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Show A CLASP OF AMETHYSTS. - j . "Oh, you're taking in dressmaking, are yon?' said Lucia Fanshawe, rather uperciliously, as she glanced around the neatly furnished back parlor, with its 'fashion plates on the table, its lay figure In the corner, and its sewing machine 'Under the window. i- Miss Fanshawe was a tall, elegantly 'dressed young woman, with perfectly 'fitting kid gloves, a bonnet that had been Imported direct from Mademoiselle Da-'Vigne's. Da-'Vigne's. in Paris, and u general "I-ain-better-than-yon" air. ' Ellen Lilbnme was pretty, too, but her Mress was cheaper, her manner less aggressive. ag-gressive. ' The two:girls had been desk mates at. j 'Madam- Dupont's fashionable school in" (Philadelphia, but since their graduation the wheel of fortune had revolved in far :Bifferent directions. Lucia had become Ingulfed in the whirlpool of gay society," jwbere a rich husband was, tho prize for. hich all were striving, and nothing itoore serious than the last german or the "next progressive euchre party was talked bout; while poor Ellen, driven by stress 'of circumstance into the noble army of breadwinners, had dwelt in a more toil-. toil-. some atmosphere. 1 "Yes," said she, composedly, "I am taking in dressmaking. Havo you any customers that you could recommend me? Since papa's death my mother and I are thrown entirely upon our own re-. sources, you know. She had spoken quickly and with spirit. , Something in Miss Fanshawe's maimer had nettled her. "Oh, dear, no!" said Lucia, smelling at tho La France ros9 that she hold in her hand. "My dresses are all designed in Paris, except the very commonest, and those I have from Miss Attinelli, on; Fourteenth street. I never did care for amateur work." "Indeed!" said Ellen. "Then to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? It is not at all probable that yon have taken the trouble to come hero merely to see me." i Lucia laughed a little awkwardly. ' "You always were so satirical," said she. "But I am going to a fancy dress party as a heliotrope flower next week, and I remembered that pretty amethyst clasp that you used to wear at school. It would match my trimmings exactly, if you wouldn't mind lending it tome for a few- days." Ellen opened a little desk close to the window and took it out a crescent shaped line of purple fixe, set in a dull gold frame. ! "So much obliged to you," said Lucia, , smoothly. "And if I hear of anyone who desires to employ a dressmaker I shall certainly recommend you." Old Dr. Findley was in his study the next day when Miss Fanahaw was announced. an-nounced. He knitted his shaggy brows. "A silly, flippant votary of fashion," he mutters to himself. "What brings that grandniece of mine here?" I've given her to understand often enough that her visits are unpleasant !" But Lucia came in smiling. "Dear 'uncle," said she, 'Tve heard that you were making a unique collection collec-tion of precious stones, and I've brought a humble contribution to it." Dr. Findley pricked up his ears, his yes grew bright : . "Eh?" said he. "It's an heirloom in our family," said she. "An amethyst crescent that belonged be-longed to my mother's mother. Of course, we are very much attached to it,' but to please you we would .sacrifice any feeling of mere sentiment." "Let me see it," said Dr. Findley. t He turned the trinket over and over-held over-held it so that the sunlight was reflected from its facets of violet fixe and scrutinized scru-tinized the setting keenly. ' "Humph," said he, "humph! It's a good color, and the pattern is choice.. But I shall not take your pretty orna-inent, orna-inent, Lucia, without making some return. re-turn. A fair exchange is no robbery. iAinathvirfa nr rare, but diamonds are more precious. Here." He took from a teak wood jewel casket cas-ket a ring set with a dew drop of glistening glisten-ing whiteness a diamond of the choicest choic-est water. "Oh, uncle!" cried Lucia, coloring high with pleasure, "this is too much!" . v.."K o, it isn't," he retorted, curtly; and Lucia went away feeling that she had a ring handsomer than Miss De Bougainville's Bougain-ville's famous solitaire that every one admired ad-mired so much. It so happened that young Dr. Lindsay strolled in a few days subsequently to consult the old practitioner about somo now combination of drugs, and found him absorbed in the contemplation of his antiques. . "Look here, Frank, did you ever see a finer row of amethysts? Leave off talking talk-ing about Materia Medica. One can't eat and drink shop the whole time. Look at the color see the size.'.' - . . "It's very pretty," said Lindsay. "I seem to have seen one like it somewhere. Although I enn't-say I am especially interested in-terested in amethysts.'".. . "That, you- have not!",' cried the old ' gentleman-with-.de'cision. 'This specimen speci-men is sui generis. I don't believe its mate exists. Certainly not on this side j cf the water." " Lindsay smiled, admired the drawers of the jewel box, and diverted the conversation con-versation back to the drug question as soon as .possible. But his opinion re-mafned re-mafned unchanged. ;"There!". he exclaimed to himself as he came out from seeing a case of German Ger-man measles, an hour or so afterward, "I remember now where I saw the match to that clasp of purple stones. Nelly Lilbume used to wear it in her lace collar." col-lar." , He drove directly to the LilbnrneJ house. I- "Why, X'elly," 6aid he, with the kindly kind-ly familiarity fitting to old playmates, "how palo you are! Doesn't the dressmaking dress-making business prosper?" She shook her head, but tried to summon sum-mon up a smile. "Frank, I have come to the