The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-12
ghe da1ieha 1ai1u eagle riday gornino 1au IL 1893.

| Jul 1S1otiOAS NAoSO pi ILL ACSSCJS ~ soy
that they washed their hands of us
Douglas had been brought up to no
profession and knew no trade. We
couldn't tell what to do. We were
penniless; we were in despair; we
were una BILE to keep even those humble
two-roomed lodgings airy longer. 1t
was awful.
| "Then a curious note reached US,
written in struggling, scratchy hand,
and signed by the man who till recent
| ly had been our butler. It was word
ed half in the third person, half in the
first, and was SO painfully respectful
| in places that the sense was almost
lost The writer had taken liberty,
| a great liberty, but he could not help
seeing how things had been going for
| some months past. He hoped we
should pardon his presumption in see
| ing.
Further, he had done thing that it
was not his place to do at all. He had
! taken upon himself to interfere with
our affairs-which was great liberty
for which he craved pardon. but
knew from experience how hard it was
to get new place after leaving an old
one without money.
And so he sent sofa cushion,
bought at the sale, which he would
most respectfully beg us to accept.
The cover was not worn much, but the
inside was valua bic. If we ripped up
the silk we should see. After which.
hoping no offense, he was our most
obedient and obliged servant to COM
mand.
"A yellow silk cushion came with
the letter. Douglas stared at it up and
down, not understanding. Was the
man mad, do you suppose, or drunk. ,
said he, when that letter was written"
He's underlined rip the silk said
L Then ripped it shall be-, replied
Douglas, and brought out his knife.
''And, then, what do you think? In
and among the rest of the fluffy cider
down were some two score of little
balls of feathers tied around with fine
cotton. Douglas opened one and found
a diamond. ! took another and great
emerald dropped into my hand
'And then began laughing and cry.
ing and behaving SO stupidity that Ihad
to lie down on the sofa and turn my
face away from the white heapof down
in the middle of the carpet.
But after a bit pulled myself to-
gether again. and Douglas showed me
his gleanings. There was double
Embellishments, rubies, emeralds
and more diamonds and more rubies.
and great opal that CLEANED and
burnt in the lamplight like blaze of
colored fires
Then a thought struck me and
gasped out a faint question as to
whether they were really ours.
Yes said Douglas, all yours. We
paid our creditors to the last penny
and it ruined US to do it. Now we must
start afresh, and, thank Providence
and an honest, thoughtful servant,
we've got something to begin upon. In
the FIRST place, they will provide us
with passage money to Australia, and
don't think we shall be quite penni-
less when we land
''Well, we went Douglas became a
great squatter, the owner of many
miles of country and of a million
sheep, and we made happy invest
ments And what we won was not
frittered away in jewelry or in stupid
emulation of people richer than our
selves"
There was a silence for some min
utes, and then I asked about the man
who had stolen, for his masters future
benefit, the precious gems.
Didn't tell you? Why. he waited
on you at dinner tonight. We hunted
him out when we came back and
wanted to do something big for him.
We could well afford it, you know,
and, moreover, felt very grateful.
But he's most eccentric person.
He wouldn't accept anything If we'd
pardon the liberty he'd taken that was
all he would ask, unless, indeed, he
might come into our service. What
queer people there are in the world,
aren't ?"-Chicago Post.