Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-15
PERIsHAsLE GLORY

admit" said the mistress OF the prem
tses when her sister dropped In and
but 1 like Il better this way. Airs.
Lairds things were handsome and they
looked pretty here, but I'm thankful 70
have them gone. They were a care
and besides I don't Ike to sail under
false colors. -tI
Thank you. dear" she continued
I'm honest but the truth Is I haven't
always been quite straightforward
about Mrs. Laird's furniture That Il.
not since the day Alice Thaxfer
brought her friend. Mrs. Trema1ne,
here TO call II.
"Of course. the minute Alice entered
che room she saw that rose colored
rug ana exclaimed over # -
Why, Eleanor she asked, when
did you get that perfectly wonderful
boknara7 And look al all your new
mahongany. too? That desk is peri
fectly charming. didn't know you
had been buying such q lot Of new
at haven't. Alice I replied AaI
these handsome new things belong 10
Mrs Laird. who has just moved out OF .
the apartment above, and I'm simply
keeping them for her until she needs
them again 4.
7 noticed during the rest OF TN cali
that our usually gay and voiuble Alice
was q htle distract.
"Pm utilizing the privilege OF IN,
old and intimate friend, Eleanor she
said 10 tell you that think It wa.
silly. almost crude, in fact, to let a.
stranger Ike Mrs Tremaine know
! that the gorgeous rug and the bean
| thul mahogany were not yours. You
needn't have said anything when ad-i
mired 1t WHAT'S the use OF being 80
| unnecessarily frank always7 Instead
OF putting your best foot foremost ell
ways seems to me that you positively
never miss a chance 10 discredit your.
SELF
| Nonsense I laughed, but tola
John what Alice had said and he In
sisted that there was some justice n
her rebuke.
You know, my dear Eleanor Ne
i remarked, that II any one admires q
garment you are wearing you never
fail TO say-rather gratultiously,
thinl-that you made II yourself and
found the goods on the bargain coIn-
ter --r-
After these criticisms from my isus-r
band and from my best friend I firm-f
~ decided 70 be more discreet The
very next afternoon Mrs. Vickars came
in to see She noticed the rug at ouca
and congratulated me on having such
perfect example of the best Box
hara period 1t developed that she u
an expert on rugs, and before she had
half finished her praise OF the one on
my floor / was feeling too guilty for
words. But I braced myself with the
! thought that was keeping UP the lit
Alice, and 1 said nothing about the
rugs real ownership.
I'm delighted to find that you are
turning your attention to articles OF
rare beauty Mrs Vickars gushed on.
. for ] have come on a mission that
should interest you. And seeing you
have so many new and beautiful things
in your delightful apartment gives me
courage to ask you TO buy some most
unusual lace She took a paclIage
! from her large handbag and opened Il
and displayed some filmy Brussels
point I'm selling this for the bene-
TT OF Belgian orphan girls in Holland,
and feel sure you'll be glad to buy q
piece
of course I hadn't the reckless
abandon then to deny the ownership
I OF the handsomest things in my living
L room and I don't like to tell you, SIS
ter dear, the price Of that lace for
i fear that you Will think me absolutely
crazy for having bought three yards
I told Mrs. Nickars that / was glad
I indeed to help the Belgians in any
way could, which was true, and thai
my husband would send her a cheek
Yes. the joke was on John undoubt-
eddy. He grumbled some. but told
4 him that II we should ever have q
I daughter and she should marry he
would be proud to see her wearing that
I lace on her wedding frock.
MI NO, IL didn't console him so much
Il as you would think. However, Id
wrote the check like a man, and 7 be-
Il gan to feel that my borrowed gran
deur wasn't such bad thing after all
1 for I had never in my widest dreams
pictured myself owning a length 81
such exquisite lace. / know you vii
A be wild over it John asked me how
much longer we were going to store
Mrs Lairds furniture and I repfieC
airily that 1 hadn't the least idea
Il could not foresee what was going
to take place.