conclusion that there are too many dressmakers in the city already. But what brings you here? You don't want a dress mado, do you?" "Nelly, will you sell that old amethyst clasp that you U6ed to wear?" said he, in the abrupt f asliion that was ordinary to him. "I believe I can get you a good price for it. Old Dr. Findley is making a collection of antique gems, and I think he would pay you well for it." " "I have lent it to Miss Fanshawe,'.' said Ellen. "She borrowed it to wear to a fuicy dress party, and when I asked her for it, she told me she had lost it." "Lucia Fanshawe?" "Yes." "Humph!" said Frank. "In that ease, why don't she make good the loss to you?' Ellen arched her pretty eyebrows. "I don't think that Lucia likes to spend money," said she, "except where it will make a show." "It's very strange," said Frank, reflectively. re-flectively. He met Miss Fanshawe at a reception the next evening. She was superbly dressed and looked very handsome, but he could not help remembering Ellen Lilburne's lost clasp. "I don't see," said Lucia, petulantly, to her mother, "what makes Dr. Lindsay so cold and standoffish of late. . They, tell me he has got a very fair practice, and, of course, he'll inherit that Wd Lindsay estate in the suburbs sooner or later. He used to be rather an admirer of Ellen Lilburne, but since she has gone entirely out of society" "Don't fret, dear," said Mrs. Fanshawe; Fan-shawe; "men have their hot and cold fits; it's their nature. Now, I'm quite sure that Frank Lindsay admires you. Give him plenty of line you'll be pretty certain to land him at last," added the accomplished old maneuverer. The very next time that Lindsay went to Dr. Findley's house the old gentleman alluded to the amethysts again. "Have you found that match for my circlet of gems yet?" he said, jeeringly. "No," answered Frank. "Will you allow al-low me to look at the stone once more?" "As much as you like as much as you like," said Findley, gleefully. "One or two experts have seen 'em, and they tell me I've got a real treasure in 'em!" "Did you tell me where it was that you obtained them?" asked Lindsay. - - "No, I didn't: but it is no secret. My grandniece, Lucia Fanshawe, gave them to me. Tbey were an heirloom in the family, it seems on her mother's side-but side-but Lucia is a good hearted little thing, and she knows my fancy for rare stones. However, she has lost nothing by it, for I gave her in return a $300 diamond. I'm not one who likes to be under obligations obliga-tions to anybody." "Ah!" said Frank. "Well, then, sir, if I was to use a paradox, your clasp of amethysts is its own match." "Eh!" cried the old gentleman. "This is tho very ornament of which I was speaking," said Lindsay. "It is the same one I used to sec, in tho dress of a friend of mine Miss Lilbnme. Your very obliging niece has been generous at some one else's expense. She borrowed Miss Lilburne's crescent of amethysts, and very conveniently forgot to return it. It is strange to what depths of meanness mean-ness your society lady will stoop at times," he added, bitterly. Dr. Findley pulled meditatively at his grizzled mustache. "Humph! humph!" said he. "The diamond dia-mond was clear gain, then, wasn't it? But where does this ladylive, Lindsay? I must either return this trinket to her, or see if she will part with it to me for a fair compensation. I must say that I am unwilling to lose it." "Keep the clasp, sir," said Frank; "I will undertake that all shall be right. I am going to ask Nelly Lilburne to marry me and, of course, the interests of husband hus-band and wife are one. The old gentleman shook hands heartily heart-ily with him. "I congratulate you, my boy?" said he. "I'm a bachelor myself, but there are times when I question the wisdom of my own course in life." And Lucia Fanshawe had never received re-ceived so severe a verbal castigation as that which Dr. Findley gave her that day. "Niece," said he, "you have been a thief and a liar both. I don't know from whom you can possibly have inherited this moral obliquity, but I am certain it wasn't from my side of the genealogical tree. Be so good as to give me bock the diamond ring, which you neither earned nor deserved; I intend to offer it as a wedding present to the girl whom Lindsay Lind-say is going to marry the real owner of the amethysts." And poor Lucia had not a word to say in her own defense. All her life long Bhe had practiced these little diplomacies, and she had never before been found out. But now, to lose diamond, lover and the esteem of her rich old grand-uncle, grand-uncle, all at once it was rather overpowering. over-powering. &r. Findley kept his word. He sent the diamond ring to Nelly Lilburne with a pretty congratulatory note. Nor was this all. On her wedding day she received receiv-ed as perfect a set of amethysts brooch, ear pendants and bracelets as New York could supply. "In their way they are perfect," said Dr. Findley; "but they are not, like the clasps, antiques." But Lucia Fanshawe received no cards to the wedding. Probably she would not have gone if she had. Failure does not like to walk behind the chariot wheels of Success. Toronto Mail. New York society girls now speak English with a more English accent than the British themselves Tne wiaow of the late Duo d'Aosta received re-ceived from her husband's estate $250,000, with jewels, pictures, etc., valued at $250,000 more. Besides this the duchess and her child have a state allowance of $80,000 a year. N. P. Willis' once beautiful summer home, "Idlewild," has been sold and converted con-verted into a private lunatic asylum. Mrs. Willis is living in Connecticut. She is a woman of large cultivation, strong character and Eenerous impulses. |