Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-02-06

up so great a sacrifice on the altar of
human friendship,
And why should 7. and for strangers,
too! People l have known scarcely
two months.
The thought, certainly a reasonable
one, comforted me and l lighted my
gas to dismiss it and the Windsors
from my mind.
as the light flooded my apartment a
light touch sounded on my door and
opened it to Sc Mrs. Windsor standing
outside.
only letter." she said, handing
me an envelope.
Her face was flushed as from crying,
but she wore q sweet smile. mo, l
, won't come in tonight" said she.
AS she turned away her eyes met
mine, and something in my face must
have told her that I knew. "You
heard" said she, isn't it terrible!
Poor Egbert, 1t will kill him"
Il did not-not hear all,'' said sim
ply, how much"
"a thousand dollars or its security.
And we do not know where there is as
much money as that in the world
At this moment, maybe by chance,
her eyes fell upon the coins.
There they lay gold and silver and
bronze, brass and copper and nickle,
all shimmering and bright under the
ray of the gas. There tl-ey lay all
cleaning, FIVE hundred of them, just
as 7 had laid them out for counting
before dinner after the little polishing
brush had done its weekly work upon
them.
They are worth as much as that?"
she asked timidly.
Yes, and a great deal more" I said
bruskely, for | did not like to have her
eye them SO hard; and then, jealousy
or some selfish fiend getting posses
sion of me, brushed them into my lap
and tumbled them headlong into my
bureau drawer.
When l turned Mrs. Windsor was
gonei
Next morning, heartily ashamed of my
act, I tried to turn the conversation
toward the topic of the night before.
but Mrs. Windsor avoided it. l knew
that she felt hurt and this only made
me the more uncomfortable. How
could / have had so little tact. | was
not suspicious of her. 1t was only the
jealous feeling understood by any one
who pets hobby and allows it to gov
ern him.
For the next few days I saw little of
the Windsors. for, having a relative
in town. devoted my days to visiting
her and only my nights were spent in
my room.
But I punished myself by locking up
in my chest my precious coins and
substituting for them an imitation set
procured long ago from Venetian
coin dealer.
An imitation set of coins is owned
by nearly every collector, just as most
women own paste jewels. The imita-
lions are lighter and less accurately
engraved, but for a cabinet or a table
they are quite as good.
Splendid library cabinets are rarely
stripped of their coins, though the
owner knows of safe deposit where
the priceless originals lie. Any dealer
will make a duplicate and imitation
set of lead and brass which for pur-
poses of history and display are just
as good.
1t was such a set as this that now
adorned my table in the little Windsor
fat
One evening, as I entered my room in
the dusk. I had an uncomfortable feel
ing of contact or presence which, as |
paused to listen was not dispelled by a
soft creeping noise as though OF a door
being silently Gle sed.
struck a match, and as I did so, I
heard a little bolt slide gently; and then
L knew that the door between my room
and Mrs. Windsors parlor had been OPEN
ed and that I had come home just as
the person who had opened it was in the
act Of closing and re-bolting it on the
other side.
How strange.
I started to caI out Mrs Windsor."
and then MY eye fell upon the little coin
table and I saw that it was empty. The
imitation coin set was gone
I stood perfectly still moment with
the dying match in my fingers and then
a wave of recollection shot over me-
had said I would not be at home that
night And Mrs. Windsor - horrible
thought-knew il!
A voice broke tho stiffness from the
next room. 1t was Mrs. Wfndsor's sweet
treble:
"Egbert E.bert. daring she vas say
ing, "Egbert. dear. Don't despair love.
Lift your head from the couch and look
at me-"
There is no hope
do not say that. dear. Here-here in