Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1894-10-18

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which would go to the stake unhesitat-
ingly for what they believed to be the
truth, and who have no sympathy for
less courageous natures. The third in
their party was their daughter in-law,
an Italian girl of 10, new to them, new
to their country, new to each aspect of
the life about her, but ready as a sweet
tempered child TO make friends with
everybody and enjoy everything in this
strange world, where her husband had
been forced to leave her under his par
ents' care during his enforced absence.
She had been married only few
months, and neither her pretty looks
nor her pretty ways could Immediately
reconcile her husbands people to the
foreigner and Papist in their midst.
However, they loved their son, and
they set themselves to love her with
the same rugged conscientiousness
with which their ancestors undertook
to make the wilderness blossom like a
rose'-methods to which success comes
slowly if surely. In consideration for
her transparent eagerness for amuse-
ment the elderly couple took the bride
to gayer place than they usually chose
for their summer outing. The big hotel
was crowded ; there were sailing parties
all day, dancing every evening, and the
little heroine of this story enjoyed her
self thoroughly for fortnight. She
made friends readily and grew conf
dental rapidly, to the rather severely
expressed surprise of her mother-in-
law. The quickest and closest of her
intimacies was formed with a woman
of twice her years. A lady who, ac-
cording to report, was wealthy widow
who was about to make a second bril-
liant marriage. Beautiful, however,
she certainly was, and charming, and
she was included in all the gayeties Of
the place. To the ineNperience of the
young Italians guardians it seemed
far safer that her strongest inclination
should be toward one of her own sex,
and among the riuque fiirtations which
surrounded them they rejoiced in their
charges devotion to this feminine
friendship.
CAT the end of II fortnight or three
weeks the fair enchantress departed,
somewhat abruptly, and the girls spir-
it's dropped 50 visibly that the mother
in-law suggested arranging visit from
the widow before her approaching we'd
ding should take place, suggestion
from which the girl shrank almost with
aversion, to the surprise Of the elder
woman, who was not sufficiently inn
pulsive herself to ask an explanation.
They returned home shortly, and two
months later, when they We're about to
appear at what was to be the greatest
function of the small towns winter
gayeties, the mOther-in-law requested
the girl to wear her diamond necklace,
a valuable collar of single jewels, which
had formed the whole Of her dowry,
I>,, i,,h or, f,,N, rs,
poor and proud Italian noble's) long
after the failing purse had ceased to
supply ordinary comforts. The young
wife hesitated, yes, equivoca1ed- finally
pressed for an explanation, cried out,
with bitter tears, that the necklace was
gone! She had been robbed by the
woman whom she had loved and
trusted as her friend" The lieuten-
ant paused dramatically, and glanced
around.
The women were more interested
than the men, and broke into questions
and EXPLANATIONS, except their hostess,
whose Itch" was, perhaps, again trav-
cling, for she lay back motionless in
her chair, with the big feather fan in
terposed between her face and the tall
lamp beside her.
"Why had the italian not COM
planned ?" "Did her parents believe
her?" the other ladies asked, eagerly.
''They made your first demand with
out satisfactory reply, and then them
selves answered your second question
negatively Lieutenant Brown contin-
ued. ''There had been, it seems, pre-
vious difficulty concerning the neck
lace, as on leaving town for the seaside,
her parents had wished the girl to send
the Jewels with the family silver 20
some trusted bank, but she did nJt
wish to be parted from her mothers
legacy, and under promise not to wear
it where it might tempt the summer
burglar, she was allowed to take it with
| her.
"Her story of its loss is that on the
evening before the widows departure
she had gone to her friends room for
| midnight chat. Thither she had
| brought her treasured necklace. The
| widow had admired it with ecstasy
and finally clasped it around her own
lovely throat! Thus Respondent she
had plunged into the confidential mys-
teries of such meetings, and the small
hours were come before the Italian rose
to go. To her surprise, the widow still
retained the jewels, the door was
reached before the embarrassed girl re-
minded her friend that she still wore
the necklace. why, of course do p
that lady replied gaily. In such a
place as this hotel l wear it where it
cannot be SCENT is SO much safer v''
This time the ieutenant's pause was
caused by an outburst of cries from his
feminine hearers, in the midst of which
his hostess bent forward until her hard
bright eyes met his level gray glance
with almost fierce directness.
"You don't mean to tell us that the
girl let her keep the necklace ?" she
said. "Man, woman or devil should
not take my diamonds from me!
"You are a woman Of-eXperience "
Lieutenant Brown said, with an enig.
NAUTICAL smile land my poor little
heroine was timid and lonely child Of
49, Almost faint with mingled terror
and amazement, she was pushed from
the widows room. She wandered aim
lessly about the dimly lit corridor until
straying past her mOther-in-law's half
open door, the sound of her light steI
brought a rather stern reminder that
she should long ago have been in bed
What the sleepless hours which lay be
/ IL -. II 10.