The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-26
Our Daily $bcri Story

touched the hand of my companion ex-
 tended for the same purpose.
 Then In nay whirltng brain an idea
 slowly formed. remembered that igi
 this closet Rose kept some of her un-
 used clothing. If I could only get
 fully dressed somehow and give the
 alarm before the men ieftl Heaven
 knows what this creature might do #
 he found us girls alone. Why. he
 might murder us all three!
 As this dreadful thought came to
 me. commenced to grope hurrtedIy and
 feynrishiy among the clothing on the
 closet wall My efforts were crowned
 with success. took down q heavy
 cloth skirt and slipped # over my head.
 To my disgust I found 1t to be a short
 bicycle skirt. We'll. no matter. could
 not risk taking 1t of; perhaps there
 was no other.
 ughl the confined air Of the closet
 reelked with the smell of brandy. Now
 for waistl My hand fell on a hrafd-
 ed sleeve I detached the garment and
 donned it, to find that 1t was an Eton
 Jacket, open in front and not nearly meeting the skirt band at the sides. Heavensl they arc goingi Now now was my time to appear and demand protection from the murderous wretch beside mel
 But to(appear in that garbl felt an hysterical destye to laugh. | in spite of the horrors of my situation. ''Teli Mfr. Allen will call on Mon- day." Mr, Sutton said. This IA the door, ts 1t not7'' And before I could open the closet door. and In my fan- tastic garments, red Eton jacket in bold relief against its background of white. and green bicycle skirt above long wooden clad legs and bare feet, stood
 revealed in the glare of the afternoon
 sun from the bay window opposites For a moment no one spoke. All stared In uncomprehending ariaaSe- ment.
 Then I stopped to the floor in a vain effort to hide my feet with an abbrevt-
 ated skirt. They must have thought was courtesyfng to them!
 why LettyP' Rose gasped as she hustled the astonished men out of the
 room and the house. As I heard her hurried returning footsteps I rose mechanically from the floor and stumbled forward into tho library.
 As she entered the room a veFitable howl of laughter came from my coHl- panion of the closet. The room swan around me, the returning terror of his presence, which had for @ few mo- rnents forgotten in the shame of my exposure, returned. It was too much for my already ovef- strained nerves. With an nysterteat laugh ending in a shriii cry, I fell for ward unconscious.
 When I came to ! was lying on the couch, my hair and the wrap with which they had covered me drenched with cologne.
 The room was darkened. but could hear Toms voice.
 T went into the library to write q note before going to the barber'e' ne was saying. T had just finished and was going when ! heard sutton'e voice. | didn't want to see him--you know how long-winded he is--so stepped into the closet. thinking he would go when he didn't find me in. No, didn't know Ashton was with him. Then just
 as they came in. Lefty burst in oa top
 of me; she must have been frignsened to death when I caught hold of her. A sob from me brought Rose hastily to my side. Poor little girl" she said. pityingly.
 What seemed to be an echo of the laugh which had heard as fainted came from Tom and after struggle with herself Rose joined I did not laugh. however. &pa bruter' ! sobbed.
 Rose stopped laughing, and turning
 sharply, glanced suspiciously at Tom. It was two summers later thal George Ashton and I met I need
 hardly say that the meeting was acct. dental--or that would have avoiae4 1t if I could. The only sign that he remembeYed was his inauiFins, Miss Lefty AIlen7" to Toms introductory.
 My sister, Miss Allen" And even now, when Mias Lefty Allen is Mrs. George Ashton, he is not real horrid about h.