The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-05-19
THAT YELLOW CUSHION.
It's Contents Gave Start to a
Foolish Couple.

It 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 1t stood in the
smaller drawing-room.
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
1 often noticed one or other of them
would turn toward the buhI cabinet
and stare at its contents thoughtfully.
However, the tale came out at last
without my asking for 1t. 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
afterward in the small drawing room
my hostess nodded toward the buhl
cabinet and asked if knew the histo-
nv of its curious.contents said: "No."
She seemed surprised.
ST 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 1t to find subjects for converse
ton.
"Now, you always took US for rich
squatters 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, life as
different from the other as possibly
could be invented or even imagined.
"We married very young, Douglas
and l. He was just of age and l was
only eighteen when we set up house.
keeping on our own account, and Pm
afraid we were both very, very brain
less. We'd got plenty of money, and
our one idea was to have as good
time as possible.
"We went everywhere, did every
thing and lived in ducal magnifcence.
| 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 a 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
SIT will complete the sum of our
foolishness when 1 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 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:
"One morning a crash came. We
woke up to find out that my jewel box
had been plundered. 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 garret. They watched suspicious
persons. They had theories innumer-
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 easi'
ly carried away and disposed Of; and,
moreover, IT was probable that most
of them had been reground, so as to re-:
move the faintest chance Of identifica:
tion.
ITO any couple possessed of the least
grain IF sense the loss would have
been a warning, but to us it seemed
only a spur to new extravaganza.
Douglas said life would be unendur.
| able without new ;ewelry, and J