Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-14
CHAPTER IV.-(Continued

The minute 1 closed the door of the little
fitting room she held out the lace to me.
Il have changed my mind she said,
land shall give you the lace back. 1 will
not keep it. l cannot-I cannot bear the
sight of it. 1t terrfies me and shocks me.
l can take no pleasure in it. Besides-be-
sides. it will be discipline for me to do with
out it now that l have found it after all
these years. Every day 1 shall look at the
place in my collection which it would have
occupied and l shall say to myself: Maria
Van Wagenen. take warning. See to what
terrible straits worldly passion may bring
one. what unconscious greed may do!' 1
shall give the money to Mills for charity,
and l will never-never fill that place in
| my collection
What good will that do?" I asked, puz-
zled, while 1 folded the collar up into a
very small package.
exposure-that l deserve the lesson and the
punishment-not for stealing, but for being
absorbed in worldly things? Perhaps you
are right 1t certainly shows that you
have at some time been under Mills spir-
| itual care, my dear. I wonder If he would
| irsist-whether l ought-yes. l suppose he
would. OH
A saleswoman's head was thrust in the
| door. Excuse me- she said, Il thought
| the room was empty"
We've just finished trying on 1 said
sweetly.
Don't co." The bishops wife turned to
| her. her little fluttering hands held out ap-
pealingly. And do not misunderstood me-
| The thing may seem wrong in your eyes,
| as this young woman says. but If you will
| listen patiently to my explanation 1 am
| sure you will see that it was a mere eager
| oversight-the fault of absent mindedness,
| hardly the sin of covetousness and surely
| not a crime. l making this confess
| sion"
The fender conscience of the dear blame
| less little soul! She actually giving
herself away. Worse-she was giving me
away, too. But 1 couldn't stand that. I
saw the Saleswoman's puzzled face-she
| was a tall woman with a big bust, big hips
and the big head, all right, and she wore
her long-train black rig for all the world
like a Cruelty girl who had stolen the ma
irons skirt to play lady in. 1 got be-
hind little Mrs. Bishop. and, looking out
| over her head, 1 tapped my forehead sig
nficantly
The saleswoman tumh;ed. That was all
right. But so did the bishops wife, for
she turned and caught me at it.
You shall not save me from myself and
what deserve" she cried. II am perfectly
sane and you know it, and you are doing
me no favor in trying to create the con-
trary impression. l demand an
AN interview with the manager I in
terrupted. I'm sure Mrs. Van Wagenen
can see the manager. Just go with the
lady, Mrs. Van Wagenen, and I'll follow
with the goods
She did it meek as lamb talking all the
time. but never beginning at the beginning
luckily for me. So that had time to slip
from one dressing room to the next, with
the lace up my sleeve, out to the elevator,
and down into the street.
Dye know what heaven must be- Mag?
| A place where you always get away with
the swag. and where it's always just the
minute after you've made killing.
Cocky? Well, l should say l was. l was
drunk enough with success to take big
chances. And just while was wishing for
something really big to tackle, 1t came