St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-02-15
E..XperIeeIlce

| Miss Ryan laughed pitilessly and
with contemptuous little snort, and
Mr.. Cramer surveyed the weeping girl
sternly. The store had been systemat-
ically robbed for weeks by shop-lifters
so clever that their detection had
come to be almost despaired Of The
capture Of one by Mr.. Cramer meant
a substantial tribute to his astuteness
by his employers.
You have been fairly caught ia the
act, he said. Il shall have you ar
rested at once. When you get to the
station you can send for your friends,
II you have any, who will bail You
out
Serena raised her head eagerly at
the mention of friends and started to
her feet. "Oh, / have a friend waiting
for me at the entrance this very min
ute" she cried excitedly. Its my
husband / was to meet him there. He
can bail me out now before I'm ar
rested. Oh, do someone go for him
quick. He can explain everything"
Miss Ryan opened her eyes very
wide and nodded significantly "An ac-
complice!" she whispered to the usher
behind her hand. 1.-TWO of 'em!"
But Serena heard her not. Full of
hope she had forgotten her tears.
you can't mistake him." she ex-
planned, animated and voluble. He's
tall and dark and has mole and a
black moustaehe. Oh don't wait a min
ute, for mercy sakeG, but tell him to
come quick to his wife, who is just
going away in the patrol. Oh, dear, oh,
dear!"
Ten minutes later when Lloyd en-
tered the room and beheld his bride,
whom he had left at home serene and
smiling, now disheveled and her eyes
red with weeping, he turned pale
"Serena!" he cried, what has hap.
pened?"
Serena arose, and anointed his col.
lar and necktie with fresh burst OF
tears. "Oh, Lloyd she gasped with
widest indifference, Something per.
fectly awful. I've been arrested for
shop-lifting. And all because / didn't
want to go to the matinee looking
like fright. Oh, Lloyd! do some
thing about it quick!"
Lloyd unwound Serena from his
neck, and turned to the usher with an
aspect quite terrible and threatening.
What do you mean, sir" he de. |
manded in tones of thunder, "by this
insult to my wife?"
He looked so tall, so athletic and
so dangerous that Miss Ryan with |
drew to the side of the room and tried |
to look disinterested. The usher him. |
self began to wave a little, and TIC |
nasrmur something about the bare
possibility of a misunderstanding.
A misunderstanding! shouted |
Lloyd, holly. Il should think there
had been a misunderstanding There
is my card, sir. And let me tell you
that you shall apologize to this lady
on your knees, sir!"
The usher had begun to think he
had made a mistake, but was sure of |
it when he looked at the card which |
bore the name of firm Of lawyers
known by him to be the legal advisers
of his employers.
II suppose there must be some mis-. |
take, but / don't think 1 should be |
blamed for it." he said somewhat |
sulkily. Your wife was positively |
identified by this lady as the woman |
by this woman as the lady who
who stole some valuable laces from
her counter last week" He turned |
for confirmation to Miss Ryan. but
she had melted into the atmosphere.
I saw her myself hiding something
in her waist, and we found these
goods concealed en- her person. She
had no checks for them
mo checks!" shrieked Serena.
why, of course I have the checks.
She seized a bunch of pink slips from
her pocket-book and thrust them in
a shower upon the discounted Mr..
Cramer, Il always keep my checks
to copy into my accounts. Why didn't I
you say something about checks be.
fore?"
1t was very obsequious usher who
escorted the young couple to the door
and his apologies were so profound
and so well expressed that Lloyd was
slightly modified But he could not
dismiss the episode as gayly as did
Serena, who possessed a buoyant
spirit and a saving sense of humcr.
1t was too late to go to the matinee
when the matter had been satisfactor.
lily settled, but they discussed it that
evening as they sat in front of their
cosy CRATE fire, all traces of tears re.
moved from Serena's face.
Indeed, Lloyd she said, you shall
do nothing more about it. 1t was
ridiculous thing for me to do any.
how, and I've no doubt did look sus.
picious, hiding things away that way.
What blessing it is / saved these
checks, though! / might have been
in Jail now. Aren't you glad, LLOYD
that I'm SO methodical about my ac.
counts?"
When Hearts Are Trunps.
When hearts ars trunps no hearts
have T. i