Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01

| script anu PROOF. Sn6 glanced neEVOuSly
| about and then with trembling haste drew
| out manuscript after manuscript until she
| found the one for which she seemed to be
| looking Then she slammed the door of
| the safe and went quickly out, extinguish-
ing the fame Of her candle as she did so.
| When the man behind the screen heard
her footsteps on the stairs he came out and
| sat down at the desk in the unlighted
| room, the work he had meant to do I'M
thought of. He felt dazed, dizzy. This
girl, the girl for whom he had been look
| ing for two years-he had stumbled upon
her in this suburban town; and she was a
thief!
He sat for long time In the darkness
| and then left the house and went back to
his lodgings. His brain whirled and reeled
] All night he tried to work out some expla-
| nation for everything and In the morning
| he hit upon one. The girl was evidently a
| kleptomaniac-shec could not be common
thief: Doubtless she had firted with the
previous secretaries who We're not woman
| proof until she had beguiled them into be-
traying the secrets Of the safe. This ex-
| planned that curious woman-proof require
PLANTATION seemed plausible 1t brought no
| relief to the secretary, for still he must
| find some way to save her. He must get
back the missing articles before the Author
discovered the loss. He must shield this
| girl whom he loved.
| AS he went to work that morning he was
| conscious of q feeling of thankfulness that
| the weeks to come must be occupied with
i
| that was finished the Author would have
| no time to think OF other manuscripts. In
the meantime there would be time to gain
/ the girls acquaintance and perhaps get
| back the things.
The Author was delighted with his new
| secretary and began to ask him to lunch
and dinner, which invitations were nearly
always refused on the plea that the walk
back to his lodgings gave him the much
| needed exercise. The first time he con-
sented to stay the Author ushered him.
without warning to his household. into the
dining room, where Rose sat at the table.
She looked UP with smile to greet her
| father and then rose hastily to her feet,
| steadying herself against the table,
| Mr.. Welton, my new secretary, Rose"
| her father was saying. and in some way
| she managed to hold out her hand to the
young man. 1t was icy cold. and the
secretary wondered little. AS he looked
| at her face wave Of color passed over 1t
| and he knew that she had recognized him
| and wondered II she would mention it. II
| she did not, Of course. 1t would not be his
place.
The Author noted the unwonted confu-
sion Of his daughter with some satisfac-
ton. Caught you mapping that time
didn't I, Rosie? I presume you had begun
did not understand this. but Rose did. and
she reused her energies to avert her faith
er's possible suspicion and chartered gayly
all through the meal. The Author, think
ing she was setting her cap" for the sec
Rotary. watched with Joy the indifference
of that young person, who ate his meal in
almost utter silence.
That evening when DR.. Jared Miles hap
| pened In to dinner the Author recounted
| gayly how Rose had for once been unable
| to make any visible impression. There
| was distress In the round face of the doc
! tor as the Author told how confused Rose
was and how cool the secretary.
! Hes all right" finished the Author. "All
| the rest Of 'em began to show symptoms at
the first meeting. But not this one. He's
mol a M
| discriminating, too. Resell have to get In
| some pretty clever work before he goes
down and out"
| "You ought to be ashamed Of yourself"
roared the doctor, Ito insult your daughter
In this way. Any one would think that
Rose deliberately tries to make mon fall
| in love with her."
Rose stopped to recover her napkin and
her father winked at her reddening face
when 1t reappeared. "Of course, Miles,
no one who knows Rosie. like yourself,
| for instance, would misunderstood my tok-
Ing" he apologized.
The Authors publishers began to be In
sistent, and for greater convenience the
| secretary came to stay at the house, for he
| and the Author were working at all hours.
| Incidentally he came to see a great deal
| of Rose, who was unaccountably-to her
| father-ill at ease and nervous in the pres
| ence Of the secretary. The Author gloried
| In the immunity of the secretary. and ex-
ulted openly to Rose and the indignant DIR.
| Jared.
Rose seemed to lack retorts, and moved
| about in restless fashion quite new to her.
She felt wretchedly unhappy. Since the
| chance meeting with this man in Paris.
| when they had looked at each other so
lqueerly, had both moved. forward as II to
| speak. and then remembering that they
! were utter strangers. had passed each other
| with only that look she had carried the
| mans face In her memory. 1t haunted her.
| She had joked about 1t to her father, and
had declared that this man she would have
| and no other, but she was really more than
| a little in earnest She felt sure that she
| would see this man again, and that when
| they did meet he would remember her as
| she would him. Now she had to admit that,
while he evidently did remember, he was
utterly Indifferent.
finished and dispatched to the waiting pub
| fishers. The Author meant to do no more
| work until he was again urged to 1t, and
| began to wonder just how he was going to
discharge the secretary. Finally he decided
| that he would not discharge him. but would
keep him to work upon the revision of his
| novel. THE Romance of Rose" which, be-
! ing his only novel among numbers Of books
| scientific and critical, was dear to his
heart. Accordingly, after dinner one even
| ing, when Rose had wandered disconsolate-
| ly into the garden; and the secretary had
gone on q solitary walk. he went into the
! study to take out the manuscript to look it
| over.
Being an author he was not devoid of
4
pigeon-holed manuscripts and piles of
notes, for he always kept everything. He
| began to pull out a manuscript here and
| there and read a page or two. Then he
remembered what he had come to get and
| ran his eye and his hand over the num-
bered compartments. He looked carefully
| in the place where the novel should be, and
then took out everything and searched
| thoroughly.
| The Romance Of Rose" was missing.
| With a little excitement he began to look
| through the other contents Of the SAFE
| and discovered the loss OF the pearls and
| spoons. Then he went to the dining room
| and called Rose in out of the garden.
| Rose" he asked would you know q
| thief If you saw one?"
| Rose, seeing the disordered safe, knew
what was coming and began to dimple.
Eyes, father" she answered. "At least IL
I saw him stealing I would know him to be
| a thief, think" Her father snorted.
I'm not trying to be funny" he said.
| Some one has taken your pearls and some
spoons-the best ones-and my manuscript
| of The Romance Of Rose"
II hope no one will publish that" she
| said. because I should hate to be shown
| to the public In my true colors as that book
shows me. 1t was a decided liberty on your
part to>use me as copy. I'm glad the thing
Is gone, unless. as say. some one pub
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