Morris tribune., 1901-10-19
Finding the Diamonds
How a Maidservant Was the Means
Of Restoring Lost Jewels.

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1t was her system that made Mrs
Robinson what she was. Ii lie go
loose anywhere near, she was up ant
after it with anything she could LAY
her hands on.
/ She showed you that lying didn't pay
n when she was concerned. A lie turned
into a serpent as soon as it got out Of
your mouth, and you were glad to gel
behind another.
H Not to say that her system hadn'1
its drawbacks. Hvery system has
i And the naked truth is sometimes an
! awful thing-ten times more awful
than any lie you can think Of at the
1 time.
4 When Susan Jones came, however
Mrs. Robinson had her work cut out.
The girl lied like aneeel-there was Nc
! catching hold of her.
/ At first she just chirped out lies as
light hearted as bird. "Pleas'm it
were the cat" or anything that came
uppermost. But the cat had a way
of proving an alibi that astonished
| Susan.
So Susan got as cautious as charity,
and it would have done your heart
good to see the two at it, for Mrs. Rob
inson had no sooner got the ferret of
truth into one hole than Susan was
out and in at another.
! Any one else would have got SICK
| and disguised, but Mrs. Robinso.
didn't
"For," said she, 'the girl has he.
good points, and I'll make woman OF
her."
And she succeeded for Susan got
worn out by the sheer uselessness of
the thing and at last shut down in dis
gust. After that the girl did not de-
part from the truth for six months,
and then she let off the awfulest lieI
Mrs. Robinson had ever heard in he1
born days. At least Mrs. Robinson
thought it was.
1t happened like this. One morning
when Susan was in the coal cellar she
found lady's ring thSt dazzled your
eyes and took your breath away.
"It's one of them cent things as
you can buy in any tinkers shop" she
said to herself. "Just lot of rubbishy
glass. / don't believe it's worth both |
ering about"
She took it to her mistress, however. |
Mrs. Robinson gave a cry when shet
saw the ring and started up with her
mouth open. 'sIt looks like one of the |
rings mentioned in my grandmother's |
inventory" she said. II shouldn't won
der if it belongs to the lost set of dia-
monds."
Mrs Robinson was a widow and liv- |
ed with her brother John. Few men
could look wiser than Mr.. John when
he tried it. His spectacles made him
look like Solomon. When he came
home, he put them on and raked out
the inventory and placed his forefnger
was valued at 5000.
After they had all wondered awhile
they put on last years clothes. got
candles and went into the cellar; but,
though they shifted the coalsSabout for
hours, they got nothing but their faces
blacked. Mr.. Johns was the blacklist.
When she had got herself washed
and busted, Mrs. Robinson put the
ring on and wore 1t till night, but be-
fore retiring to rest she put it on her
toilet table in case 1t got lost in bed.
In the morning the ring was gone.
Susan took a red face as soon as her
mistress came down stairs. Mrs. Rob-
inson just stood still and looked at her
for a moment, and then she said:
"Susan, what have you done with the
ring?"
Il never touched it, ma'am," was SUI
sans reply, and the girl sat right down
on her chest and burst into tears.
'Then what are you crying forY' in
quifed her mistress.
But Susan sobbed on and said moth!
ing.
'T'll give you an hour to make up
your mind about it," said Mrs. Robin
son. you're not to do any work for
that time"
Susan sat on the chest the whole 60
minutes and cried herself out. Mrs.
Robinson came down at the end of
that time and found her still glued to
the lid. -s-