The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-05-05
SET, PA, WEDNESDAY. MAY 5. 1897.
the table; but now, lifting her clear
eyes to Lucia's Mildred's grandmother
followed their gaze.

the table; but now, lifting her clear
eyes to Lucia's Mildred's grandmother
followed their gaze.
.'Tt-tt!Lthat is too badr' said she,
stepping nearer. "How could ii have
been broken? So many moving around
must have jostled it, someway. Now
there, my dear, is another point of the
case; that bit of Dresden must have
cost a good deal, enough to have bought
several pretty souvenirs, and yet a
touch, some little accident, and it is
wasted. How will the giver feel,
wonder, to see it in this condition.
To Lucia's relief, her companion here
saw something that interested her
across the table. and went around to it,
just as Mildred came in, in high spirits,
with some friends, and began pointing
out her gifts to than. now and then
smiling brightly over at Lucia.
Another of my granddaughters, my
dear" whispered the miniature EN-
press to Lucia, under cover of the music,
and motioning towards slim, high
bred lacking girl by Mildred-"and a
charming, intelligent ereature-that is
her brother just back of her; he's
She stopped, the music becoming
soft and the voices distinct.
"And just look at this, Article" Mil
dred was saying, regretfully, Zone of
my very prettiest, from your firm, zoo;
aud all shattered, coming by expressw
She took up the box that Lucia had
sent.
"Whatp' exclaimed the young man
to whom she handed t-"rhis-broken
by express What was it that Lu-
ella recognized as familiar-the voice?
the figure? AS though in dream
she heard the words fall, half-muffied
with the strains of violins; something
seemed Ia catch at her heart; she held
her BREATH. Do you mean to say''-
he lowered his voice, but Lucia heard;
and then he laughed Irresistible. Eek
cuse me, but this is joke; who's been
guying you, Midget? Why, it came to
US exactly as it"-
She heard no more; the table seemed
to reel before her, TO the time of music;
for an instant she was conscious only
of this same voice, saying once in her
hearing: 'Oh. she is quite welcome to
it, Mr.. Stevenson, if she thinks she can
mend ~ She forced herself to speak
to the little lady beside her.
Excuse me a moment, please; am
not welln' And without raising her
eyes, looking neither to right nor left,
she slipped past the group in front of
her, and out of the rooms.
In Mildred's room, which she some
how reached in spite of wild desire to
fly ont into the night-anywhere that
no one could find her, she sunk down
by Mildred's bed aud buried her face
upon it; all her pretty finery in sad
little heap. The clock on the mantel
licked as usual, hurrying none of the
moments in which she was left alone
with her deceit. 1t seemed dreary
while before the door opened softly
and she felt Mildred's arms around
her.
al have brought you an ice, Lucia
deari I'm so sorry you are i'll, but this
will make you feel better"
"Oh, Mildredm cried Lucia, raising
a miserable, piteous face, 81 can never
feel any better until tell you all about
that dreadful tray. L can'tthink what
led me to do so wicked, SO disgraceful
a think, but | was so worried that /
did it almost without thinking, and L
haven't had happy minute sincer'
And she tremulously related the
whole matter of her present, and why
she had chosen a Dresden, tray. She
could never have thought, for herself,
of half the comforting things that Mil
dred found to say.
Forget it, Lucia. 1t is all between
u.s." she said, kissing her. "Arthur
has no idea whose gift it was, and
mamma had already promised me not
to mention who sent anything-and-
why. Lucia, two of my best friends are
the the poorest girls / know, and do
embroidery for liviDg"
As Lucia was driven home to Aunt
Margaret's an hour later the lesson that
had been so sorro xfully impressed on
her set its seal on her soul; and gazing
from the carriage-window out into the
starlight, the words of NIildred's grand
mother came back TO her:
"The spirit of love is everything
And she remembered that, somewhere,
she had read that Love is Truth.