The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

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just as careful as possibly could be.
And nobody need ever know. I'd put
ii right back In the box whenever
came home. | know mother wouldn't
allow me il she knew, but I'm sure it's
not bit of harm"-which last speech
was pretty certain sign that there
was harm in il.
Muriel knew very well that she was
doing a wrong thing, but she refused
to look the ugly thought in the face,
and she hurriedly took the bracelet
from its pink nest and clasped it around
her arm. The little paddock fastened
with spring, but could be unlocked
only by the little gold key lying beside
it in the box.
"It isn't single bit of HARM"
Muriel repeated, as she admired the
the effect.
But, nevertheless, she flushed very
guiltily, ten minutes later in her room
and quickly showed the bracelet up out
of sight under the lace frill of her
sleeve when her mother came in to in
spect her.
Half an hour afterwards she was the
centre OF group of laughing girls in
Clara Howard's dressing-room. Her
gold-link bracelet was noticed and
pounced on Immediately by the keen
eyed bevy. A buzz of admiration and
questioning arose.
"Oh, Muriel, where did you get such
a perfectly lovely thing?" was the bur-
den of the chorus, but Muriel only
smiled mysteriously and refused to say
anything about it. Each Of the girls
privately concluded that Muriels rich
aunt must have given tito her and en-
Wed her ia proportion.
But Muriel felt very i'll at ease and
honestly wished that the gold-link
bracelet was safe at home in Aunt Mar
ian's jewei-box. In the first place,
she had not had minutes peace of
mind since she left home lest it should
slip of her arm in some way and be
lost.
Then suppose Aunt Marian should
come back that night, after all, and
miss it before Muriel got home? When
Muriel came to think it over she could
not be certain that Aunt Marian and
Flo had really decided to stay away all
night. They had only talked of it.
This worried her. And, moreover,
under all these surface bubbles of dis
comfort was the secret conviction that
she had done a very mean and unlady-
like thing, something that Aunt Mar
ian and her mother and Flo would ter
ribly disapprove.
Muriel hated the very sight of the
gold-link bracelet before the evening
was over. II she could have taken it
OFF she would, but the little gold key
was at home.
She was heartily glad when the time
came to go home, for her head was
aching and she thought, joyfulIy, that
she would soon be able to restore the
hateful bracelet to its place; and the
thought made her feel so much better
that for the first time during the even
ing she forgot about il in the laughing
excitement of the dressing-room while
the girls were searching for their wraps.
She went home with a party of her
classmates and, her spirits rising amid
all the laughter and chatter, she did
not once think other unlucky adorn-
ment until she found herself in her
own room. Then, when she had flung
off her wraps impatiently and turned
up the gas, il was to find the bracelet
gone,
For moment Muriel stared at her
arm in a sort of horror. Ii could not
be, 1t was too dreadful to be true.
The bracelet had been on her arm in
Clara's dressing-roo the last thing
before she put on her wraps. And now
it was gone. When she realized it she
gave little moan of despair.
Muriel did not sleep much that night
you may be sure, and she cried great
deal, which did not help matters at all.
She was up and dressed early, and out
before breakfast. Eagerly she hurried
up the street, scanning the pavement,
until she reached the Howard house,
and explained the cause of her unseas-
enable appearance.
Clara was not up, but Mrs. Howard
listened to Muriel's distracted tale with
concern. A thorough search of the
dressing room was fruitless. Muriel
hunted desperately and the maids were
questioned, but none of them had seen
it. They looked through all the rooms
and the hall in vain, and then MIS-.
Howard shook her head in disappoint-
ment.
s'You must have lost il on the street,
Muriel," she said; and Muriel, with
fast-dropping tears, admitted the like
lihood of this and hurried home in de-
spair.
Her absence had not been noticed,
and she slipped up stairs TO her room.
Nobody called her, supposing her to be
tired after the party, and it was there
Flo found her when she and Aunt
Marian came home.
"Why, Muriel, what in the world is
the matter?' exclaimed Flo, as her
sister lifted her flushed, tear-stained
face from the pillow.
"Fio," sobbed Muriel, "shut the door
and come here. have something just
dreadful to tell you. On, Flo, am in
such a scrape; and there's no getting
out of it. / an 50 glad you have come
home. What will Aunt Marian think
of me?'
And then she sobbed out her remorse-
full confession. Flo listened in plying
horror.
"Oh, Muriel, You don't mean to say
that you took Aunt Marian's bracelet
to wear to the party without asking
herr
ayes, / did. know it was not right,
Flo. but would not stop to think, and