South Bend news-times., 1915-03-02
Dear Mrs. Stevens:


Have just called up but the maid
says that you viii not be in Until
evening We have decided 20 keep
the lavaliiere. Warren viii send you
a check for the hundred and fifty dol
lars today or tomorrow. It was very
dear of you 20 give us this opportun-
ity. VIII seen YOU soon Hurrledly'
HELEN +. CURTISS."
Was the note too short2 Haw she
said enough And would the tremu-
lOus writing betray her Helen was
determined that Mrs. Stevens should
not know she had lost the pearl ana
that they were paving for the pendant
only because they could not return IL.
After sleepless night she had been
up at dawn searching the apartment
for the pearl She had eaten no
breakfast: and even Warren had
merely slipped his coffee In glum' Tor
bidding silence.
He had told her TO phone or write
Ms. stevens that ne would send the
sNo use putting it off" grimly.
"Since we've got 70 take our medicine.
well take II now. But the next time
we've any business dealing with
friends"
Warren. we must be fair enough
to admit that il wasn't Mrs. Steven
fault" Helen faltered "She was only
giving us an opportunity to buy IT at
the price it had been offered 10 her.
Surely. she's not TO blame
To this Warren had not deigned to
answer
After ne hae gone. even though she
had a wretched sense of the futility or
her search, sHelen kept on looking
Again and again she examined the
pendant on which the pearl had hung.
1t must have been loose or 1t could
not have come off so easily.
In spite of herself, Helen was con-
scious Of a feeling of resentment to-
wards Mrs. Stevens and of positive
animosity toward Mrs. Barclay-the
woman who sought TO raise money Dy
selling her jewelry.
There seemed a wrechted fatality TO
the whole chain of events. If only
they had not dined at the Stevenses
last evening, or if Mrs. Barclay had
not left the jewel there that after
noon Oh. her head whirled with TINS
constant thinking.
Reluctantly she mailed the letter.
AS she saw the white envelope hutter
down the glass chute in the nall;
Helen knew il meant hundred ana
fifty dollars for nothing. For the
platinum setting with its tiny dla-
monds. was worth very little COM
pared 10 the pearl
All morning Helen had been haunt
ed with the thought of De Maupas-
SAINTS The Necklace. In this story
the woman had lost her friends pearl
necklace. and for 20 years both she
and her husband slaved and starved
TO save the money to pay for 1T. And
only TO find i'm the end that the pearl
had not been real but merely cheap
composition. The best OF thelr hVes
had been wasted by the hideous mis-
take.
n was consoling to think how much
more overwhelming had been thar
tragedy. Yet. the thought of paying
hundred and fifty dollars for lost
pearl that might not have been gen.
uine almost drove Helen frantic.
She was sitting on the floor by the
bool<case. Welding to a morbid desire
to re-read "The Necklace when
Nora came in. her face aglOw.
''Wuu you come here, minute
miss I've something to show YOU"
Wonderingly Helen followed her to
the kitchen. Nora had just empued
the carpet sweeper. and matted dust
and lint lay on newspaper on the
table.
is that what you're looking for.
miss - pointing almost fearfully TO
something embedded in the dust.
1t was the pearl, Helen caught il
mn with historical sObs of relief
The next moment she flew TO the
phone To call mp Warren.
"Oh. we've found tive found 1t in
the carpet sweeper. Now we can re-
turn il. / don't want to keep 1t!
I've always heard pearls were tears
and now I believe it,
Have you phOned Mrs. Stevens ?
demanded Warren.
"She wasn't in. but I've written
her"
Mailed the letter.
Yes. but does that natter anXi-
ously.
What did YOU say %
What YOU told me to-that you'd
send "A check today or tomorrow"
Then we've got 10 send IT, I'm
not going back on my word Go
down and have the thing valued
well see how much were stuck
Helen was filled with a feeling of
revulsion against the whole transac-
tion The woman had told Mrs. Stev-
ems the lavalliere could at any time
be pawned for $50. Then why not