Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-07-23
THE ROZELLE DIAMONDS.

1t was an April evening, with the
warm rain dropping softly in the
shrubbcries and scent of growing
dalfodilt in the air-iust the magic
hour between daylight and dusk when
there is nothing to be done and no
body wants TO doauything; aud in the
big saloon parlor, where the satin
damask haugings rustled mournfully
and the carpet was faded 10 a duh
dust-color, fair young girls were play
Jag "blind mans buff" their voices
and footsteps hushed into sort OF
semi-silence, as if they feared to dis
turb somebody.
Light and quick they rushed to and
fro, smothering their merIiment, cut
ting short their iinkles of silvery
laughter in the gathering dusk, until
the sharp, sudden peal of bell
sounded in an adjoining hall. Then
blank silence fell ON the rejoicing
four.
81 knew it'' gasped Kate Godfrey.
cts Margery Dixon p whispered
Emily Iardwick. "She does giggle
so dreadfully"
''But it was you Knocked over the
footstool, Katel' retorted Margery, the
giggler. 'You know it wasl"
Girls, hushr' sail Mary Meilen,
the youthful hostess of the occasion.
''Do hush Please go home, Kate and
Margery. We had no business to be
playing such noisy game. Emily,
leave off poking the fire-the logs
CRATE so dreadfully against the fire.
ironsi'
just at this iuncture the door openedi
wrinkled, haggish old dame stood in
the black portal holding a candle.
''Td like to know" croaked she,
chow you young ladies come to be
making such a racket? She wants
you right away, Miss Mary"
'1'll come" said Mary, heaving a
deep sigh of resignation.
Mrs. Jacleuline Rozelle lived here
at Rozelle Croft like handsome old
ogress in an enchanted ca tle-se III
blind, half-dead and wholly eccentric.
She was supposed to be rich, al
though she never spent any money,
aud Mary Mellen, her grandniece, rep
resented the captive-maiden element
of the story, while Polly, the maid,
did the housework and helped Aunt
Jac1ue to scold poor Mary.
Why did she endure this? Why dc
we all endure the inevitable? Be
cause she had to; because there were
six other Mellen birds in the nest at
home, and beca1se the parent birds
had e,oice1 grea ly when Mary was
askel to go and live with her aunt.
''She must be rich, said Mrs. Mel
len. because she has lived in that old
house and spent nothing for 40 years
perhaps she hadn't it to spend,
suggested Miranda Mellen.
ooh, she must have iti" saij
Oriana
"Besides," suggested Alfred, the
elder son, "there are the Rozelle dia
monds that Uncle Fernando gave hei
for wedding present-the diamond:
she wore at the ball at Versailles wher
she danced with Louis Napoleon, the
| first president of the French republic
''dumphr" commented Miranda
who was the doubter of the family.
"The Rozelle diamonds, indeedl Die
anyone ever see themw
emo! But
"Well, when l see them I'll believ,
in themm nodded Miranda.
"Jhildren, all this has nothing tC
do with the question, said Mrs. Mel
len, conclusively. "Your father,
Auns Jac1ueline has asked Mary to g
to RozelIe Croft for an indefnitel,
long visit, and Mary must go!"
SO this poor little human fowe.
was transplalted from larg
merry family of boys aud girls, living
in city fiat, to the solitudes of I
dtea~y country house, standing behint
a row of Lombardy poplars in
swanpy plain.
Evea old Polly took pity upon Mary
and suggested to Mrs. Rozelle tina
some of the neighborhood girls SHOULD
be asked in to keep her company.
She amt used 10 place like this,
said Polly.
But Mrs. Roselle shook her an
cien', lace-capped head.
"Nol" she said, decisively. sc
want none of the neighborhood girl
racing around here, and l won't hav,
EN-"
Aunt Jacque, however, was confined
TO one big echoing room upstairs, ant
she did not know it, when Polly, driv
en- to desperation, consented to Mary
pitcous appeals for companionship.
"Oh, Polly, do let me ask Emil,
Hardwick to come here, she sobbed
"She shall sleep with me, and sh
wort eat much; and feel myself stiff
fleming into an old woman here alone.
Aunt Jacque will never know"
Emily came, under vow of solemn
secrecy. Emily got acquainted witt
Kate Godfrey, the minister's daugh
ter, and Kate introduced pretty Mar
gerry Dixon; and the quartet contrive,
to enjoy themselves hugely, always ol
tiptoe and under their breath" "
''if Mrs. Rozelle finds this out,
/ Ao'O my PAoSS3 culu L Oily.
''But she never shall find it out!'
cried the four, in chorus.
Aunt Jacque was very cross thi
evening when Mary ran apprehensivel
upstairs.
"What's all that noise down below?i
said she, fretfully.
I'm very sorry that the footstoo
got knocked over" faltered Mary
"Anl in poking the fire the logs tum
bied over the fire-dogs, and"
why haven't you been up here be
fore to read to me?" imperiousl
questioned the old dame.
81 didn't think it was 50 late"
''Light the lampl" said Mrs. Re
zelle "det your book begin now!
Mary obeyed. and when she ha
u