Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-16
+ THE LUCKY STONE #
III ------ - Blu HOWARD FIELDING ------- ~
Coprmt w4bpUaq@ WHMsY


mental. The gowns upon the couch re-
vealed themselves to Annie; in imagina-
ton she put them on Miss Colbert one by
one, and it was a happy dream founded
upon blessed memories, for she had help
ed Miss Colbert to dress two or three
times during the last winter and had been
praised for her dizziness and good taste.
"Think o. that now!" said Annie to
herself in sweet Renaissance. THE good
taste o. the likes O. me!'
She turned away from the gowns with
sigh which changed to a queer little
choking cry of establishment. Upon a
table near the window there was a glass
plate, and it was heaped high with jewels.
The light of the fervid day surged In and
beat upon them, and they dashed it back
in thousand sparkling sprays.
"Gee!'' said Annie softly. wouldn't
that jar you?'
She glanced fearfully toward the win
dow
ITS wonder she wouldn't set 'em
out in the back yard!'' she continued
Il never saw the like of her. Anybody
could climb in here"
1t was an unfortunate notion. Be 1t re-
membered that Annie had spent the pre-
ceding portion of the day in a nearly in
sane effort to think of some way to obtain
money. She had asked for that which
was due her, and it had been refused.
Such incidents have a tendency to excite
resentment and to confuse ones ideals of
honesty. In a world where some people
won't pay their laundry bills. while 9TH
ers leave double handfuls of diamonds on
plates before open windows, like crumbs
for the birds. is it any wonder that the
weak yield to temptations?
Annie took up a jeweled crescent which.
because of the excited state of her mag
nation. seemed to be about the size of the
rolls of that form which she bought from
the baker when she could afford such lux
uries She touched it timidly, as if it
might be sparkling with actual fire.
Earlier in the day she had taken an old
coat to a pawnbroker and he had refused
to loan her anything upon it, even a
quarter of a dollar. What would he give
her for that crescent pin? She had so lit
tie confidence in the pawnbroker's hon
esty that 1t never occurred to her that he
might refuse such an article offered by a
poor girl who certainly must have stolen
it. TO her the pin represented an meal
culable sum of ready money. She laid it
down and slowly shook her head.
mot me-" she said. II couldn't"
Then she sat down upon the cushioned
window seat and began to encourage Bit
ter thoughts with miserable deliberate
ness. If she were not so honest she'd get
along better 1t wasn't honesty; it was a
reflection, however, she was forced to adj
init that she was not afraid. Nobody
knew that she was in the house; most
nobody would see her going out
of it. The opportunity was perfect Then
why didn't she do it? Unwilling in this
mood to admit any good of herself, she
decided that if the crime We're not aggra-
waited by the fact that Miss Colbert had
been good to her she could commit 1t.
With positive relief she thought of the
woman who had refused to pay the laun-
dry bill, and in imagination she reveled in
robbing that woman of as many dia-
monds as there were in this plate-five
times as many, indeed-she was very lib
eral in endowing the victim with jewels.
On the edge of the plate there was a
loose stone about the size of an average
pea. In comparison with the others 1t
looked very small. and Annie was of the
opinion that it could be removed without
Miss Colberts missing it, This, then.
represented the extreme of prudence and
forbearance. Annie rolled the stone
around in the palm of her hand. 1t may
have been perspiration which dulled the