Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-07-13

She had deserted the tub and haG
zone dutet 10 get sons money; Anuie
rhad wasted eight hours AId had
raised so cents.
1t was an afternoon at the end d
summer. The city had been left id
the oven a little too long that year
it was overdone; it had begun q
smell burned. The coolest looking
place that Annie had seen during
The day was high stoop house on
the shady side of the street. She
herself was upon the sunny side be-
cause she had been too much occu.
pied with pecuniary problems to
consider the advisability OF crossing.
She started at the high stoop house,
and she said, II wonder could Miss
Colbert be back from the country
YETI speaking aloud, for she had
reached that degree of nervous ten
sion where the safety valve of unin-
tended utterance gives it warning of
danger.
Miss Colbert was an actress who
had played in the city nearly all of
the previous winter, and Annie had
been her laundress.
She would give me little some
thin in advance" said Annie, but
of course she isn't here"
However, being at her wits end
for very small sum OF money, An
ME crossed the street and rang the
bell at the basement door ofthe high
stoop house. Nobody ans wered, and,
as the door was ajar, Annie entered
the lower hall. Failing to find q
servant, she ascended the stairs TO
the first floor, and as she thus came
directly at the door OF the large
room at the rear of the house, Miss
Colbert's room, it seemed simplest
TO knock.
1t was always hard TO hear knock
or call to Come. in!' at this door,
for it opened from a small vestibule
and there was a portiere at the other
end OF it. Upon this occasion it is
probable that Annie experienced a
genuine hallucination. She was so
anxious to hear. Miss Colbert s voice
that she heard though the actress
was not there, Spd Annie entered
an empty room.
Upon a table standing near the
windows there was a glass plate,
and it was heaped high with Jewels.
The light of the fervid day surged
in aud beat upon them, and they
dashed it back in d thousand spark
ling sprays.
Gee! said Annie softly. Wouldn't
that jar your
She glanced fearfully toward the
window.
It's wonder she wouldn't set
EN- out in the back yardp sne con.
tinued. 1 never saw the like OF
her. Anybody could climb in here.
On the edge of the plate there was
a loose stone about the size of an
average pea. In comparison with
the others it looked very small, and
Annie was of the opinion that il
could be removed without Miss Col
bert S missing it. This, then, re-
presented the extreme OF prudence
and forbearance. Annie rolled the
stone around in the palm OF her
hand. 1t may have been perspira-
which dulled the glitter OF the stone
or the phenomenon may have had
an explanation within the domain
of morals, but the simple fact is that
the gem S light faded and it's attrac-
tion died. Annie laid il back upon
the plate at last, with faint sensa.
tion of nausea. "A
The touchstone had revealed her
weakness; she lacked the power to
steal.
There was a noise under the win.
dow, and Annie looked out upon the
top OF a man S head and upon a long
stepladder which he was bringing
out OF the basement into the yard.
He glanced upward, and then his
mouth and Annie's opened stimuli
taneously, and their eyes became
round.
Tom Wilson, saidAnnie, where d
you come from?'
I'm workin' for Mrs. Booth, said
he
You WASH t the last time | heard
OF you, said she, with a woman s
cruelty toward the man she favors.
That's right, said Tom in q eau
tious tone. 4 was, an / never
done it. They got the wrong man
when they ot me. An they took a
drop TO themselves after awhile an
let me go. l wasn't tried; indict-
ment dismissed. You know what
shat meas."
1t means that they couldn I prove
it, replied Annie. No, Tom; that
amt lair. | won't say it. You
wasn't guilty-that's the truth-an'
I've ALWAYS believed II