The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-05-01

detained him, so that he found nlmseI1
obliged to take the night train, and
he had come back for important pa
pers, which were needed in the mat
tiers he was transacting. He knew
that Kitty had intended to pass the
night at her friends Nellie's, but .,
how cherries looked the pleasant
house without her presence.
He turned up the gas in his wlfe's
room, and glanced at her desk, as
usual. Something caught his eyes; he
drew near, and slowly slid the bank
note from under the heavy paper
weight.
How careless of Kitty, how very
careless he muttered, in veXed tone;
land that after her solemn promise.
Will she never reform these habits :?
I've a great mind to give the child
lesson she won't forget very soon. III
do it. How in the world she became
possessed of fifty dollar note, can t
imagine, unless-ah her Uncle Hal
has been here; that's the secret. But
dear, what a thoughrless creature .
Yes, I'll give her good. scare, she
shall just imagine it is lost or stolen.
He thrust the bill in his pocket-book,
chuckled to himself, turned the gas
down, and went away without leaving
line in explanation of his return, as
he had at first intended.
Molly let herself in latter. She had
called at the place where Kitty was
stopping; learned that the baby-boy
was dying; had sympathized with the
sorrowing inmates, but with her mis-
tress most of all; ''crying the eyes out
of her, in the way she is, - she mutter-
ed as she went to rest in bIissful un-
consciousness of the trouble that was
brewing.
With the coming dawn, Kitty,
chilled and sad, her eyes red with
weeping, crept back to her home. and
laid down to snatch an hour of repose.
The little child was dead. For the
first time in her life she had seen a
human creature die; and the sight,
with the mothers terrible sorrow, and
the fathers speechless agony, had I'M
nerved her Even as she slept, the
cold white light falling Oh her pallid
dreams Her first thought on waking,
the little rigid form that would never
again dance into herroom all glowing
and beautiful-her second thought,
" It's d HillNt vi eSIl Pr iiiS iOCi e 'i-''
she would try TO master her own sad
ness, born of such intense sympathy
with the dearest friend she had, outside
of her own family.
III go over to Sally's at once she
said, gathering her long braids to-
gether, and starting for the mirror;
but, on the way, her eS es fell on the
desk, ami she stood still, her arms eX-
| tended above her head, her eyes fixed
and staring The bill-it was not
there. There stood the paper-weight,
in exactly the same place, but no fair
picture, in green and white, cleaned
under its crystal clearness.
so, | know | left it-just how | left
it-just how it looked the very last
thing before | left the room. 0
heaven. poor Sally, o what shall 60?
where is it? who has stolen it? Could
Molly have seen it last night? I'll have
detective here-but no-dear, good
Molly, who has been with us SO many
wears ! impossible. But where is it?''
She looked slowly, almost like one in
a trance, about the room. Rats-they
never could have pulled the bill from
under that heavy weight. Thieves
there was every safeguard against
them-and, besides, it was evident
that no one had been in the room.
Everything was in exactly the order
she had left it. Hastily pinning her
hair up, she flew down stairs. Molly
Just sitting down a hod of coal, turned
at the usual sound, so early in the
morning. To her astonished so
misses ~ Kitty responded almost in
coherently.
"Molly-rve lost S5O-yes fifty-dol-
lar bill 1t must have gone last night.
Could any one have got in? O
Molly, what shall | do? Idon't know
where to look-and | am so miserable
| left it on my writing desk-O | am
quite sure it was the last thing | saw
as | went out of my room"
Molly stood pressing her thumbs
along the scans of her course apron,
staring at her mistress, her broad face
growing more and more highly color
ed
"Indade, missis-it's very quare, and
sorry enough am |, ma am-there's
been no one here but me-"
so, OF course, Molly, didn't mean
that is, | didn't think that-that
YOU knew anything about it-but it is
gone-it surely is gone"
"Mightn't you be afther having
put it somewhere away" asked Molly.
80 Molly, wish L could think so,
but | am so sure | remember so well.
But I'll look, I'll look everywhere.
| You see it was not mine; if it had be
lopged TO me, shouldn't have cared
so much" Again, she was upstairs
searching boxes and baskets, and
drawers, till she was thoroughly eX-
| hausted. Molly helped.