Evening star., 1896-01-25
TALE OF A SPOON.
Its DfscOvery i'm the Lining of m
Cloak Recalls Some Serious Scenes.

SIoak Recalls Some Serious Scenes
From the Philadelphia Times.
Mrs. Egbert Jones of Birmingham. Ala
spent last year in Berlin, and one cold day
in January, while walking along Friedrich
street, she saw some pretty souvenir cof-
fee spoons displayed in a shop window
Stepping in, she bought one, thinking that
1t would make nice addition to her COL
lection, as well serve for a reminder of
a pleasant sojourn in Berlin. She slipped
her purchase into the pocket of the heavy
cloak she was wearing, and, after a visit
to the museum, returned to the hotel Re
moving her cloak, she threw 1t across the
foot Of the bed and went down to lunch.
When she returned she found the cham
bermaid, stolid-looking German girl of
the peasant class, in the act of hanging the
cloak in the armoire. AS the door opened
the girl gave a start, and it seemed to Mrs
Jones that her face became a tline redier
Are you nervous, Augusta" she asked
kindly, and. muttering something about
not being well, the girl hastily left the
room.
Mrs. Jones, bethinking her of the spocn
she had bought, ran her hand down into
the cloak pocket, but, to her dismay, no
spoon was forthcoming. The purse in the
other pocket was intact but nowhere could
she find the small parcel containing the
spoon. Recalling Augustus guilty start
and flush, Mrs. Jones conceived the idea
that the girl had distracted the spoon, and
had been surprised before finding the
purse. Hastily ringing the bell, which was
answered in a few moments by Augusta
Mrs. Jones, without circumlocution, ac-
cused her of the theft The girl broke
down at once, and with sobs protested her
innocence.
Mrs. Jones urged her to confess and re-
store the stolen article, promising forgive
ness in case she did so, but at length, find
ing her obstinate in her denial, and being
moved by her represent a tions that she
would lose her character and be turned
into the street should this be known, Mrs
Jones consented to forego prosecution, but
sternly ordered the girl not to serve her
room again, and when she left Berlin the
liberal donation she was In the habit of
giving those who served her well tingled
In the rough palm Of another maid-not
Augusta.
Now comes the strange part of the story
One Friday, becoming sensible of the early
autumn chill in the air, Mrs. Jones opened
a large cedar chest in which she had
packed away her winter clothes, and,
among other things, came across the heavy
cloak she had worn in Germany Examining
it closely to see whether the festive moth
had gotten in his fine work on the fur bor-
dering the garment, she felt something
hard In one corner between the lining and
the outside. With a premonition OF what
she was going to find, she caught up a
pair of scissors and shipped a few threads
Out fell a small paper parcel, and, opening
it, she saw the round face of the Great
Elector looking up at her from the bowl
OF the little gold coffee spoon, just as 1t had
done that day in Berlin.
What did she do? Why, first Of all, she
sat down in a rocking chair and had a
good cry. and now she says she is going TO
undertake pilgrimage to Berlin with peas
in her shoes. and IL poor, slandered Angus
ia isn't there. she is going to look for her
till she finds her. and then-she doesn't
know what she will do then.