The rustler., 1891-11-27


that b. i 81 last rrady - pay me thr /
Ten doiiArx that was due my salary /
whrn lcfi his scrvice-
''if you 70 down to Grants yuu can /
step info The Insurance. ofilee aud leave /
this Dick said. LAYING = Zen dollar
bin beside her plate Tomorrow
viii b. the last day q grace be add
Cd. and wouldn't have you forget Il
fur the world"
should you forfeit your policy"
No. I could redeem that Al any time
within three months. but. IN case of an
accident I should receive no bcne dts "
''But there has never been an acci-
dent" Maggie said. shudderinE.
NO. and let us hopr there may never
/ be. Nevertheless. little woman. don't
1 forget 10 hand Fergus the money"
When Maggie went down town she
had intended going Immediately 20 the
insurance Office. However. as BAL
four's lay directly In her way, she
could not resist the temptation 20 go in
and look through the ribbon counters
At the glove counter were a couple Of
ladies whom Maggie recognized ~ be-
longing 20 the Schuyler Sanders" set
As she paused n moment in the crowd
she caught snatches of the CONVERSE
tion: Mrs Schuyler Sanders" Very
rschsrsAs affair" 20. yes, full dress, OF
course" "Manvc faille and diamonds "
MaFsie's heart sank How poor and
cheap her black silk had suddenly be-
cumel She was sure, very sure that
no amount OF fresh ribbons could make
Il ''ful dress" She wandered aimless-
ly across to darkened aleove, where
evening fabrics were displayed by gas
light The salesman was showing a
lot of glistcning satins to a couple Of
young girls From their conversation,
il seemed that they were in search Of
something for amateur theatricals-
$50 ridiculously cheap, too" the
young man was saying, as he held at
arms length piece of coral-pink satin,
''only fifty cents a yard
Only fifty cents! Maggie could
scarcely believe that she had heard
Alright Why, her plainest afternoon
dress had cost that much. And coral
pink-it was her favorite color. The
young girls had turned away; Maggie's
, heart seemed TO stand still. then a dar-
q ing resolution was born.
lis this suitable for evening dresscs?
a she inquired timidly, as she stepped up
o TO the counter
+ Yes. ma'am," answered the clerk,
c promptly, taking in Maggie's socia
/, status at glance. "some of ou'
:. smartest Paris importations are from
n this identical goods How many yards
e ma'am?'
|. Twelve" Maggie faltered.
n Twenty yards is the smallest pat
r. tern we ever sell" answered the clerk
n loftily. Remember, madam, thes'
rs goods are but sixteen inches wide.
To tell the truth, Maggie had no
r thought of the width at all. ! thinl
n she would have given up the dress alto
ID gether. but somehow the stern look o
l. the gentleman behind the counter
,e bewildered her and she stammered
RS ''Sixtcen yards, please.
Y, In minute the shimmering stui
Of was cut off; then there were lining
I'd and threads TO be bought, and, som
" minutes later. when Maggie emerge
ic from the store, IL was with a diminl
tive parcel and an empty pocketbool
xt As she hurried across TO Simeo
Du Grants, she told herself that she ougl
rt to have gone to the insurance offc
ut first. But IL really didn't matter afte
r. all And pink satin gowns were not
n be picked up at such prices every da.
he She found the abstract Office locked
OF but there was card on the door. 81
stood on tip-toe TO read it. Mr. Graz
ng was out OF the city and would not r
mt turn until next week Her first in
r" pulse was TO rush over to the bank an
OF tell Dick all about it. But what WI
TO the use. II would only trouble hin
She would get the money next weel
gs, then she would tell him.
ON 1t was almost tea time when 81
W. reached home; she did not wait TO r
ps move her wraps, hut with trembliI
e1s fingers opened her bundle. Someho
ut the beauty OF the pink satin seemed
an have departed. In the glare of da
m light IL certainly looked different
or was coarse and flimsy and the cote
mt filling was painfully conspicuou
Maggie laid the new dress away, b
nd all the next day her Sunday medit
'at tions were disturbed by visions of it.
eel On Monday morning, as soon as Di'
'ur was fairly out of the way, sac drew o
ne her cutting table and began work
earnest But things did not progre
an smoothly. The goods frayed al
II raveled at every touch; and there W
Oh certainly not enough to make the Dire
not as she had planned. She was begi
'iai ming to feel cross and worried win
zen some one raped lightly. Thrown
Vi something over her work, she open
10 the door to find Mrs. Sanders smili
'nu and debonair.
ie Good news!" she exclaimed, gayl
'"' throwing herself into chair. "Bail
has consented to do the decoration
:" after all Fancy work." she OUT
III - toned, as she picked up n scrap of
''A pink satin twirling it in her hands
she talked. provoking, isn't II, tn