Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-01-10

- A. when or now: nc
80 asked to use extra care and
- and the most light-hearted
3 srs felt worried and uneasy.
clever shoplifter? Could
4 thief among them? Did
80 suspect any one! Was there
! detective watching them
sov, And-did detectives not
o -. make mistakes? Every one
neiufully nervous. and impatient
s.ve the mystery cleared up.
ssrd.I believe you know something
- q rloy." said Jennie Burnham,
xsr her breath. to fellow clerk.
Wny. what makes you think that!
vscv asked, startled.
Z know It. know by-py the way
=. hold your tongue when we are all
.,,rg about 1t. Now what is it?'
.a,os said Fey Irving. very slowly,
= veishing every word, mo, / do
Know any more than the rest OF
= sbout this l don's even know
vhst Is missing.
put you have a suspicion. NO" own
up'
NO" even more slowly. "And II l
- 4 might be doing a great mis-
taks to tell"
-ob you obstinate little mule! ]
-,.h there was an X-ray so we could
,oor through peoples heads and md
mi what they knew"
mt some one came up just then,
"a Floy seized the opportunity to
M avay. with a deep breath OF
,ss,rfulaess. For she did know some
,h,,r-only, had 1t anything to do
IN this case? II she spoke. all In
=. store--or all but two, PERHAPS
-culd say at once, THAT solves the
v4ddle.v But would It? Or would it
ouly practically convict one who might
sfYer all be innocent?
Oh, II, there were only some A-ray
Nv which one might look into a soul
,,d ace II It were true! There he stood
4 an opposite counter, quiet and faith
mi although he must know that one
vord from her would concentrate all
hts dark cloud of suspicion on his
s head.
Yet why should she not say, Il do
not know who is the thief now, but I
kuov who was responsible for a SINH
hr course Of petty losses few years
aro. and not so many miles away. He
alls himself Robert Murdoch now, but
he vas sent to the reform school then
under the name of Bob Jameson"
Yet was It quite fair to conclude
hat because Bob Jameson, ill-fed, Ill
clothed and ill-advised by an unscrup-
ulous stepfather, had robbed the en-
poyer who provoked the act by re-
iusing to pay fair wages. therefore
Robert Mprdock. some years older,
riser, and to all appearance strictly
honorsble, was equally guilty?
He had been In the store some
months now, and apparently she alone
knsw Of this old trouble. She hardly
knsw Why she had not told that hi
xas a old schoolmate Of her own
partly, perhaups, because 30 much hat
BEEN said Of girls inability to keep {
secret, and she resented the idea, Blu
more on account Of kindly reluct
snce to make trouble for one tryinl
% Start anew. No one but himsel
knsw that the had ever met before.
Nurdocks behavior had been fault
Iess--almost too good to be natural,
>nened to Floy. Still this Nigh
nean only that he was determine
b retrieve his good name and bur
he old Disgrace from sight forevel
Wat Injustice, then, practically I
unvict him Of this new theft, with
out one particle Of proof. and max
~ cloud above him darker tina
HWl \
Yet the word once spoken coul
1ovr Be recalled. And there befos
~ syes every. day stood Robert MuI
(ock. waiting the word that shout
hurl him to destructioo-yet neiths
b word nor look appealing for mere,
De slipped out hurriedly. when n
Ays work was over, lest Jennie shoul
Wortake and ply her with more que
tona She did not want to talk-or
0nk What was the use of pussiir
NH brains over q problem one hs
~ ACTS to solve? But before she hs
niriy reached her boarding place 81
~ stopped by one Of her comrades
- store. with piteous appeal:
% Floy Irving, I'm In such q bot
=! Tou'll help me, out. won't 20,
There's darling! My head aches
. split, and there was such q CROW
Y our counter l couldn't begin to ke'
uinss straight, and some Of the ladi
ulled the laces all round and g
nem Into such tangle! I do belle
one Of them was the shoplifter tn
making us all so much trouble.
uont dare take my eyes on her, and
Jast showed the whole tangle back In
enwer. out OF sight, till I had tin
e stnighten them out. And my he
.ened 30 that forgot them entirel
Vtloy. would you go and put the
1HH for me-like an angel? dol
- q II ! could stand 1t to go ba
qyself tonight"
when did Floy Irving ever refu
90 favor? The jolly old nigi
~eechman would admit her read
oosh. she knew, even II the boo
epen had finished and gone-a
Ien one or another Of the clerks "
% n . few moments later she
.-zL21 the afora NV the raar 40