The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-31

But. madam. YOU surely can't think
that T."
Il can think what / please. sir. Can
YOU imagine Wc were idiOtic enough to
give up those bonds without a written
order from Col. Graves
But whoever presented that order was
an impostor."
Perhaps SO. and perhaps il is the inn
poster who is here now. Winnie, 90 90
the telephone and ask your father the
name of the messenger he sent He
wouldn't have sent Tom. Dick. or Harry
on such an important errand. Young man,
sit down here until we find out the truth
Of this matter"
The girl went 20 the telephone and the
young man sat down with visions of p0-
leemen and prison bars passing before
his eyes. The aunt took a seat directly
in front Of him, and stared az him In a
cold, cruel way-a way that gave him 10
understand that she would let no guilty
man escape. After three or four minutes
Winnie returned 10 the room to say.
That's always the way. Central tells
me that the line into the city is crossed
or something. and st may be an hour or
more before they find out the trouble and
remedy it,"
Then / viii go back and tell your
father the situation, SAID Mir. GRAY
Some sharper has the bonds. and the
police should be notified at once"
You viii sit right here until that tele-
phone wire is i'm working Ordert" an
nounced Aunt Ruth. There are men
about the place, and we have dogs and
guns, and if YOU try TO run away it viii
be the worse for you. Winnie. notify The
coachman that we have "a suspicious
character in the house"
she needn't DO anything Of the sort.
viii sit here until YOU have solved the
mystery. I am 10 blame for losing the
letter, 5ut If the bonds are not recovered
1t VIII not be my fault"
He doesn't look like a suspicious per
SON whispered Winnie 10 her aunt. but
IN tones loud enough so that he caught
the words and turned red again"
He may not % you, who can't tell
robber from church deacon. but ne
does 10 me, and here he shall stay until
we know all about it, You sit down I'm
the hall and wait for the telephone and
I'll keep him under my eyes"
Aunt Ruth leaned back In her chair.
folded her arms, compressed her lips. and
fastened her eyes on Mr. Gray and had
he been a bunc0 man of ten years stand
ing he must have been disconnected. As
il was he cOughed and blushed and
hitchcd around and crossed and recrossed
bis legs When the aunt broke the silence
IL was 10 impart no cheerful information.
What she said was:
1T makes you sQuirm TO realize that
you've reached the end of your rooe At
last, but you'll squirm more still when the
judge pronounces sentence. While pity
your poor mother, l hope you'll get at
least ten years"
Mr. Gray made no reply He couldn't
find words. About every ten minutes for
the next hour he received a brief. vigor-
Gus lecture, until he was almost worked
up to the point where he thought Of
jumping through a window and taking
his chances, when a mans step was
heard There was an ooh, papa" from
Miss Winnie in the hail, and Col Graves
stalked In TO exclaim:
What in the devil is the matter
here?"
There he sits" replied Aunt Ruth. as
she pointed to the culprit.
1t took about ten minutes to unraveI
things-that is, TO establish Vincent
Gray's identity, Fortunately. by this
time the telephone was working, and for
tunately Mr.. Jones was i'm his office. 1t
took FIVE minutes more to discover that
winnie had given the false messenger
Honduras instead Of Mexican bonds. and
that the colonel was simply relieved Of
some waste paper.
When IT came 10 apologies and inviting
Mr Gray TO forgive and forget and stay
TO dinner, perhaps fun quarter of an
hour was consumed, but it is not on
record that Mr.. Gray regarded the time
as thrown away
Now WnAv colonial
throws out hints at his prospective SON
n-law. Miss Winnie bushes and protests.
and Aunt Ruth assumes one Of her sweet
est looks and says:
/ don't say / shall leave when he be-
comes one Of the family. but / do say
that 1 shall always lock up my jewelrv
when I go to bed and lock and bolt the
door,
Copyright. 1907, by Homer spraguel