Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-01-15

vailed and his resolution was adopted
unanimously.
The next morning he said to his wife.
My dear. do you realize the danger of
keeping $4,000 worth Of diamonds in
this house? Isn't it rather too much of
a temptation TO lay before servants?
Don't you think you'd better let me put
them into a safety deposit vault for
you?"
His pillow had been easier TO convince
than his wife was. First she liked TO
have her Jewels where she could look at
them and show them to her friends
What was the use Of owning beautiful
diamonds il they were to be locked up
where they couldn't be admired: Then
suppose she should change her mind at
some last moment and decide TO wear
her fieur-de-lis brooch instead Of the
sunburst. How exasperating not to
have II at hand. Besides. she always
kept them in the steel box where the
servants could not get al them, and
anyway. she said, the servants We're
perfectly trustworthy.
Thompson met all these arguments
with mastery logic. Granting that the
servants themselves would not steal,
they were likely to talk TO somebody
who would. Servants. he pointed out.
liked to brag about the wealth of their
employers. As for the steel box, bur,
glar could carry ii away, body anC
boots. aud open it at his leisure.
Mrs. T. shuddered at the thought OF
a burglar. so Thompson laid 1t on a lit
tie thicker.
I'VE read every day Of people being
murdered in their beds" said he.
That was the final necessary straw
Perhaps you'd better put them into
the vault" Mrs. I. sighed
That night Thompson called his pill
low TO order again and submitted the
following preamble and resolution:
Whereas. The clever Mr. Thompson has
found place where they make paste dia
real ones. and
Whereas, Mrs. T, not knowing the diff
ference, will be just as happy with paste
as with real diamonds. and
Whereas. Thirty thousand dollars viii
ma rgin enough T.. z. and " TO make g
wagon load OF money in the next thirty
days; therefore, be II
Resolved. That everything is lovely and
the goose hangs high.
There was nothing now to mar th'
happiness of either Thompson or his
wife Whenever she wanted to weaI
her jewels she had only to telephone tC
his office and he brought them TO heI
In good time What odds if they
weren't the real thing? Nobody sus
pected it, she least OF all. Moreover
her husband never grumbled nowaday,
when she hinted at new diamonds. Ht
even bought some beauties for hel
without the asking-bought them. Ie
her wear them few times, and thel
when he was sure she had priced then
at the jewelers. he substituted paste
sold the real stones. put the money int
the game, and-the goose still danslet
at pleasing altitude.
But one day the string broke, or, t.
shift from poultry metaphor to the Ian
guage of Wall street. the bears got oil
the market. and the roof caved in. A
8 o'clock that afternoon Thompson
| with every dollar he could raise, wa:
under the wreck. slated to be slaughter
ed at precisely 10 next morning. Hi
brokers Just hadn't sold him out ant
that was all. A drop Of another point
| and he was a goner.
From 8 to he burned up miles Of tel
ephone wire with the heat of his plea
| for money. Fifty thousand dollar
would take him beyond the turn, bu
everybody who had that amoun
seemed to be hard of hearing.
At last his own bell rang, and h
snatched up the phone, hopeful tina
somebody might be coming to the res
{ cue.
This is opera night. you know, dear
! lie. Come soon and don't forget tn
jewels"
There were good. honest tears il
! Thompson's eyes as he hung up the re
ceiver, tears that welled from deeper
purer spring than had been tapped il
his breast for many a day. If at tina
moment those jewels had been rea
nothing. not even his present strait
could have tempted him to displace on
of them. But, oh, they were so false
| false as he!
punger in all things. he nov
plunged into despair with his who'll
being. even as be had plunged into L,
z. and W. with his whole fortune. How
he loathed the hideous thing that h
saw himself TO be. And how tina
loathing took away his strength t
fight. What was the use? What wa
the Use of anything?
He took the jewel casket from cup
board of his desk Che had not even trou
bled himself of late to carry it to tn
deposit vault. called his carriage an'
went home with the craven heart of
uoltroop trembling In his breast.