The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-04-07

haps it broke-but it does not seem
| rotten
rs that the string Of your lost bag,
Miss Milner?" Ben asked
Yes" she answered, "a piece of it.
The two ends We're still on my arm
when 1 reached homc.'
Ben took the ribbon in his hand
This has not been torn in two" he
! said. ut has been cut with very sharp
scissors"
"Stholen by wan av the girls" said
Dennis '.And yell never set eyes on it
whilst We live"
'Oh, what shall I do?" gasped Sarah.
What will mother do? And Tiny
Yes. Dennis, I'm afraid that some one
really did cut it. How cruel"'
DO you remember the wan that was
behind you?" asked Dennis.
Yes said Sarah, 81 know who it
| was. A girl who has all her money for
herself-who is too well off to be
tempted. 1t means bread and rent to
| us. Well, thank you both,' and she
ran away.
Poor crayther,'' said Dennis Ben
sighed.
''She is good girl and pretty one,"
| he said.
"And she supports her mother and
little sister, both sickly," said Dennis.
MY old woman says they are dacent,
well-learned ladies, but all they have
| is this ones wages
AS Ben went home that night, he
found that he had unconsciously kept
q piece Of ribbon Sarah had handed
| him in his fingers, and slipped it
into his vest poket.
A notice of Sarah's loss was posted
in the factory, but nothing came of it,
| nor of the advertisement Mr. Betz in
| serted in a daily paper. They were
| having grave trouble at Mrs Miners,
but Sarah told no one of it; she was
too proud. In the excitement of her
loss, she had, it is true, spoken of her
| anxiety to Ben Osmand, but afterward
she said nothing more.
| A few days later Emma Carman
went with Ben Osmand to the ball.
She wore a white tulle dress over
| blue: her ribbons were beautifully
fresh. In her hair was the prettiest
| turquoise ornament Her little slippers
were of the same, hue; her pearly skin
| had rose flush Oh the cheeks Ben
| thought he had never seen her look SO
| we'll, and on the way home he offered
| himself and was accepted. The next
day he bought his engagement ring.
AS he left the jewelers., fat Mrs.
Gross was just coming in
She was butchers widow, who
owned a row of fiat houses
1--WE been having my watch mend
| ed,'' she said to Ben as she nodded to
him. They've had it a month. I do
think folks try to give me I'LL the
bother they can. There's that Widder
Miner can't pay for her half-foor;
says her daughter was robbed.
Bother says l. Settle next week.
or out you CO."
"She was robbed, though" said Ben.
II knew of it at the time"
"Oh, you'd believe anything a pretty
girl told YOU the landlady said
So they parted. Ben went on with a
pang at his heart. Poor, good, pretty
little Sarah! what hard lot was hers,
| he said to himself. But he was going
to take tea with his betrothed wife's
| family, and the welcome they gave him,
her Smiles kiss he stole, banished all
| grave thought She wore pink ribbons
this evening, and had two little pink
| coral earrings in her pretty ears. And
after tea the parlOr was left them, as
pretty ring on her finger, and they sat
| together,his arm about her waist, her
head ON his shoulder
Time passed as it does with lovers.
until the door suddenly burst open and
in rushed Emma's little niece, with a
! ribbon in one hand and bunch of
something dark in the other
! Can have this to make my doll a
cloak, aunty?" she cried.
| Yes" replied Emma. run away,
| DEAR" her cheeks were crimson, her
whole face holly flushed
| Run away" she said again. But the
| little creature had paused at Ben's
| side
| what have you there?" he asked.
Scissors? You'll cut yourself, Rosy
''They was yapped up in that old
bag" said Rosy.
| And now Ben saw that in one hand
she held a black bag, and in the other,
with the scissors. piece of black rib
bon embroidered with red Strawber-
ries.
With trembling hands he took the
bag from her. A piece of paper fell
from it. It was the yellow band with
which the paymaster encircled the
girls wages, and on it was written:
"Sarah Miner
Emma, watching him, saw the color
! fade out Of his face. He laid the rib
bon across his knee, and from his
pocket took another piece that matched
it, and joined the two cut ends to-
gether.
She needed no more-she saw that he
knew all. The bag, the ribbon, the
scissors, told too plainly that it was she
who had robbed Sarah Miner Sud
denly she seized little, Rose by the
shoulders and pushed her out Of the
door, which she losed, and then went
down upon her knees.
81 meant to send it back next month, .
she sobbed II did it because I wanted
to go to the ball with you'll had spent
all my money. Father will kill me if
lie ever knows it,
For an instant Ben Osmand looked
| gravely down upon her, then he gently
raised her to her feet.
'.Kneel to God when you are alone,
Emma" he said. Nov sit here by me-
No one shall ever know this Give me
the bag. will draw fifty dollars in five
dollar bills at the bank tomorrow and
put it in the bag. and tell Sarah Miner
that it has been returned by an I'M
l cl1cn