evidently sent your card
TO the wrong person. 1t wasn't an
old spinster you expected to see, |
suppose. But that's neither here nor
there. Ifyou knew the circumstan-
ces you would understand my curios-
ity to learn how my garter came
into your possession"
Well, ] found it in Madison
Square last night"
g Bless me, then she must have
dropped itl"
The young man looked at her in.
quiringly.
"Of course you're in the dark, but
go on and tell me the whole story"
That's about all there is to it,"
continued Selwyn. When Hooked
into the paper this morning | found
this advertisement"
He handed it to the spinster, who
examined it through her glasses.
"Well, / declare !" she shifted.
''Silken circlet clasped with gems ?
Why can't people call spade a
spade?'
Then she looked up in her jerky way.
"I'm not responsible for that defni-
tion, young man. My maid put the
advertisement in. suppose she
thinks it's young.lady for garter.
And so that's all you have to tell me.
Now, I don't mind giving you my
side. You must know, l have col
lection of garters Of historical person.
ages, which l will show you presently.
Mrs. Schuyler Van Vroom has an
other. but not SO large and valuable as
mine. My gem is the Madame de
Maintenon, and Mrs, Van Vroom has
always coveted it, offered me all sorts
of prices and. in fact, we had a fall.
ing out over it and never spoke for
weeks. Yesterdav morning she call.