The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-22

quite an ihterest IMAM HmtplN SounHy
siri, though never drsamins OF her h~y,
Ing 10 pass through my hands.
"No--a lazy drunken brute Of a tailor,
that nobody would have picked up n they
had seen him fall ana break his leg
wonder. and everybody else. what she
saw In him" ~ss+t
! was sorry to hear II. and said So
shes back 10 work again in another
shop" continued the girl with energy
Hell not work a stitch, so she must do
II or starve. Isn't II shame? believe
it's her that keeps him"
For a good many weeks after hearing
this, kept a look out for Bell on tho
Bridges. when chanced 10 go along them
at meal hours; but i never met her, and
gradually forgot her story. About year
after. ] was called 10 Investigates another
case Of pilfering in a tailors shop, and In
visiting the place entered a little dcn be-
mind the tailors workshop In which two
machinists were working away as for
life and death.
The robberies In this case were serious.
and had been continued for months. till
goods 10 the value OF $50 or go had been
abstracted. had no clue whatever TO
work upon, except the firm assertion OF
the proprietors that the thief must be
one of the workers.
In entering the girls room. which was
partitoned on from tho tailor's place.and
nau n Ilttte SlOlOE pdncl IN the wall TOT
thrusting through work, I seemed TO sur
prise them: and one hssgard-faced girl.
though pallid enough at best became
swiftly whittier as her eyes fell upon my
face. 1t was that scared look OF paipita-
, tion and dread which Is familiar TO me as
the fall of night. and which so often be-
trays the guilty In spite OF showers OF
protestations.
My swift thought was the querey--
surely IL is not one of the girls that
is 10 thief?"
j had started this thought, and was gaz-
ing curiousiy into the haggard and stili
beautiful features of the young woman
for some seconds before any recognition
came. Then J. slowly broke the awkward
silence by saying
Surely I should know your face7"
She smiled family, though with a linz
gering trace OF the scared look. and said
"Oh. yes; you spoke TO me once when I
was In Ms. That was before l was
married"
And you are Bonnie Ben?" answered.
with little vivacity, for the change In her
was too sad 10 be passed over
Yes: / used TO be called that" shc
said. with a sharply stifed sigh and a
weary pressure of her hand on her side,
before i was married"
l ought to have been thinking most OF
her vanished beauty and freshness. for
in one year she was so altered that but
for her surroundings and her smile
should never have known her; but the
truth is WAS thinking of that scared and
/, expectant look with which she recognized
me. II Is on expression which has hut one
meaning To me, nut that interpretation
was the very one I was most loath to
make in her case had taken a liking to
her. and could not allow myself to think
| her guilty.
Have you any family?" asked. to nll
! up the painful pause while she bent over
! her work to tie some ends.
| "Yes. one-I Get woman to look after
| II while I'm here" she said, with slight
| flush tinging her cheek.
1 In mercy forbore questioning her fur
| ther: indeed. ] could not have said moro
| without a..uding to her husband. and
that feared. would be painful subject
| to her. / therefore passed on through a
| side door to examine the room from
| which the pilfered goods had been taken
and after completing my work there, was
| still haunted by the idea that Bonnie Bell
| at least knew something OF the thief. A
| single look had done IL all. and that was
| no sound evidences: but the idea stuck To
me in spite OF my efforts TO throw II on:
| and when the master said to me
well, Mr. MGovan, do you suspect
| any one2" / started out of my cogitations
| as guiltily as II had been the thief, and
| answered. with some confusion
| Il am not quite sure. II surely could not
\ be one OF your machinists?"
! His eyes frightened at once. and saw
| at once that our suspicious coincided
"You suspect one OF them," he said.
| promptly: which is it?''
| lit could not be the little one" / eva
| siveIy returned; ''she is too stupid-like
| for such bold thing"
Exactly my thoughts" he responded,
land, like me, you suspect Bella Simpson.
! the other machinist. / am sorry for the
! poor thing. even If 1t should turn out 10
| be she who has done *. She has drunk
| en- beast OF husband, who works about
| day i'm every month, and If she has rob-
bed me. you may depend he has set her
| on TO H."
| (To be continued tomorrow)