The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-04
BY Thomas Cobb.


fold to change her mind and give
Margaret Venables pair OF salt cell
lars as a wedding present.
A spiteful tongue, combined with
genius for ferreting out her neigh
bors' private affairs, had won for
Miss Penfold certain authority In
the small town, where It had
been generally agreed at the last
Dorcas meeting to show disapproval
OF the marriage by withholding the
customary gifts.
Being Margaret's next door neigh
Dor, OF course Miss Penfold enjoyed
unrivaled opportunities. although
she would, perhaps, have blushed If
anyone had guessed to what extent
she had taken advantage of them.
The gardens were separated by
high oak paling, on each side Of
which ran their only paths. On Miss
Penfold's side stood an arbor. and
from this secluded position it. was
possible to gain considerable
amount of information.
For Margaret Venables was. IL
and precise. Approaching her 25th
year when her mother died, nine
months ago, she had elected to stay
or in the little house, under the pro-
lection OF maid of all work young
er than herself.
Margaret was tall, with a charm
ingly rounded figure disguised to
l,, f,lI 70 al
ioned frocks. Even Miss Penfold
confessed that she liked to watch her
neighbor's face, though nobody had
expected the possibility of her mar
rlage to such man as
Walter Redmond. In her lonely cir
cumstances IL would have offended
her sense Of propriety to invite him
to enter the house, and thus It hap
pened that he carried on his wooing
in the back garden, with Miss Pen
fold for an unsuspected listner.
Partly because he wore panama
hat Walter was generally supposed
to lack ballast" and this in spite Of
his responsible position; for since
Mr.. Davy's attack of paralysis. Is
the entire business OF the lawyers
Office
In due course Miss Penfold heard
him ask Margaret to become his
wife. telling herself that doubtless
Miss Vensble's $1,000 a year, to say
nothing of the house, provided the
: chief inducement.
woman could choose such super
fcial, harum-scarum, albeit good
looking man was more than Miss
Penfold could conceive.
One evening In June, two months
after the beginning Of the engage
ment. Walter reached the house at 6
o'clock, and, having rung the bell.
was invited to walk round by the
miniature greenhouse to the back
garden. where he found Margaret
awaiting him and looking her best
In a wide-brimmed rush hat: and on
the other side OF the oak paling Miss
Penfold sat. knitting a comforter, In
the innocent looking, rose clad
arbor.
She was short, with flat-chested,
angular figure and long, white face
Her grayish hair was parted down
the middle and decorated by four
tortoiseshell combs. Walters intro
ductory remark startled her to at
tention at once.
margaret" he began, Just on the
other side of the paling, "Im afraid
I've brought some terribly bad news
The--the fact is I've left the office"
Left for good, do you mean?"
asked Margaret. and Miss Penfold
could detect the tremor In her voice.
"Yes; there's been a desperate
row. said Walter.
What about?" demanded Mar
garet.
Miss Penfold sat very erect, 80
that the back of her head touched
the fence; her knitting needles were
still, and the comforter was pressed
down on her knees.
''Davy accused me of--of dishon-
esty," said Walter. HE charged me
with stealing IA hundred pounds" :"
What did you do?" murmured
Margaret, after momentary silence.
There was only one course open,"
was the answer. II threw up my
berth and--and / came away"
't"Wasn't II possible to prove that
Mr.. Davy was mistaken" said Mar
garet. quietly.
Overwhelmingly" he returned.
"You understand. there are things
one can't always prove. AS a matter
of fact. the money has gone. It has
been taken by somebody In the office.
or course, it's a disastrous business
for me- Useless to try for another
berth In this country. | shall have to
go abroad"
At this interesting point In the
conversation, Miss Penfold's small
servant came out by the back door
and walked toward her mistress.
Mrs. Anscombe was In the drawing
room, the girl said. and 30 Miss Pen
fold had no alternative. Gathering
UP her wool she left the arbor and
made her reluctant way into the
house.
Her disappointment was to some
degree counterbalanced by the 'ad-
vantage OF being the frst to spread
the news in the neighborhood, and