St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-06-03
Our Jnstifiable Crime
And How 1t Ended
MAN, / want your advice

/ a. a0LD MAN, i want your advice =
Iss@ Debenham broke a piece Of ST.
1ence that. had lasted some ten
minutes or SO, and during which he had
/ sat frowning at the fire, putting at his
briar in that erratic fashion which de-
/ notes a perturbed mind. had been
studying his face through a haze of to-
bacco smoke, aRd, being prepared for
. his words, I answered that he was vel
come to the best counsel I4could give,
whereupon he thanked me very ear
nestlyaand threw himself back in his
easy chair. zt .9,.91
En- s'It's rather curious affair." he be-
gan, dfffidently. 1T happened last
night. I wanted to go oout to Bayswater
to see my old nurse, who lives there. /
took the bus at Oxford Circus. As 7
dare say, you remember it wasa nasty
;. night, wet and foggy, and the vehicle
/ was soon full: IN fact, by the time we
reached Westbourne Grove there was
only room for ano ther. Here we picked
up our last passenger. She was young
lady"
u
she Should sit by you,''I j said.
Fail s.You would have done the same your
SELF Debenham retorted Z Any ran
would, for she had the sweetest face.
/ It's haunted me all nig HIT has, really
\ u dare say she was about Is, or perhaps
/ .2o-not more She. had brown eyes,
very brown yes-you know, the kind
that seem to speak, almost-and they
were shaded by long 1ashes. She has
i brown hair, too; the kind Of hair that
Twists into lot ofcurls natural curls,
youllnow. I wonder why all girls don't
wear their hair that way. Then her
I mouth--heI mouth sE$#
Never mind her mouth ~ J. inter
posed, hastily, seeing that he was about
4 to indulge in an extravagant flood of
rhapsody. TT was an ideal mouth, ]
! haven't doubt, and I m sure that her
chin was all that chin ought to be,
4 but these special features. 9 take it,
have nothing to do with your story
"Well-er-not exactly, but you'd IN
derstand fellow raying about her If
you'd seen her. OF course, can't make
\ you understand what she was like.
j She was the sort of girl you feel you
/ canznever describe"
i i Just so; a regular unique specimen.
4 know the kind"
Indeed you don't, for there isn't an
4 other girl in london like her.
issWell, well, then, there isn't" I re
turned impatiently. The factswas Deb
i enham had come to my rooms so often
with the same story that it was becom-
ingsa trifie monotonous.
!, ssshe sat down next to me" he went
I. on. There wasn't much room, and
4 shethanked me when moved. She had
the sweetestsgoice 3 - : = sss i 81
4 "Well, there's nothing curious about
that. 7 believe you said d--''
Il "I'm coming to it if you'll only give
4 me time, z he returned, III an aggrieved
II tone. ''Yon'ye no patience. ct was
y when the conductor came round for
4 fares. Then she feltfor her purse; she
4 found it was missing. At first she
4 thought she must haze dropped II, and q
III searched the foorand under the seat
Il 4 1atsHowever, it WASH there. Poor girl!
Il never saw anyone So distressed in my
!. life 1t seemed She had Eve pounds in
!. it, and it was. evidently quite a fortune
Il ito her. Well, Ilpaid her fare for her
! and we gotsout together.' z 81
Il s.Idon't think you need tell ne any
4 more" j said, sdryly. ssse #s
1 Debenham stared. ssgsA 8a#N
why mot ?''ss sesas sts
It t., &1,s,r
How the"
8 ssYes, I do. You lent her thes five
i ipounds, Of course. My dear fellow
iyouve been had "7=ss q.
It didn't do anything Of the kind!'
II Debenham retorted, hotly. ''sEs
&. wouldn't let me. That's what I came te
4 ask your advice absut. 7 thought Il tha-
4 as you were D IawyeF you might be abls
Ito suggest some shg, but e wish I'e
q never mentioned 10 TO you. :. s,.s#
1 OF course 4 fastened to soothe! hi
g ruff1ed plumes, and in little while h
went on with his tale. It Itappeared tina
he had seen her home, and that he hat
I learned her name. 1t was Charnley-
4 Kate CharnIey. She was dressmake
1 and lived with her sister.
sand you want to help them, eh ~ r.
! said, after a time. s s ssAs 4
Eyes, but it'll be a difficult matter
II They're clergyman's daughters, aIls ans
3 very proud. I don't see what can do
4 It's awfully riling, you know, Kennion
3 to have d pile Of money and not be abb
4 to do little good with it once in q way
4 It's a shame that this girl should haV
Ito slave at q sewing machine all da.
I. while a great strong beggar Like M
Il lounges around killing time"
7 Isuppose you want to refund this fiy
Il pounds?"
Eyes, Tcan'tI do more; but I don
even see how / can do that
H. We'll, you might ordersa gown Q
Il some sort from them,
III Don't be an ass; men don't bu.
= gowns al
ssYou could say itrwas for your sis
ter"
ssBut I haven't got q sister, and if
q had she'd never let me choose her gown
ifor her; besides, she'd have to be itte,
:. or and all that. you know . ss n
~ I was obliged to admit the force o
II these arguments, and a fresh period 0
silence intervened. Debenham ha
Il risen, and was pacing the floor in a stat
sof perplexftg
3 '.How would ii be IL / Enclosed th
fnoney in an envelope and sent it anony
i