Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-06-27
MRS. BOB.
ny JOHN STRANGE WINTER.

afflicted with an Unsuitable desire for abb
solute t~ruthfuluess. "You see they are
my rubies that ure gone-my sisters dia
monds are In town being re-set-so absurd,
as | told her, TO have diamonds reset at
our time of life-and with her the gold
plate Is really a very secondary c0nsldera'
ton. But she was very nervous, fancied
that burglars would get In aud-and-
well. and steal her, ! think: said she
would have all the men-servants to sleep
up in the guest-rooms and that | was per
fectIy cold-blooded TO be thinking about
my rubies when she was frightened out OF
her seven senses, and then just because /
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
terics over it,"
well, but I dare say Miss Lavinia
would not have gone into Mysteries over
the same remark mt any other time" said
the doctor, soothingly. And, as is gen
orally the case with hysteria, she is now
very weak and PROSTATE and must be kept
perfectly quiet for tonight. l have told
Warner that | will send over a composing
draught, and in the morning / have no
doubt that she will be better"
Aud when the morning came. Miss
Lavinia was better. decidedly better, but
wore the interesting air Of an invalid
Just dashed with martyrdom. She got
out of her bed late In the afternoon and
appeared In the ~drawing-room in n very
becoming black MORE tea-gown with .
good deal OF rose-colored silk and creamy
old lace about It.
There was quite q crowd of visitors, the
news having spread round the county and
many of their friends had driven over 70
inquire into the truth OF the rumor and
offer their condolences 20 the sisters on
their irretrieyable 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 com.
placently received all the pity and the
sympathy. and at that point, that Is when
the idea fairly dawned upon the old lady's
mind, IL is safe to say that Miss Theodosia
would dearly like TO have shaken her sis
ter. Indeed | believe that II 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 Stanton would
never have had the nerve to indulge in a
fit OF Mysteries again as long rs ever she
lived! What a pity il is that oftentimes
politeness steps in and puts a stop TO meas
ures Of the most salutary and beneficial
description.
But then in the kind OF society In which
Miss Theodosia and Miss Iavinia Staun-
ton moved, such forcible proceedings are
not practicable and so Miss Lavinia con-
tinued in the character OF an interesting
invalid, and by the aid Of her tea-gown.
her fan. her gold topped smelling bottle
with the monogram AZ. s." set in dia-
monds on the top of il, of carefully lower
ed blinds and ro~se-shaded lamps, contrived
to extract for herself all the sympathy
which should rightly have been bestowed
upon the wne and loser OF "the finest
rubies in Europe"
CHAPTER XXI.-wHAT WARNER HEARD.
think on the whole the two old ladies'
coutrlved 10 stir up the n~eighborhood
round about Little Street Hall very effect
ually on the subject of their misfortune:
In fact they made much more real fuss
than any OF the people In the Blankhamp-
ton neighborhood who had been relieved
Of their property ia a like manner had
done.
Their nephew, Sir Anthony, had already
enjoyed n terminated his long leave
but on the strength Of the finest rubies In
Europe he contrived TO get an extra fort
nights leave n promptly came alkng
to Little Street, accompanied by To ara
aud the blessed baby. TO give his aunti~Sn
49, g ss- sssxs~ -
Then the other and previously EXPECTED
guests began TO arrive, and gradually tn
house filled, and also by hook or by croot
they had TO put up qnite a staff OF keen
faced gentlemen hailing from Scotland
Yard. or wherever the Criminal inyestiga,
tion people happen to have their head
quarters.
But at the same time they found ont
nothing-absolutely nothing; there was nc
trace whatever, not q footmark. not a tool
not a sign of any kind except that the
plate and Jewels were gone.
And gradually the excitement subsidized
n little, and the house-party at Little
Street began to enjoy life somewhat, and
at the end of ten days, Sir Anthony, find
ing that his presence was actually of nc
use whatever to his aun:s and that the
cleverest detectives in England were a
their wits end for a clue, and guessing
from one or two gentle little hints which
were dropped by Miss Theodosia that
guests were already invited to fill the
rooms at present in the occupation Of him
self, his wife and the blessed baby-toe
his aunts that he was awfully sorry he
hadn't been able to be of more use to
them, but really the affair seemed to be
beyond all comprehension, and as his leave
was nearly up, he and the wife would be
of in the morning as they wanted to stor
a couple of days with Julia Howard on
their way home.
Miss Theodosia CAV quite a sigh OF re.
lief. "Of course. my dear boy" she said,
81 am always sorry when you have to
leave us; but the fact is, this time I shall
really be quite relieved. You see you told
me positively that you could not possibly
get even a 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 l have
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 Miss
Theodosia, in a tone Of horror.
"Weli, pretty much that" Sir Anthony
laughed. But never mind. Aunt Theo-
dosia, we're not the least offended. / only
wish l could have made myself more USE
full over this business"
So they went up to London and Julia
met them at the station with her neat
~brougham and carried Laura of to Vic
toria Street, leaving Sir Anthony to put
the Nurse aud the blessed baby and all
the luggage In and on to q four-wheeled
cab and himself get into a hanson and
drive down to his club for an hour or so
before dinner.
The sisters naturally enough talked
about little or nothing but the robbery at
Little Street.
MY DEAR" said Julia, fearfully, when
they were comfortably settled before the
fire in the little boudoir. II assure you l
bless the kind Providence every day which
permits me to live In q fiat. No. it is not
easy to rob fat excepting 1t Is on q ground
floor"
well. I shouldn't mind having your
nat In any case" cried Laura, looking
round the elegant little room.
Julia looked round, too, and then caught
the glance of her husbands ewes 'No."