St. Tammany farmer., 1903-04-04

straight to police headquarters and
there detailed the case.
Ozark eyes," said the lieutenant, tc
whom l had been describing the sus-
pected woman, with fai1ish hair, tall,
good figure, rather handsome, faint in
dication of mustache. HIM, think !
know the party; been under suspicion
before" Then there was silence for
a space, while scratch, scratch,
went the pen.
THAT is all the information you
have, then," he said at last, looking
across at me.
'All with the exception of the pho
tograph," I replied, taking out my
| pocketbook and fumbling among its
leaves for the picture. 1t was growing
quite dusk in the office and could
scarcely see. "Here it isl" exclaimed,
handing it over to the detective and
feeling confused at my remissness in
| not showing it before.
Whatever he thought about my stu
pidity 1 cannot tell, for in few min
| utes found myself in the streets with
| the mans last words ringing in my
| ears:
"Well let you know, sir, as soon a.
| we have anything worth telling"
The next day called upon Dollle,
| told her what I had done, and also
warned her that, though the detec-
| tives were on Miss Firman's track, she
must not hope too much.
IA woman like that will have good
many disguises," added, land be
| past mistress in the art Of eluding the
| police
Well, about month went by and
had heard no good news from the po-
lice, when one morning was startled
to receive a wire from them saying
that the bird was caught.
'Never had a neater case in my life"
exclaimed the delighted detective.
Living in one of the best streets with
a party she calls her aunt. About as
| much my aunt as hers" he interpolated
with a chuckle. ''She's safe enough
now, and aunty is with her to keep her
company. And now, sir" he added.
will you step this way and identity
her?"
Il can't identify her." I replied; Il
have never seen the woman in my life.
but will bring my cousin. 1suppose
she can do all that is necessary"
| Dollie was much excited when l told
her my mission, and evidently believed
that she herself was going to be tried
and imprisoned for theft; 1t took me
all my time to reassure her, and she
j trembled like leaf as She ushered
into the room where the prisoner sat or
rather crouched. It was not an ordi-
nary prison cell, but looked dark.
| gloomy, bare, and cheerless enough te.
be the real article.
! We stood for a moment or SO until
our eyes became more accustomed to
ing mad or dreaming? Was that Dollie
who was kissing and cuddling her late
companion, all the time murmuring
words Of endearment? Suddenly the
prisoner raised her head; and I saw,
not the linaments of Miss Lucy Firman
those portrayed in that unlucky photo
graph, but the face of the: most rarely
beautiful girl had ever seen in my life,
face which seemed strangely familiar
and vet one which would have SWORD
1 had never beheld before. Burning
wrath took possession of me to think
of what that delicate girl must have
suffered, my anger rose to boiling
point.
"You idiot!' I shouted, turning to
the detective. "What do you mean by
such conduct as this?"
,"There is evidently some mistake
he answered, in confused way. "Anc
yet l am not to blame"
"This young lady is my sister-in-law.
Miss Leslie" here broke in Dollie.
"And you'll have to answer for your
behavior, both to her brother and me-
l interrupted seriously.
! The detective glanced at me with
calm contempt.
"Let me explain" he said, address.
ing himself courteously to both young
ladies. Madam" he continued, "is
not this your photograph"
Miss Leslie bent forward and looked
earnestly at the bit of cardboard. ut
is" she answered quietly, ''but where
did you get it?'
Before the man had time to reply
nv recollection returned to me; my
sin of six months before had found me
out. The pretty painted photo which
I had deliberately stolen from my
friends house was likeness of Miss
Leslie. whom I had never seen. And
that photo had given-inadvertently,
true; but still had given ito .
sleuth hound of the law in order to
hunt the original down. And well he
had performed his task. Alas! too well.
1 do not care to dwell upon the time
that followed; the explanation was
forced to give; the frigid silence in
which my stammering apologies were
accepted; the-the-in fact, the awful
ness of the whole thing. -
It makes me hot even now to think
of it, but not quite so warm as did .
certain question which 1 propounded
to dainty little maiden about two
months afterwards. II don't
know" she faltered, mischievously.
"whether I could marry kleptoma-
niac!' And then stopped her with a
| kiss. But afterwards had some slight
difficulty in explaining how it was had
carried the photograph OF the ''com-
panion" next to my heart for whole
month and never found it out.
"When you took the trouble to steal
my picture" pouted my beloved the
next day, you might have had the
grace to occasionally look at it." And