Year: 1877

w Il CNI> BO1hDEhS.


Ny aunt came down stairs one morn
ing greatly excited. "Louise, step here
a moment" she said.


I followed her into a small reception
room with some anxiety, for [ knew by
the pallor of her face, by the cap-strings
united, the absence of care in her toilet,
that something unusual had recently
happened.


Louise, what am I to think ?" she
asked, as I seated myself beside her.
Miss Berry came to me last Thursday
morning; let me see she referred to
her tablets yes it was Thursday, and
told me that she missed her gold neck
lace with the jet and gold cross. I said
nothing to you about it, though it wor-
ried me very much. This morning she
cannot find her diamond ring, though
she is sure she put it in her jewel-box
last night; and she says q costly lace
handkerchief is also missing. What are
we to think? OF course the servants
could not get access to her room in the
night. How could suspect either Bar
bara or Hannah? [ could as soon ac-
cuse you"


A chain and cross, diamond ring, and
valuable lace handkerchief-th idea of
such loss nearly took my breath away.
Miss Berry was one of my aunt's sum-
mer boarders. She was a Southern
woman of good family, and had spent
two summers with us. Her health be-
ing so delicate that she did not like to
room by herself, she had limited that
another inmate, in whom we had conf
dence, would be agreeable to her. So
when, in early June, a letter came to us.
purporting to be from DR.. Russell, an
old friend of my aunt, asking if we would
accommodate his niece, aunty was very
glad of the opportunity, and had our
large, best room arranged for the occu-
pancy of two.


Miss Berry was quiet little woman
of some 26 or 27 years. She had been
very pretty, but ill-health and some dis
appointment in early life had given her
faded and sad expression. She was
quite wealthy in her own right, and,
though not following the fashion to its
full extent, she always looked very stylish
and ladylike.


Miss Betty Willis, the other boarder-
niece of DR.. Russell of whom she talked
great deal-was the exact opposite of
Miss Berry. She was handsome, tall,
dashing, and very brilliant. I had not
been impressed in her favor, but Aunt
Joe and Miss Berry both admired her
She brought with her very elegant
Saratoga trunk, filed with an abundance
of beautiful dresses.


7 wondered more than once why this
handsome young girl wished to board in
so retired a country place. To be sure,
it was one of the most beautiful locations
in the State. There were mountain
views, lake views, and lovely stretches of
variegated landscape. Aunt Joe was of
a social, happy nature, and always had
more or less young company. Still, I
always bLOuSub IL SiIIS5 tlldT bIIttb MISS
Betty did-not join some party among her
numerous friends, and spend her sum-
mer at fashionable watering place. We
two, aunt and l, talked the matter over,
but came to no definite conclusion. 1t
was not to be disputed that Miss Berry
had lost her valuables, and she was a
person to whom any loss was a serious
one yet she had promised my aunt to
say nothing about it for a time.


What were we to do? Our servants
had been with us for years, one from her
childhood, and we could not suspect
either of them There was no one else
in the house save Miss Berry and Miss
Betty, both of whom had become, seem
ingly, very much in love with each other,
for they were seldom apart. Miss Berry
always left the key with my aunt when
the two rambIed by themselves, but to-
day she carried it with her, and I could
see that my aunt felt very much hurt


As soon as we had the opportunity we
searched every part of the house where
there was any possibility of finding the
missing articles, but without success.
Miss Berry, who was always dignifed,
seemed colder than ever to aunt and N.Y.
self, and the situation grew very uncom-
! Portable for all