Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-06-27
In Bond Street and her sister has lost
everything she has"

II can quite believe IT," said Julia: 81
always thought her the silliest woman ]
ever knew. but I've noticed that she gen.
erally coDtrived TO get the easiest chair
ana the biggest peach, and the most com.
portable seat In n carriage for herself, 81
That really ] think her Stiffness il all put
n more or less"
course IL Is. BIT It puzzles me to
Know why she should make such n fuss
ABOUT this affair. II ever Miss Theodosia
mentioned the robbery, she would shuddet
and shut her eyes and begin TO faint.
FRAY, spare me, Theodosia,' she would
say, and poor old Miss Theodosia, who was
aching to talk about the finest rubies In
Europe and burning TO discuss every lit.
Tie detail concerning then. always had to
bottle her words mp aud turn the CONVEX
satlon 70 ward OF the threatened fit OF
Mysteries. told Miss Theodosia once that
II were her / should just let her 20 of
into Mysteries and stop 10 them rs long as
ever she liked"
And what did Miss TheOdosia say1'
asked stephen. In great amusement.
OH my dear she said" Laura an
swered, "'don't let Lavinia hear YOU say
that. She Is quite capable Of leaving the
whole OF her fortune to that detestable
Emily Spenderley's hateful boy-and If |
ever thought that horrid boy would be
master OF this house, | am sure I could
not rest in my gravel believe | should
come back and haunt the place. It's a
beautiful old place." Laura went on, and
the gold plate was dream. dare say It
was all melted down within a few hours
OF ils disappearance"
"Oh, / should think So" Julia agreed
then after "A moments pause she said, re-
nectiyely, Dear me, what q lot OF people
we know who have lost their plate and
jewels In the same way. / wonder If il
is the same gang who did all the others"
Very improbable" put in stephen,
sareicssly.
Yes, / suppose So" answered Laura.
"But, do you know. it puzzles me and
worries me 10 guess why Miss Lavinia al.
ways wanted to drop the subject-and she
did"
"Oh, no; you must have fancied It."
mo. didn't, for told Anthony and he
thinks the same thing. / cant make 1t
out now" Laura continued in a deter.
mined tone, but | shall never rest till ]
have mad it out. Oh, you may laugh
as much rs you like she added 10 Steph'
,n-'But all the same | mean what I
sayl'
Stephen Howard went of into a at Of
laughter.
well he said at last. when he could
command himself sufficiently to speak,
II sometimes think juicy goes in for pro-
pounding the funniest ideas In all the
world; but IN her widest flights of mag.
ination she has never equalled your sug.
g%estion. Surely you don't mean TO say
that the old lady is mixed up with the
robbery In any way, or that she has act
ually stolen the things herself'"
mo. don't" answered Laura, stoutly,
"but / do think this, that Miss Lavinin is
q thoroughly sharp and clever old lady
who chooses to wear a mask OF utter Sill
ness which she calls nerves just To make
herself look interesting and coquettish;
and l think she knows more about this
particular affair than she cares TO tell"
But how could she know anything
o 1t II she was not implicated in the
matter herself" Stephen exclaimed.
very easily" said Laura, quickly, "for
instance, the robbery took place hat par
ticular evening about ten o'clock, or rath'
er about ten o'clock the night after they
got back to Little Street the robbery was
discovered by Warner. WHO'S upper lady's
maid TO the two old ladies. Miss Lavinia
had gone mp to her room for something
Immediately after dinner, that Is about n
quarter past nine. She stayed upstairs
about twenty minutes, wen quietly into
the little drawing-room and sat down in q
chair without speaking and IN fact cover
ed her eyes with her hand, n most I'M sual
thing with her. About ten o'clock, or a
few minutes past, Warner went mp from
the upper servants supper which begins
ut nine puuc;ually. and, finding that
Sy-cscs> Ss~a se.. a. ss> .s..~. csS--sA.ss
rSIhf scream aud ran down 10 the draw
ing-room.
Dear me, Warner said Miss Theo
dosia, who was quietly reading n book.
What Is the matter that you come rushing
ia in this manner, Have you taken leave
of your senscs?'
"'Oh, Ma'am.-Miss Staunton!' cried
Warner, sobbing with fright. there have
been thieves and robbers in the house
and your rubies-they're gone, ma'am-
gomez
ooh! my Godr cried Miss Lavinia, in .
sharp voice. and then with a great groan
sank bach fainting into her chair"
well, IL seems to me, - remarked Steph.
en-, when his sister-in-law had got to this
stage, that all this was natural enough,
and. in fact, was precisely what almost
any woman would nave done under SINH
lar circumstances"
Yes, yes" answered Laura. but hear
the rest. - was In a genuine faint for a
quarter of an hour or twenty minutes
Oh, yes, she can do a sham one rs ~cleverly
as anyone | know, I've seen her many q
time, particularly since the robbery ooh
place-and Miss Theodosia in her fright
and anxiety went up 10 her room 10 fetch
some special medicine which she had put
away for use on such occasions. Whilst
she was gone, Miss Lavinia opened her
eyes a little and her lips moved. Warner
bent over her and heard her say, Obi
Frank, Frank, that you should have come
to this-ob, my God! It will break my
heart aud tneu she slipped off into an
other swoon, and when Miss Theodosia
came back with the restorative she came
to and straightway went off into violent
Mysteries. After that she has always
steadily refused TO listen TO n discussion
Of the affair, upbraids her sister for any
conversation which arises about IL, says
she has no heart aud thinks more Of her
rubies than of her only sister aud has gen.
orally made herself very disagreeable
about ii ever since"
"Well," said Julia. eagerly.
"Well, I know what l think about It,"
said Lady Staunton, significantly.
And what do you Think" cried Julis
and Stephen In the same breath.
II think that she went up accidentally
to her room and surprised the thief at his
work-and l think that she recognized
him."
i'rhen why didn't Staunton ask her
about iti'
Anthony did breach the subject, but
the result was such a much worse tit OF
Mysteries han she had ever INDUCED 10
before that Anthony was glad to have
done with the subject and Miss Theodosia
begged him for Heavens sake never %
mention the robbery to her sister again.
And of course ycu know" Lady Staunton
went on, Anthony has to be very careful
what he says to her, for they have six
thousand a year each and IL he offends her
she will think nothing of, as Aunt Theo-
dosia often says, leaving the whole Of It
to that detestable Emily Spenderley's
hateful boy And Of course Anthony
does not exactly wish that to happen, SO