The sun., 1908-07-05

came content, While tho Ioes from TIE safe
remained 1 absolGtsly seoret-indesd. I
sideration toward mo that he had not rs-
ported II and was hoping that he might
never have 20 report u 70 the manager
there was widespread r,Imor not only that
Mrs. Runciman had charged Knevals with
J man had prudently Withdrawn from his
usual walks and vocations into parts
To her mind, then. he was disposed Of
for badiand all. and she reioiced accord-
distracting interest In Learning
How sordid and trivial 10 wealth In corn-
parison With study, meditation, commun-
ion with the great minds Of oil ages!' she
cried one evening an she stopped before
me. such q riot Of color and dazzle Of jewels
rs TO put the Queen Of Sheba into tho Quaker
ciass. Il am weary, Mr.. Sni6en. OF the
emptiness and aRectation Of what We call
. life; I yearn, I sigh for such an ideal yet
real existence as your nephew leeds; Nov
this with q tap Of her ivory fan. an Raines
came UP In his unimpreesiblo wsy.
"Perhaps you will be 30 good 40 TO tell
me yourself Raines said quietly. 'or at
least to give me the chance TO show myself
She took his arm with coy reluctance,
smiling a protest over her shoulder-her
left shoulder-to me as he led her away.
looked by intention to the chair In the
rear row where Leila sat 30 neutral in tints
had seen all have described. Perhaps
she saw more, for she was smiling-vaguely.
II is true, yet smiling.
looked across by chance to the tele-
phone booth by which Miss Pran had her
post. She also must have witnessed and
digested this little scene, perhaps moro
than this little scene for she was following
the lovers Of learning, 90 loverlike In pose
as they strolled into the small parlor where
most Of our Tawdrey counting was done,
with fierce and eager eyes.
Ill.
A Tawdrey institution. Miss Prall. From
time immemorial. within the average guests
era she had kept watch and ward by the tele-
steel safe. Everybody liked the little old
maid, with her fiery face and popping blue
eyes. and everybody trusted her.
Rollicking Frank, her brother in charge OF
the news stand. was wont 10 say in the
infrequent intervals when he was not dis
GUESSING the horses with our racing con-
tingent that sis lives with u.s. meaning
thereby that he permitted her to share the
bounty which he provided for himself. his
bowed and sallow wife and their inde-
terminate brood OF children. We knowing
ones knew on the contrary that it was Miss
Prall's hard earned wages that kept on the
roof and filed up the chinks OF any apology
for home that Frank could have.
A graceless scamp, he owed the work
that he didn't do and the bread that he did
eat to the grace OF his sister What then.
was Miss Prall's interest in tho gourdlike
growth of intimacy between the superauous
widow and my suposititious nephew? In
tense and unselfish. whatever IL might be.
She was partisan who would fight to the
death in a quarrel not her own.
Throughout this week OF secret cross
purposes which as J have indicated only
showed themselves in spots. like some slow
fever. the management had been engaged
in the important and difficult task OF replao-
ing the old switchboard for the electric
lights with new broad.
As was inevitable at the Tawdrey House.
whatever was done was made a matter o.
advertisement. So. much was said about
the expense. the experts employed and the
rapidity with which the work was accom-
plished.
This boasting seemed justified the night
when the experte left with the new board in
full operation. Never had the Tawdrey
House been more brilliantly illumined.
When the guests, according to custom,
assembled in the Office after dinner, a thou
sand lights shone upon women and men
more or less fair and brave.
From my corner Of vantage ! sought out
and studied the charac ters Of my present
interest, from Billikins at the desk with a
side eye keen for the half open safe, Miss
Prall, like Roman sentinel, by the tele-
phone booth. and rollicking Frank, mussing
l.. -. h,g vl<I 20 aknh a
whispered tip from his pals. to Mrs. Runci
man and Raines drinking to each other only
with their eyes, yet making quite spree Of
IL in the opposite row Of chairs, and shadowy
Leila. far from them on the settle against
the side Of the desk and back OF the news
stand.
Then the lights went out with a complete
ness that spoke worlds for what the
switchboard couldn't do, ana confusion
prevailed which grew less decorous as the
For once the Tawdrey House had failed
to provide for possible emergency. There
were no candles, no lamps, and 1t was a
long and dreary wait before the engtneer
came hustling up from the s,,b-cellar with
a pair Of lanterns. These he hurried to the
desk, whence had come rough talk inter
spersed with screams.
A. feeble light. yet sufficient to show
to the crowded guests Billikins In front OF
the safe between Miss Prall and shadowy
Leila, ChCn Oh WnOfU NO H0iu tu6 WElbt.
Raines put his hand on the rail and leaped
over.
what are you trying to do'' he demanded
angrily.
my care" answered BiIlikins with enough
verbal ecoentricities to show the source
Of the rough talk. heard light steps
to the safe. / reached out caught this
hand and that. As ! did 30 each hand
dropped something on the floor. There,
see Tor yourself. There and there. As
soon as you pick them up III let these
women CO..
Raines stopped and gathered two pack
ages from the floor. wrapped In stout brown
paper. securely tied and sealed and each
addressed in flowing hand.
Il don't see what all this pother is about
he said, after a glance at the inscriptions.
These packages belong to me. you can
all see.'
And he held them to the light so that the
name on each one. mir. Sidney Raines,'
was made distinct. They don't belong
in the safe. do they7 You never saw them
before. did your It seems to mo you owe
an apology to these ladies, who in the dark
ness might easily have wandered within
this enclosure"
Then a strange thing happened. The