The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-06-27
MRS. BOB.
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER.

afflicted with an Unsuitable desire for alb
solute tr%uthfulness. you see they are
my rubies that are gone-my sisters dia-
monds are in town being re-set-so absurd,
as I told her, to have diamonds reset ut
our time OF life-and with her the gold
plate is really II very secondary cOnsidera-
ton. But she was very nervous. fancied
that burglars would get in sand-and-
well, and steal her, I thifK; said she
would have all the men-servants to sleep
up in the guest-rooms and that / was per.
lcctly cOld-blooded TO be thinking about
my rubies when she was frightened out Of
her seven senses, and then just because 1
told her she couldn't possibly be frighten-
ed out of what she hadn't got, she took 1t
as a personal matter and went into hys-
tcrics over it,"
"Well, but I dnre say Miss Lavinia
would not have gone into Mysteries over
the same remark at any other time,' said
the doctor, soothingly. "And, as is gen.
orally the case with hysteria, she is now
very weak aud PROSTATE and must be kept
perfectly quiet for tonight. l have told
Warner that l will send over n composing
draught, and in the morning l have no
doubt that she Will be better"
And when the morning came, Miss
Lavinia was better, decidedly better, but
wore the interesting mir Of an invalid
just dashed with martyrdom. She got
out of her bed late in the afternoon aud
appeared In tho ~drawing-room in Il very
becoming black MORE tea-gown with o
good deal of rose-colorcd silk and creamy
old lace about 1t.
There was quite n crowd of visitors, the
aayya huvipy crr.nnI yalnA thn pnIntv MI
many of their friends had driven over to
inquire into the truth OF the rumor and
offer their condolences to the sisters or
their irrctrievable loss. 1t was positively
startling to Miss Theodosia to see the way
In which matters arranged themselves.
She had lost her rubies but 1t was the frail
bundle of hysteria and nerves in the elab-
crate black and rose tea-gown who CON.
placently received all the pity and the
sympathy, and at that point, that is when
the idea fnirly dawned upon the old lady's
mind, it is safe to say that Miss Theodosia
would dearly like to have shaken her sis
ter. Indeed believe thatif circumstance
had permitted of such a process being put
into operation, the shaking would have
been so sound and SO thoroughly admins
tered that Miss Lavinia Staunton would
never have had the nerve to indulge in a
fit of Mysteries again as long as ever she
lived! What a pity it is that oftentimes
politeness stepsin and puts a stop to meas
urss of the most salutary aud beneficial
description.
But then in the kind Of society in which
Miss Theodosia and Miss 1avinia Staun-
ton moved, such forcible proceedings are
not practicable and so Miss Lavinia con-
tinued In the character of m interesting
invalid, and by the aid of her tea-gown,
her fan. her %gold-topped smelling bottle
with the monogram III. S." set in dia-
monds on the top of it, of carefully lower
ed blinds and rose-shaded lamps, contrived
to extract for herself all the sympathy
which should rightly have been bestowed
upon the owner and loser of "the finest
rubies in Europe"
CHAPTER XXI.-wHAT wARNRR HEARD
think on the whole the two old ladies
contrived to stir up the neighborhood
round about Little Street Hall very effect
uarly on the subject Of their misfortune;
In fact they made much more real fuss
than any of the people In the %Blankhnmp.
ton neighborhood who had been relieved
of their property In u like manner had
done.
Their nephew, Sir Anthony, had already
enjoyed Inc terminated his long leave
but on the strength of the flaest rubies In
Europe he contrived to get an extra fort,
nights leave and promptly came along
and the blessed baby, to give his aunts the
benefit of his advice and to help to sup
port them in their misfortune.
TThop tho NJ aud ,,payiny,plu nv,,ootoJ
guests began to arrive, and gradually the
they had to put up quite a staff OF keen,
Yard, or wherever the Criminal investiga
ton people happen to have their head
quarters.
But ut the same time they found out
nothing-absolutely nothing: there was nc
trace whatever, not n footmark, not a tool
not n sign of any kind except that the
plate aud jewels were goue.
And gradually the excitement subsidet
a little, and the house-party at Little
Street began to enjoy life somewhat, ant
at tho end OF ten days, Sir Anthony, find
ing that his presence was actually of ne
use whatever to his aunts and that thu
cleverest detectives in England were a
| VIZ IN SuA " Nv - euCa9lhS
from one or two gentle little hints which
were dropped by Miss Theodosla tina
guests were already invited to fill tn,
rooms at present In the occupation of him
self, his wife and the blessed baby-tos
his aunts that he was uwfully sorry hi
hadn't been able to be of more use t,
them. but really the affair seemed to b,
beyond all comprehension, and as his leav,
was nearly up, he mud the wife would b,
Off in the morning us they wanted to stoI
q couple of days with Julia Howard OF
their way home.
Miss Theodosia gave quite q sigh OF re
lief. "Of course. my dear boy,' she said
II am always sorry when you AVE t,
leave us; but the fact is, this time l shall
really be quite relieved. You sec you TOLD
me positively that you could not possibl,
get even q single days leave during Feb
ruary-"
Couldn't have done under ordinary cir
~cumstances," Sir Anthony put in.
mo, no, exactly. But the fact is I hav
asked as many people as the house would
hold and"
"You will be more glad of our room
than our company" cried Sir Anthony
with q laugh.
"Oh, no-not that" exclaimed Mis-
Theodes!s IL & tone Of horror.
"Well, pretty much that" Sir Anthem!
laughed. But never mind. Aunt Theo
dosia, we're not the least offended. l onl!
wish l could have made myself more use
full over this business"
So they went up to London and Julit
met them at the station with her neat
brougham and carried Laura off to Vic
toria Street, leaving Sir Anthony to pu
the nurse and the blessed baby and al
the luggage in and on to o four-wheeled
cab and himself get into a hanson and
drive down to his club for an hour or 81
before dinner.
The sisters naturally enough talked
about little or nothing but the robbery al
Little Street.
my DEAR" said Julia, fearfully, wher
they were comfortably settled before the
fire in the little boudoir. "I assure you ]
bless the kind Providence every day which
permits me to live IN a fiat. No, it is no
easy to rob- fiat excepting 1t is on u grount
floor"
well, I shouldn't mind having you,
dat in any case" cried Laura, looking
round the elegant little room