Year: 1879

| L0e gOOQ Olu SeueIdl, Wuo uou Ao" Poeoeu "
his rest. Col. Ransom was as taciturn as En-
sign Ransom had been shy, and he even lei
the conversation flag, and never seemed to no
tice it.


Colonel" said the eldest gentleman Of the
party, speaking with visible effort, and giving
a slight cough to veil his embarrassment
"Colonel, think we all remember another
time when we dined together here


"Certainly, I remember it," answered the
colonel, raising his gray eyes, with cool
light in them.


"Colonel, we fancy you think some of us
did you i'll justice then. At least, lady says
you felt so-Lady Elizabeth, the good old
generals widow. If what we are going to do
is any way painful to you, hope you will
pardon us, for we are only following her coun-
sci. Colonel, there was box lost that night
Here it is"


Yes, there it was, cleaning once more in
the light which danced gaily upon it. The
colonel looked at it calmly and asked


"Where was it found ?"


His composure was exceedingly disconcert-
ing. Another gentleman, feeling that the
first had done his part, now took up the par
able.


ut was found in the very chair ON which
you are now seated, colonel he said "You
will remember that the general sat there on
that night. 1t must have found its way back
to the generals own hands, and in the interest
and excitement of his own storytelling, he
must have intended to slip it back into his
pocket, which, if you recollect, was the first
place where he sought it. Instead of that, it
evidently escaped the proper ori6ce, and
dropped into the covering of the chair; that
covering was very thick and heavy, and hung
in lappets about his legs. Part of it was un
sewn, and this box dropped between the dam
ask and the lining, and remained there safely
and unseen till the chair was recovered last
year."


"Gentlemen," said the colonel, with his &C.
customed calmness, though his lip trembled
a little, 81 cannot wonder if some of you
thought my conduct suspicious. thank you
heartily for showing me your brotherly de.
light that those suspicious were unfounded." ;"


At the bottom of the table sat the spiteful
old Major Che was on half pay now, and more
spiteful than ever), and he thought within
himself that there was no knowing whether
Ensign Ransom had not taken some subse-
queut opportunity Of getting rid of his dan,
gerous booty into the hole in the damask, and
that the mystery could not be called cleared
up unless the Colonel had explained why he
had demurred to the search. And this spite
full cd Major would have said SO much to his
nearest neig ghbor, if he had not been so terri
bly, deaf that he could not regulate his own
voice between confidential whisper and a
mighty shout.


The colonel sat in silence for some moments
and toyed with his wine glass, as if he quite
forgot where he was. Then he recalled him
self with a start, and, drawing something
from his own pocket, said quietly:


"Gentlemen, I, too, have something to show
you"


All pressed forward as he carefully un-
folded the soft paper packet and laid some
thing Oh the table? What was it? What
could it be?


1t was the bleached skeleton of chickens
wing.


"Gentlemen," he said in the same quiet
voice, which no longer sounded cold and
stern, but rather full of strength and sweet
ness, "when I was here before was poor,
fatherless lad, owning nothing in the world
but my poor little pittance Of pay. l fear l
was an eye sore to some Of you. think you
felt that my appearance did not do justice to
the dignity Of my regiment. believe | OF.
ten looked rather shabby, but in reality I
could not help it"


"I'had only one relative in the world, and
that was my mothers sister. After my moth
er died she had been as mother to me, but
when our home was finally broken up, there
was nothing for it but she must be a govern
ess in some strangers house. And she did
her work courageously and carefully enough
till her health failed, and nobody wanted the
services Of sick woman.


"She had always been good to me. And
we two had only each other in the world. /
could not help her as she ought to have been
helped, but my pay would at least provide her
such home and such maintenance as
poor, working man can give to a poor, work
ing woman.
al took my aunt to lodge with the wife Of
the miller's man, in the little black cottage
beside the hill. She was kind, cleanly wo-
man, though rough and plain in her ways,
and my poor aunt used to call herself very
happy there. But she could not eat the SIM
pie food my scanty means could procure.
And the good landlady used to break my
heart by suggesting that her appetite might
be tempted by chicken or game, or such 9TH
er luxuries beyond my utmost reach.


Gall the day of that memorable dinner
party, my aunt had been very feeble and fail
ing. When I left her I really wondered
whether she would be alive when I saw her
again. My soul revolted at the sight of
dainties which were Of no good to me, and
which I could not convey to her who seemed
dying for want Of them. Suddenly bright
idea seized me- I took a letter from my
pocket and spread it on my napkin, and then,
by an adroit movement transferred the wing
of chicken from my plate to the paper, and
thence smuggled it to my pocket"


The listening guests began to look at each
other with enli ightened eyes. The spiteful
old Major felt that very full explanation
was being given, and he was glad he was deaf,
that he need not hear it!


"Gentlemen, you can always imagine my
feelings when such unlocked for circum.
stances threatened to expose my poor little
plan. Gentlemen, there are some of you who
were, like myself, young then-whom it
would have been as hard to meet after such a
discovery as it would have been, had really
stolen the jewels"


Heaven forgive us, Ransom, but can't
say you are wrong," said one brave gentle
man, who had been fashionable dandy in
those days, but who had a wife and six chill
dren now.


"Gentlemen, I did not fear the old. man,
hanorod md anrinhnd hr q nrataf1l nnnntru