Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-11-09
tt Was Aersl She Did No. Believe 1t.

and look. II was still glorious. What
a pity she must take It on!
But even in the refuge of her own
rooms the ring incircled Flora with
unease. The light of II on her finger
made her restless. Il wasn't that she
was apprehensive of 1t, but she could
not forget it. She could hear the
maid Marrika moving about In the
room beyond. She slipped it off her
finger on to the dressing table, and 1t
lay among her laces like purple
prism, cast by some unearthly sun in
a magic glass. She had jewels, ru.
bies even-the most precious-but
nothing that gave her this sense of in
dividual beauty. of beauty so keen as
to be disturbing. She emptied her
jewel casket In a glittering heap
around IL. 1t shone out unquenched.
Marrika was coming in, and quickly
Flora swept the jewels and the sap
phire back into the casket. turned the
key upon them and thrust 1t back in
the far corner of the drawer. She
would give every one great surprise
when the ring was properly set. She
glanced nervously over her shoulder
to see IL Marriks rad noticed her
action. The Russian hal been NOV.
ing to and fro between the wardrobe
and the dressing table with a droning
thread of song.
All the while Flora was being
combed and laced and hooked her
eyes were alertly on the dressing
table drawer that remained a little
open; and presently she caught her
self vaguely specializing on how. after
she had been fastened up and into her
clothes so securely, she could dispose
upon herself the sapphire. How had
| she arrived at this consideration? No
course of reasoning led up to IT, She
was annoyed with herself. If she
wasn't going to wear the ring on her
finger. and show it, why did she want
to take Il with her at all? For fear
1t might be lost? Lost, In her jewel
he. IN the back of the drawer, She
Il sshed for herself.
Through the long afternoon it was
rs0re apparent to her than the faces
vi the people around her. She was
| talked interminably. At the luncheon
! they talked Of Kerr Flora knew these
( girls felt little resentment that she
had so easily captured Harry Cressy;
/ for Harry had been more than an
| eligible man in the little city. He
had been an eligible parsonage. Not
| that he had money: not that his fami-
ly tree was plainly planted in their
midst; but that without these two
| things he had achieved what. with
these, the people he knew we're all
striving for. He stood before them
as the embodiment of what they most
| believed imperfect bodily spiendor,
and perfect knowledge of how to get
on in the world: and the fact that he
wouldn't quite be one of them, but
after FIVE years still stood little Of
made him shine with greater bril-
lance. especially in the eyes Of these
girls. 1t was hard, they seemed to
/ feel. that such an apparently remote
and difficult person should have sue
AAtAibF0 81 fa5AA1 anu ~ A4A@t u sA@F
luminary of equal luster was appar-
ent in their sky. Flora felt their re-
marks a little triumphantly aimed az
! her.
But between the thread of interest
the table group wove together. kept
flashing up her furtive desire to be
away. to be at home. to see what had
happened to the sapphire. Of course,
she knew that nothing could have hap
pened; but she wanted 10 look at II,
TO open the casket and see the fash
Of # before her eyes.
They were dining early that night
on account OF the Buffers box party.
but IT was nearly eight O'Clock before
Flora reached the house. And II was,
Of course, for that reason that she ran
upstairs-ran wildly, regardlessly. be-
fore the eyes Of Sbima-and along the
hall. her high heels clacking Oh the
hard floors, and through her bedroom
TO the dressing room. snatched open
the table drawer. unlocked the casket
witt a witch Of the key-aDd. ali, It
was there! II was really reall why.