The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-07-04
The Contents
of Her Watch
BY CARROLL WATSON RANKIN
N0pyTIght. by shortst0ry Pu6. co.l

small, trumpery watch? You could
buy six like it, and never miss the
money"
q tell you" retorted Adelaide,
stamping a small and daintily shod
foot, that unless that watch turns
up to-day, | shall leave this place
tomorrow"
But why, Adelaide"
Because"
"That's a woman's reason"
well, I'm a woman. | say l
can't afford to lose that watch"
1Why, Sis, you couldn't pawn
that untrustworthy bauble for two
dollars, even if you needed the mon
(which you don't. No sane pawn
broker would advance"
who wants to pawn it? l never
thought of such a thing. Do stop
your heartless Joking. | do want
that watch"
4 wish you might have it." said
the young man, '.if only for my
own peace Of mind; but it's lost,
and that's all there is to it."
do you think it's quite hopeless ~
asked the girl, eagerly.
ooh, | don't know. Someone will
find it in the sand, some day, when
you least expect it."
Dear me, that's just what I'm
afraid Of. If were only sure it
would stay lost"
afraid Of, Sis? Afraid Of"
do 60 to the beach and look.
And Percy" The young woman
laid an imploring hand on her BROTH
ers arm-''if you happen to find it,
promise me, there's a dear boy,
promise me you won't open the
case"
"0h, I say cried the boy, laugh
ing ioyously, that's a good onel
A note, Ell? or a lock Of masculine
hair. Which is it? Whose is it?
Wardlow's, Wilmington's, Miners,
?
OF the impeemious Bancroft's? Ny,
that's rich! Ny, that's a iokel That's
the reason why |, and no one else,
must be the finderF7
NO such thingp' cried the young
woman, fairly dancing with rage,
"You're the meanest boy"
The meanest boy threw his indig-
nant sister a kiss, ran down the
stairs and down the front steps and
turned toward the beach that Law
before the cottage, at Druce's Lake.
"There goes Miss Pennington's
brother" remarked one Of the group
on the yeranda. "He's going to look
for that watch she lost the other
day"
Strange, isn't it, said the girl
in the duck skirt, "that she should
make such a fuss over that little
snamaled affo;r ~
"Picked it up in Constantinople,
didn't she? asked the man with the
golf sticks.
@some such place. She has six
Others, they say, to match her
gowns"
The silent man behind the Jews
paper threw his cigar away, tossed
his paper aside and sauntered down
the steps. The others looked after
him and smiled,
"Bancroft's going to blister his
a%ristocratic nose securing the beach
for that precious trife," said the
man with the golf sticks. "Wilming-
ton and Miner ruined their com
plexions this morning and Wardlow
came in with a headache half an
hour ago. Bancroft's good looking,
but he doesn't stand a ghost of a
show against those chaps
"She'll take Wardlow,' said the
girl, nodding wisely. 'You see if
she doesn't"
Bancroft moved leisurely down the
board walk, turned the corner, and
quickened his pace. He had remem-
bered seeing Miss Pennington stoop
suddenly, three days before, to pick
up a shell when they were walking
up the beach together. 1t was bare
" possible that the tiny watch had
slipped from its chatelaine then, all
though the owner had not missed it
until she had gone to her room to
change her gown for dinner. He
49,