Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-09-12

stores, drug stores, exchange brokers,
curiosity shops, pawnbrokers, dime
museums and bootlace vendors. was
everywhere unsuccessful, and finally
another numismatst said to me: "You
see, when people get hold of those
coins they keep them for pocket pieces
or have them cut in half for tokens /
began to believe him. ....
None the less, however, shall l ever
remember with gratitude the sympa-
thy of the proprietors of the nickel-in-
the-slot machines. They begged me to
wait. 1t could not be long before a
silver three-pence was passed for a
nickel. Alas! fate was against rue. At
last Sunday came. Weary and broken
in spirit l went to church Ia promise to
Marian). The collection was taken up.
! sit directly behind the venerable Ed
ward Edwards. His venerable purple
hand trembled over the velvet-lined
plate. When the vestryman moved on
to me, there before my eyes lay the OBJ
ject was seeking. 1t was old, it was
worn and shiny, its edges were seal
loped-it was the very twin of my own.
After service visited the vestry and
effected an exchange. l leave the
casuistry of my action to others; but it
is fact that gratitude for the provi-
dental assistance 1 had received to-
ward my contemplated subterfuge inn
PEELED me to thank offering, and the
heather were spiritually richer to the
extent of one dollar and ninety-seven
cents after the exchange was COM
pleted. .tl a.fs ..f. at.I .gr ii
The next morning took the three
pence to the jewelers. shop to be cut
i'll half. Istill had my tremors, for
suppose Marian took fancy to COM
pare the supposed halves and they did
not fit? However, this was remote
contingency; 1 could even devise
means to provide against it. On the
! whole, felt like an esoteric Buddhist
| just relieved from an underground fast.
| There is only one way to cut coin
in half-from top to bottom Mine was
the right-hand half; the jeweler riveted
| it on my chain after rubbing the
edges little to make them seem not
SO freshly cut. Marian was to return
the next day-Tuesday. 1t had been q
| narrow escape.
/ And now l know what you think
| happened. You think that when Ma
rian returned my apprehensions were
once more aroused by the peculiar
manner in which she questioned me on
! the subject of my half of the three
! pence; that her manner convinced me
| that / was not only suspected but
| found out; and that, at last, after en-
during untold agonies, I discovered
that she had lost her own half-that is
your supposition. How little you know
| Marian.
| What happened was this:
| I wore my counterfeit pledge for
twenty-four hours with great satisfac-
ton to my soul But when my dear
girl came home and sat smiling beside
me, the depths of my baseness were
opened unto me. and saw how mean
and black they were. i could not look
into her eyes and deceive her. With.
out hesitating I told her everything.
! She heard me to the end without q
word. Then she lifted her eyebrows
slightly. f%
IF you hare lost your half" she
said, disengaging her hand from mine,
sit is absurd for me to go on wearing
mine," and she pushed up her sleeve,
drew off the bracelet and dropped il
into big Cloisonne bowl full of visit
ing cards.
'Jim," she went on, did you really
miss me?"-Ladies' Home Journal