Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-11-06
THE THEFT OF A TRESS,


! The rivalry between the two young
men was very bitter. Little Bill,
Stedman. one of the cleverest sales.
men in the great retail store of Square.
shell, Shields & Co., considered him.
self every whit the equal of young
Ernest Trevor, the rich brokers' son.
who did not work for living and
wore yellow kid gloves every day OF
the year, rain or shine, Nevertheless
Mr.. Trevor was wont to look down
somewhat on Billy and would perhaps
not have condescended to notice him
at all If certain circumstances were not
constantly throwing them together.
Miss Millieent Turner, The head
saleswoman in the cloak department
of Squareshell. Shields & Co.'S. was a
singularly beautiful young woman.
Tall and shapely with big brown eyes
deeply fringed with heavy lashes. tiny
hands and feet and carriage in which
decision. and grace were happily blend
ed, she was very refreshing object to
look at on a warm day. Her most re-
markable feature, however was her
hair, which was of rich bronze tint
and curled away up on her head like @
shining pyramid Of silk. When she
let it down sometimes for the amuse-
ment of the other girls, it fell almost
to her knees in perfumed torrent that
excited both admiration and envy on
every side.
Miss Millicent had many admirers
and among them were numbered both
Billy and Trevor. The latter had &C.
cOmpanied his mother one day when
she had come to look at some cloaks.
He was Bmitten at once. Notwith-
standing his superior station in society,
the young mans conduct had been
propriety itself. There was no sug-
gestion of frivolity or impudenco about
1t. He had sought an introduction in
a perfectly legitimate way and from
almost the first day he made her &C.
quaintance had been her devoted
slave.
Billy owed his acquaintance with the
charmer to the very practical inter-
course Of dry. every day business. He
had improved his opportunities and
stood at this time very high in her good
graces. They were together a great
deal aud 1t was common rumor about
tue store that they had decided to make
a match of it.
The beautiful saleswoman was to a
certain degree impartial in her treat
ment of her two adorers. True, she
was more with Billy than with his
rival, and their Intercourse was nat
urally more familiar. 1t would have
been very hard for an outsider to pick
out the winner Both had made dec
laration Of love to her and besought
her to put them out Of their misery.
10 Billy, who had looked very hand
some with his curly brown hair and
pathetic blue eyes as he knelt on the
damp grass at Lincoln Park to make
his avowal, she had said that they were
both too poor to marry; to Trevor, who
had pleaded with all the impetuositv
OF pampered boy of 90 she had said
very prettily that she could not think
of entering a family where she was
sure her present occupation and posi-
ton i'll society would prevent her re-
ceiving welcome. Both Young men,
however, despite these refusals. con-
tnued to call on her. Neither of them
knew that the other had proposed and
been rejected-a fact which was In it.
self high tribute to the fair ones
good sense-aud though they general
ly happened to strike separate even
ings for their visits. they occasionally
met in the tastefully decorated little
parIor. At such times they would
exchange monosylabe remarks. or
glare at each other like prize-dghters,
until their pretty hostess, in sheer des-
peration and dread of bloodshed, would
turn them both out at once.
But there came an eyeutful day
when all the fates seemed to MAY d.
rectIy into Billy's hands. The en-
pIoyes of Sauareshell, Shields & Co.
had picnic at pretty grove couple
of hours ride from town. There was
broad. swift river, and boat In
which Miss Millicent sat h an an
gular tioorwalker, went shooting over
high dam and upset The angular
hoorwalker turned his attention to
saving himself and Billy, who by
special dispensation of his lucky star
happened to be standing on the brink
at that point, plunged in like the
plGcHy fellow he was and fished out
his dripping charmer. She was forced
TO take her wonderful hair down, to
let 1t dry in the breeze. and an hour or
two later when the dusk had fallen,
Billy wrapped the soft tresses all abort
his throat and face to give him courage,
and made another appeal. OF course
1t was successiul; Miss Mllicent would
not have been woman otherwise.
Dear Billy" murmured SHE, strok-
ing his cheek Chat was no less inno-
cent OF down than her OWN with her
soft hand. Il always loved YOU the
best any anyway. You saved my life
to-day, too" - Billy blushed in the
darkness; he had not told her that he
had walked ashore with her in his
arms, the water being only up to his
shoulders | think we can be
happy together YOU and |, Billy"
somehow or other Billy found
passage to her mouth through the bill
lows OF flowing hair and the compact
was sealed between them in the old
immortal way.
Very naturally young Mr.. Ernest
Trevor was perturbed when he heard
the news. Indeed, that is putting il
loo mildly. To tell the truth he ex.
hlolted an INCLINATION to go partially
insane. He wrote Miss MilIicent lei
tiers. He sought interviews with her.
IN the course of which he would al.
ternate ayowals OF his hopeless passion
with threats against the curly haired
ana triumphant Billy's life. More
l..