El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-24
Married Lies Troubles
Helen Loses Her Engagement Ring,
and Is Afraid TO Tell War
rem the Truth.
p By Mabel Herbert UrneF -

] - By Mabel Herbert UrneF
A SICKENING leap and HeIen's
/ n heart stood still, Numbly she
4 - stared at her bare finger Her
engagement ringl 1t was gone.
She clutched at the finger as
though hoping her eyes had tricked
her and that she would feel it there.
But there was only the faint depres-
sion where the ring had been
Dazed and tremulous Helen felt
[ about her dress, shook her skirts and
looked blindly around.
She had been STRENGTHENING the work
/ basket, and as she wound up spool
/ OF thread, her glance had fallen on
I the finger where always sEarkled her
/ engagement ring.
Snatching a newspaper, she trem-
blingly empted on 1t the contents OF
/ the work basket.
Maggie - Naggie-Oh, MaggieE'
| she called.
Helen was already turning up the
| rugs and searching about the room
] But Maggie, who was not of an eN-
] citable nature, asked StOlldly-
when did you have 1t last. NJ am
| 'Oh, / just missed il nOW-Just this
/ moment" turning up the same corner
/ Of the same rug for the third time
But when d you remember seeing
Trying to Think.
/ Helen stared at her blankly. When
| had she seen it last? She could not
( think Did she have it that morning.
For the next hour they both
| searched. OF one thing Helen was
! certain-that she had not left IL on
! some washstand. for she never took
/ il off to wash her hands.
Il cant look any more now, lam,
I III have to see about dinner. If it's
here-yOun find il. III look good to-
morrow when I sweep"
sOh the Garnet gWeeDpr Maggie
Maybe you swept il up this morning
Empty 1t nOwl tn only take a
minute"
Maggie brought the carpet sweeper
and they emptied it out on the paper
/ With long pencil Helen SlnSerly
I turned over the mass of dust matted
with hairs, threads and pins.
The day before she had been shop
ping, but her mind refused 10 concede
that she could have lost II so long
ago. She felt certain that it had been
on her finger at breakfast
Very SUperstftiOus.
In many ways Helen was very super
stitiOus and, besides the heartbreak-
ing loss of the ring there was also
the dread that it was a bad omen.
could il be a fOrebOding of some trOu-
bic between Warren and herr Oh, she
must find it-she MUST find it,
Not until time TO dress for dinner
did she stop her search. And even as
she dressed she would dart off every
few minutes as some new place to
look occurred to her.
In spite of Helen.s effort to appear
as usual, Warren saw at once that
something was wrong.
What's the matter with your he
demanded at dinner. What makes
you so glum2'
Why. nothing. dear. I'm little
tired, that's all"
To Helen the evening seemed end
less. Warren read and she tried TO
sew, but not for one instant was the
ring out of her mind And she was
in constant dread lest Warren should
SEE her bare IInSer and speak or H.
That night she could not sleep. She
tossed and turned and auEuished over
the ring. In the morning she had one
OF her sick headaches, which nervous
worry and lack of sleep always
brought on.
You're not at a funeral, you know
was Warren's caustic comment as he
buttered his third piece Of toast
oh, 7 know with q forced laugh;
its this weather. I suppose III be
all right by evening
As Helen poured his second cup OF
coffee, he suddenly noticed her hand
What's the natter sharply. Where's
your ring?'
"Oh. the stone was a little loose
one of the prOngs was worn, and
left il to have IL reset"
Always some plausible untruth
seemed to leap to Helen's lips at such
deceiving. The words seemed always
to come themselves
More Lies,
why didn't YOU give it to me-
Where did you take il to- Some snide
concern They'll change that stone on
you if you're not careful
"Oh, no. dear, I took il to Blackford's
I didn't want to bother YOU with it,"
With unspeakabIe relief Helen saw
Warren off that morning
She was to have gone shopping with
Mrs. stevens that afternoon, but she
phOned her that she could not 60 BY
noon she was almost sick, and yet she
kept on looking over and over again
she would search in the same places
in futile, helpless way.
There amt no use lookin' in there
again. MAN. said Maggie as for
the dOZenth time Helen went through
her top bureau drawer
Il know. closing the drawer
Wcarily- yet can't help but feel that
it's somewhere about this bureau"
You'd better lie down, mann ad-
viscd Maggie at length, "Or you'll be
sick. But YOU won't find it the way
you're looking now" for Helen was
feverishly going back again over the
same ground.
BY the time Warren came Helen
was almost hysterical- She felt she
could not keep it to herself any
longer. If only she had told him the
truth yesterday instead of saying she
he'd left the ring at the jewelers.
Now he would be furious at her
deception, No-no. she COULD not
confess that-and the loss of the ring.
too. There was still the chance that
she might find il tomorrow.
But the strain of the sleeplcSs night
and the fruitleSs DAYS search had
been too great and at dinner Helen
broke down completely. Without any
warning, she suddenly hid her face
in her napkin and burst into tears
Warren laid down his knife and
firk and stared at her
We'll, by gums, What's come over
yCu2'
My engaEement ring" she sobbed.
II didn't take it TO Blackford's, It's
it's losti'
The silence of the next few mo-
mcnts was broken only by Helen's
sobs. She dared not look up.
so that's it, he finally 1asped-
That's what's been the matter. And
why, may L ask. did you lie to me
Helen cringed at the cold sarcasm
in his voice
"Oh. II thought I'd find it," she
soobed. And I didn't want to worry
you
Huh" with a sneer, you lied be
cause you're always lying. You don't
know now 10 tell the truth"
"Oh. but the ring, Warren, my en-
gagement ring Can't YOU see how
MUCH il means2 7 didn't want to
admit even to myself that il was lost.
Oh I feel that it's a bad omen, That