The Harlowton news., 1911-06-23
"THE HAT
DID 1T"
By lane PINCKNEY BENNETT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

again.
She was strlding back and forth,
her cheeks aflame, her eyes flashing
anger. She slipped solitaire dia-
mond ring from her finger and handed
it to him. But instead of walking
away in high dudgeon he sat down
in an easy chair, rested his head back
on the cushion, his elbows on the
arms, and. holding the ring in his
hands before his eyes, examined 1t
critically. She cast glance at him
and uttered an exclamation Of anger
at his Indifference
II must change that" he said to
himself, though aloud. "Can't use this
one again. must get another"
III you are saying all that for my
benefit" she said, "you are having
your trouble for nothing"
II must apologize for having given
you a stone with flaw In it. was
deceived"
II don't see that 1t makes any differ
ence now"
But the ring can't be used again."
used again What do you meanT
"Why, 1 have promised Sue that If
you ever got huffy and returned it she
should have It,"
Sue is my sister.
"She said that, did sheY y
"Oh, yes; she predicted this"
"Oh. she didv'
"Yes."
"And you're going to give her the
nngY
"Oh, no; not this one. I'll get her
perfect stone. This is worthless"
II have not noticed any blemish in
1t. Let me take it moment"
mo; it was given you as a token,
seal to a contract That contract is
broken by its return. You have no
more interest in it than you have in a
glass marble"
II may have some curiosity, mayn't
IY
"A1l you like"
"Then let me see the ring. I wish
to know If the man l have been en-
gagged to had the effrontery, the mean
ness, to palm off on me a stone with
a flaw in it."
"What has been In the case Of
1t belongs to a dead past By your
returning the ring you annulled your
interest In my past and my future. 1t
doesn't make any difference to you
whether there is flaw In it or not"
Perhaps you wi1l condescend to tell
me what you propose to do in the
case"
"Of the ring?"
"Yes"
II shall take 1t back to the man OF
whom l bought 1t and ask him for an
other, perfect stone; that / shall
have set according to Sues taste and
give it to her."
This was very mean of him. She
remembered the day he had given her
the ring: how beautiful the rainbow
colors that sparkled from it; her thrill
Of joy at possessing it not only for it,
self, but for what it represented.
"Since gave it to you," he went on
brutality, 1--WE taken in hundred dol
lars 1 don't know what to do with
I'll add that to the price and get a
hantlsomer stone"
''I)o you still care enough about me
to grant me one favor"
~ will grant you any favor you ask"
'Then don't give the ring to Sue"
"Why not?"
II always liked Sue. know sis,
ters-in-law don't often agree, but l be-
lieve Sue and would. This changes
all that"
well, supposing I don't give it to
her, who would you prefer should
have it?"
There was no answer to this.
II don't see why you should feel en-
nifty to Sue for merely predicting that
you would get huffy. You have got
huffy, haven't your"
And what girl wouldn't get hufy
at being treated so brutally?"
'How brutally?"
'Well, for one thing, Of course, you
know. didn't you say looked horrd
in that new hat l had taken so much
pains to hunt up and have trimmed?"
II said the hat was horrid. What
else?"
She thought moment, then said,
~ don't exactly remember tl,e next
thing you said, but it was worse than
the first"
"Do you remember the next ,thing
you said?
"Why, no, but I'm sure it wasn't
very bad"
"Not especially so. It was simply
that was bereft Of the slightest gen
tlemanly instinct"
There was nothing in that"
Nothing whatever-a mere pat of
velvet paw"
There was silence for few minutes,
when she said, 1--WE made up my mind
as to the person would like to have
the ring"
"Wel? 2"
II think would like it myself"
"What with q flaw in itp'