Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-21

| l turned to him.
 ''Tell me about this charge" said. Where was the purse? Whose was it? And why haven't they missed it till after week?'
 They missed it all right that sight, but Mrs Gates wanted it kept quiet till the servants had been shadowed and it was positively proved that they hadn't got away with it.'
 And then she thought of mel"
 And then she thought of you.'
 'I wonder why?'
 Because you were the only person in that room except Mrs. Gates, the lady who lost the purse, Mrs. Ram say, and-eh?''
 ''N-nothing. Mrs. Ramsay, you said?"
 Yes"
 Not Mrs. Edward Ramsay, of Phila- delphia?'
 "Oh, you know the name?"
 "Oh. yes, I know it."
 'It was printed, you know, in gold l lettering on the inside flap and" 1 q don't know"
 "Well. it was, and it contained $500, Mrs. Ramsay says. She had slipped it under the fold of the spread at the top of the bed in the room where you took off your things in Mrs. Gates presence, and put them on again when no one else was there."
 And you mean to tell me that this is all?" I ragged at him; that every bit of evidence you have to warrant your treating an innocent girl like"
 You didn't behave like very inno- cent girl, if you'll remember, ,' he said, dryly. when I first came into the box. In fact, if that fellow hadn't just come in then I believe you'd "a confessed the whole job. Faint too late" he added.
 didn't answer. I put my head back against the cushions and closed my eyes. I could feel the scrutiny of his blue eyes on my naked face-your face is so unprotected with the eyes closed; like fort whose battery is withdrawn. But I was tired-it tires you when you care. A year ago, Mag, this sort of thing-the risk, the near ness to danger, the chances one way or the other-would have intoxicated me. I used to feel as though I was dancing on a volcano and daring it to explode. The more twistings and turnings there were to the labyrinth, the greater glory it was to get out. Maggie, darlin', you have before you a mournful spectacle-the degenera- tion of Nancy Olden. It isn't that she's lost courage. It's only that she used to be able to think of only one thing. and now. What do you sup [ pose it is, Mag? If you know, don't you dare to tell me.
 When we got to the fiat Obermuller was already there. At the door l pulled out my key and opened it with flourish
 Wont you come in, gentlemen, and spend the evening"" I asked.
 They followed me in. First to the parlor. The two fellows threw off their coats and searched that through and through-not a drawer did they miss. not a bit of furniture did they fail to move. Obermuller and I sat there guying them as they pried about in their shirt-sleeves. That Trust business has taken the life out of him of late. All their tricks, all their squeez- ings, their cheatings, their bossing and bragging and bullying have got on to his nerves till he looks like a chained bear getting drubbing. And he swears that they're in conspiracy to freeze him and a few others like him out; he believes there's actually paper in existence that would prove 1t. But this affair of the purse seemed to excite him till he behaved like a bad sehoolboy.
 And |? Well. Nance Olden was never far behind at the Cruelty when there was anything going on. We trailed after them. and when they'd finished with the bedrooms-yours and mine-I asked the big fellow tG come into .he kitchen with MT. O. and me. whs!e tie blue-eYed detective tackled the diniEg-roor, and I'd get up a lunch for us ell
 Mag. you should have seen Fred Obermniier with big apron on him i-essing tke salad while I was mak- lns sandwiches. The Cruelty taught me how to cook, even If 1t did teach me ether things. You wouldn't have believed that the Trust had got him by the throat, and was choking the last breath out of him. You wouldn't have believed that our salaries hadn't been paid for three weeks, that our houses were dwindling every night that
 was thinking about it all there ir the back of my head. trying to see a way out of it-you know if there is such an agreement as ObermulleI swears there is. it's against the law while we rattled on. the two of us like a couple Of children on picnic when I heard a crash behind me.
 The salad bowl had slipped from Ohermuller's fingers. He stood witf his back turned to me. his eyes fxeC upon that searching detective.
 But he wasn't searching any more Mag. He was standing still as pointer that's scented game. He hst moved the lounge out from the wall and there on the floor. spread oper where it had fallen. hay hendsom'