News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-02-25
A PINK DIAMOND.
BY NJ. CARRIE HYDE.
LFrom the Chicago Daily News.l
Continued.
CHAPTER VII.
BY NJ. CARRIE HYDE.


Another night of lonely, sleepless
watching. Satanna dozed, started,
mumbled uninteligibly, then speech
asserted itself in halfartieulate muir
murs.
"Should not an i'll person have a
doctor or a priest?" questioned
Anemone of herself, and the next time
that Satanna recovered conscious
ness she asked her
"No, child, mol These herbs are
worth all the doctors of Fernando,
and as for q priest-never, never !
One would think you fancied me dy-
! ing. See--see how clear my mind is
now. Let me tell you a story you
have never heard before Bolster
me up and let me talk less like a de-
ranged gabbler," she said.
Anemone did as she was asked,
and the old woman, breathing with
more ease, twice began and twice
stopped her tale.
Never mind, grandmother" said
Anemone;" don't try to tell the sto-
ry to-night-another time will dc"
and the wind seemed echoing a pro-
lOnged "do-o-o' down the chimney
ana about the cottage.
L must tell you tonight. child,
while if is on my mind, and may be
| shall get well the sooner. Come
and see, child. if the pink diamond is
safe on my neck; my fingers seem
thick; | cannot feel,
" Yes, grandmother" answered
Anemone, "it is there, and isn't il
beautiful Where did you get it?''
" First Godfrey gave it me; then it
was claimed that / stole it, and TAX
Ell from me until you brought it to
me-"
81 brought it, grandma How
could l, when / haven't even seen it
before?" and Anemone thought Sa-
tanna's mind again wandering.
Listen, child" !" exclaimed the old
woman, peremptorily; "Geoffrey
gave it to me as the badge of our en-
gagement, but a lady-his cousin
with whom lived in Paris, as a COM
panion, was jealous of him and of
my brown beauty, and told me | had
stolen the diamond. 1t was a lie,
and in my anger L dashed a vase
with such force against her face that
the sight ofone OF her eyes was ruined.
A trial followed, and somehoH it was
proved that | had taken the dia-
mOnd from n fashionable jeweler -
had viciously injured a harmless
lady-and | was banished, though
Geoffrey promised to go wherever
was sent. But he did not he did notl'
repeated Satanna, catching her
breath, land the next | heard he
had married that woman who falsely
accused me of the theft. 1t was terri
ble when / heard of his marriage and
thought of lhis false promise to me-
but at length l repented and entered
! the convent at Fernando, but even
| here the story OF the pink diamond
found it's way and the old woman
twisted her fingers i'm an agony OF
recollection. THE convent was
burned, and they accused me of fir
ing it, because, they said was an
CRY with the sisters, but | did not-I
did notl-and at % l was banished
and rebanished to this lonely spot.
But l did not dislike the loneliness;
it was pleasant after the injustice of
the world. The lady, the lover, the
sisters and the priest, who was
praised for his lenity in sending me
here-Has my mind wandered in
this?
"No, grandmother, it is perfectly
clear" and Anemone brushed the
tears from her eyes.
Il knew it would bel knewitp de-
clared Satanna; "it has been in my
mind for years and years; it could
not wander if it would, the story,
mean. Oh" and here she smiled,
chow loved to toss the corpses to
my fishes. l would say this one is
she whose eye injured; this one is
Godfrey; here go the priest and the
sisters, y and the old woman chuckled,
"but | didn't know whom to call
you, so that was another reason l |
let you stay. Then the joke of sell
ling my fishes, so fed. OH Obi"
Anemone pushed her chair further
from the bedside.
Come back. child, come back"
said Satanna, "and will tell you of
yourself. You, dearie, were washed
ashore sixteen years ago, and about
your softH was my ypink diamond.
| knew it, because it's size and beauty
can never be duplicated"
SIS that all, everything you know
of me?" asked Anemone, remember
ing her promise.
THAT is all, child, it is enough;
knew nothing of my parents and re-
lations-why should you know of
yours?"
Anemone did not contradict this
spacious reasoning, but she felt the
want of kinship more than ever be-
fore.
Il suspect" said Satanna, the
sea has held your father and mother |
all these years; indeed, that cash
mere shawl, the blue silk dress and |
bonnet you prink about in may once |
have been your mothers"
Grandmother! Grandmother |
cried Anemone, pitifully. "Why |
didn't you tell me this long ago? l |
might have been searching for my
parentage all this time" and she
sobbed aloud.
1T would have been no use. You
can never find it. Even your name
is lost. All that you have is the gift |
of some romantic passer-by in the |
market"
The old woman had bestowed un-
intentional comfort i'll these last |
words. but with less keeness than
usual she did not observe it.
"To be no one, continued she, sis
hard enough. have tried it, and | |
know, but there are greater troubles
than that, child. Let me see how the |
pink diamond would again look on
your throat
II had rather not try it," said |
Anemone, drawing away.
"T'chut, child l must see it |
there, and, unfastening the chain on
which it had swung with the charms
for so many years, she slipped the
ring off, ana, putting it securely
upon linen twine, which seemed ly-
ing near for that very purpose, she
tied it as she had once united il with
her gnarled, crooked fingers about
Anemone's soft, white throat; then,
drawing her toward her with caress-
ing movement she kissed her.
Another kiss" thought Anemone,
trying to hide her sudden recoil from
the embrace. How strangel Two
in one day; two in sixteen years, and
how different they were ~
1t was noon of the following day,