The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-07-29

lHR peas db bIlt kllCutn taDle.
"Please, miss, there wasn't nothin
to do at the barn just now," said Joe,
''an 1 thort I'd help you SPELL"
''That's right, Josephp' said Miss
Sylvester, with the gracious mein of q
princess.
For the beautiful Miranda disdained
not the worship of Caliban, and to
Adelaide Sylvester there was some
thing rather amusing than otherwise
in the idea that Joseph, the gobble-
eyed farm lad, was her humble slave
and adherent; for a woman naturally
likes to queen it over the lowliest
creature alive.
"Hello" cried Mr.. Harry Fielding,
putting his handsome head into the
kitchen; chow delicious your pies
smell, Addict"
81 made them myself" said Miss
Sylvester, with pardonable pride, as
she looked down at the round, sun
shiny trophies of her culinary skill
without so much as recipe book to
refer to. And"
But just at that moment she
CHANGED to glance at the forefinger of
her left hand, her mind attracted
thither by an odd train of associations
with the apple-pie making.
The diamond.
She looked eagerly down at the
table where she had laid it. There
was no ring there.
ooh, Harry. it's gonep' she cried,
nervously clasping her hands.
"What has gomez" said Harry Field
ing, "What are you talking about,
Addie?'
'My diamond ring" said poor Ad-
die.
And then she sat down in one of the
rush -bottomed kitchen chairs and
began to cry.
"Not gone!" said Harry, cheerfully.
"My darling, how should it be gone?
1t had neither wings to fly withal, nor
legs to run. It's here somewhere, L
don't doubt; it must be here"
But it was not. They searched
high and low; they swept the kitchen,
like the woman in Scripture, and still
no sparkling stone rewarded their anx-
ious scrutiny.
81 have it!' cried Harry, slapping
his knees and bursting into laugh.
you've baked it in one of the apple
pies. It's the old story of The Maid
and the Magpie' over again.
And, then and there, the covers We're
taken off the apple pies, and their fra
grant contents prodded with silver
fork and still no diamond appeared.
Mrs. Sylvester looked hesitatingly at
her daughter just then.
"What is it, mammal" cried Addie.
"My DEAR" said the old lady, Il
would be one of the last to believe
evil of fellow-creature, but"
''But what, mammal" urged Addie.
According to your own statement,
said Mrs. Sylvester, reluctantly, "there
was only one person in the kitchen
all the time you were making those
apple pies, and that person was
"Joseph!" cried out Addie, flush
of deep rose-red rising to her fore
head.
"Joseph?" echoed Harry Fielding,
springing to his feet.
"Your father took him from the
workhouse," said Mrs. Sylvester,
against my advice and consent. His
uncle was transported for burglary to
England; his father died here in a
gypsy encampment.
"But, mamma" pleaded Addie, who
had sort of tacit liking for the un-
couth creature, ''we've always found
him honest and truthful in every re-
spect."
Sup to the present moment--yes, "
said Mrs. Sylvester, cautiously But
there must always be first offence.
And if it was rot Joseph who took the
ring, who was it?"
There was moments silence in
the room, and then Addie said, in a
low tone:
81 don't want to believe it, but I'm
afraid it must have been Joseph. F"
OF course Joseph denied it; but Jo-
seph was not one of those fortunate in
dividuals whom nature has blessed
with a prepossessing appearance or
ready utterance, and his blusing, stam-
mering denial was nowise in his favor.
And Joseph was ignominiously
searched, and the poor little garrett
room was turned inside out, and Jo-
seph himself was taken to the village
station house, there to await the de-
cree of Squire Sam Birdsall, who
dealt out the law and order of the
neighborhood. And, of all the shame
and degradation of the whole bust
ness, one envenomed arrow stung poor
Joseph sharpest.
s'She believes me guilty." said Jo-
seph to himself, over and over again;
''she thinks that am the thiefl''
elias anyone remembered to feed
Bob?" said Grandfather SilvesteS the
cheerful, chair-ridden old man, who
was mind, ears and memory for the
whole family "Your father is away
at market, my dear, and it used to be
poor Joseph's business, you know"