Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-08
FIRST OFFENSE
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| Teddy" she said will you please 60 and get
me a ticket? Mine was lost with my purse"
He went, and she turned to me eagerly. I
opened my lips to try 10 thank her for her gen
erosity, but she stopped me with gesture.
! "Oh, please" she said, there's so little time,
and / must explain before Teddy gets back. I
had made up my mind not to explain anything,
but-but now you will wonder" She gave me
an anxious glance. "You really the Parasite
Hunter aren't youp she asked.
| remembered that that had been the title be-
slowed on me by prominent daily not long be-
fore
We'll yes" admitted; "I suppose So"
well, you see, fathers farmer, and this year
an awful new insect has attacked the wheat, and
the Board of Agriculture. or the Government or
whoever it is, doesn't seem to know a thing about
It, and fathers nearly frantic, and he does moth.
ing but say you're the only who could help,
and because we can't afford to have your advice
we shall be nearly ruined. And Teddy said he
couldn't presume on having been at school with
you to ask you for favors. Everybody spends
their life in suggesting wild remedies, and we
try them one after another, and the little brown
crawly things 60 on working havoc on the wheat
and don't take any notice"
She paused to take breath, and looked at me
pathetically. For the moment saw she had for
gotten our peculiar relations, but when she went
on knew, by the coldness that crept into her
voice, she had remembered.
morning." she explained, "and when I found I
was standing next to you in the postofice, it
seemed like-like miracle There wasn't time
to think, and don't know what possessed me.
But it suddenly flashed on me that If stole your
postal order, and you followed me, and I pre-
tended it had been stolen again from me, you
would have to come home with me to be paid
back-I think once read story where it hap
pened something like that-and then when had
got you there, ! meant to confess, and thought,
perhaps you wouldn't refuse. But it all went
wrong, and somebody really took the postal
der out of my pocket, and you thought l was "a
common-thief-"
did not dare to look at her, but knew she
had stopped because it was either that or break
ing down
Miss Feowes" ssid "you have every right
to hate the sight Of me, but there is just one
thing-I did know, long before your brother
came, that you were not a-thief."
She hesitated moment. "It is nice of you
to say so,' she began obviously, "bnt-"
"It requires proof" / suggested. well, then
allow me-"
held her own bangle before her. and she let
me clasp it on her wrist.
She looked at me with new frendlness that
gave curious and very pleasant sensation.
"Thank you," she said, in low voice. "That
makes up fora great DEAL
I saw Teddy's tall form in the distance, and
hated him.
But because there's more urged, far
more than that can make up for, may come and
see the little brown Gravity things'?"
Her brother opened the door. Teddy" she
said "I'm very sorry, but you'll have to go for
another ticket. Mr. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is
coming with U.S."
1t took some hard work and considerable
time to save the remainder of Mr. Fellowes'
wheat crop, but, thanks to some experiments |
had recently made in California with this partic-
uar insect scourge, was able to do it.
And when the other day asked Betty wheth-
er the laborer worthy of his hire, she only
smiled, holding out to me a hand and on her
wrist hung gold bangle with one ordinary SOW
ereign suspended from it as a charm.