The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-12
THAT YELLOW CUSHION.
Its Contents Gave a Start to q
Foolish Couple.

1t was sofa cushion of faded yellow
silk, badly stained in half dozen
places and clumsily ripped down one
edge. A handsome buhl cabinet was
its resting place and it stood in the
smaller drawing-rooDl.
Everything else around was hand
some and tasteful, the general scheme
of the coloring being brownish red.
The bilious staring yellow of that
dilapidated cushion was the one incon-
gruous spot and the eye was irresisti-
bly, drawn to it.
None of the family ever even men
toned the yellow sofa cushion, though
/ often noticed one or other of them
would turn toward the buhl cabinet
and stare at its contents thoughtfully.
However, the tale came out at last
without my asking for it. l was dining
at the house one Christmas day, and
my host lifted his glass and said:
MY dear, in remembrance of the old
yellow cushion, the best Christmas box
we ever had" and then the pair of
them drank the toast.
Nothing more was said then, but
! w
nv hostess nodded toward the buhl
cabinet and asked if l knew the histo-
nv of its curious contents I said: NO"
She seemed>surprised.
II thought Douglas cher husbanD
had told you the story years ago, but
as he hasn't I'll take upon myself to do
it now. 1t will be something to talk
about, and we old folks are often hard
put to it to find subjects for converse
ton.
Now, you always took us for rich
sauatters from Australia, didn't you?
Perhaps, then, if you didn't know
you'll be surprised to hear that we had
another life before that, life in the
whirl of society in London, a life as
4, different from the other as possibly
could be invented or even imagined.
I'VE married very young, Douglas
and l. He was just of age and / was
only eighteen when we set up house
keeping on our own account, and I'm
afraid we were both very, very brain
less. We'd got plenty of money, and
our one idea was to have as good a
time as possible.
eve went everywhere, did every
thing and lived in ducal magnificence.
The expenses we were let into were
something awful to contemplate and
our limited income went no way to
meet them; but to withdraw from the
scene was thing which we were far
too young and happy and foolish even
to think of, so we kept on dipping into
the capital time after time only just
for this once
st will complete the sum of cur
foolishness when tell you that jew
elry was one of our greatest extrava-
gances dotted on gems, and Douglas
loved to see me wear them; he said
that I set them off so we'll, and so they
were a good investment, or something
usually witty. And we got more and
more hard up and had fewer and fewer
resources to draw upon; and yet we
gave small thought for the future then,
SO happy was our present.
Zone morning 4 crash came. We
woke up to find out that my jewel box
had been pluudered. BY afternoon all
London was ringing with the news of
the robbery. 1t was so odd in its de-
tails. Nothing but stones had been
taken away. The gems had been
forced from the settings and the bat
tered goldwork left Uttered in an un-
tidy heap
Under the public attention which
watched their efforts, the police au-
thorities strained every nerve. They
searched the house for signs from cell
lar to garrett They watched suspicious
persons They had theories sinnumer-
able. They confidently expected to
lay hands on the thief tomorrow
But nothing came of it. The daily
bulletins in the papers became shorter
and at length ceased: and in months
time we ourselves had given up all
hope of seeing the jewels again Torn
from their settings they would be east
~ carried away and disposed OF; and,
moreover, it was probable that most
of them had been reground, SO as to re-
move the fainIest chance of identified
ton.
TO any couple possessed OF the least
grain OF sense the loss would have
been a warning. but to US il seemed |
only spur to new extravaganza
Douglas said life would be unenour-
able without new jewelry. and
agreed with him So we started to RS
place what had been lost. And, oh, |
what fools, silly. silly fools we were! |
What's the nse Of repeating tale of |
such foilies? We spent all, and then, |
worse still, were owing money. There
was bankruptcy and a shameful SELL /
ing up of our stock and sticks al the /
beginning OF the winter season.
Everything and everybody seemed 1
against us then. At the sale things /
we had given pounds for went for as
many pence; and the proceeds were all /
snatched UP by the creditors After it |.