Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-09-28
The Brass
BOWL-
XV.-THE PRICE

4 AN.-If1E PRIZE.
/ Slowly Maitland returned to the
study and replaced the lamp upon his
desk; and stood briefly in silence, long
| fingers striking his well-shaped chin,
his face a little thin and worn-looking,
CLEAN of pain in his eyes. He
sighed.
So she was gone.
| He laughed a trace harshly. This
surprise was nothins more than he
might have discounted. OF course; he
had been a fool to expect anything else
of her. he was enjoying only his just
deserts both for having dared to be-
lieve that the good in human nature
| land particularly in woman's nature)
would respond to decent treatment and
for having acted on that asinine the
CRY.
So she was gone, without word
without a sign. u
He sat down at the desk, sidewise,
/ one arm extended along its edge, nm
gers drumming out a dreary little tune
on the hard polished wood; and thought
it all over from the beginning. Nor
spared himself.
Why. after all. should it be other
wise? Why should she have stayed?
Why should he compliment himself by
believing that there was aught about
4 MIN NAEAbAG AAtAOh6AA NAAN NNAN~+ ~ANNANN--
in a score and odd years of purposeless
existence, to attract a young and pretty
woman's heart?
He enumerated his qualities specifi-
cally: and condemned them all. I'm
prints, he was a conceited ass. A fas-
I cinating young criminal had but to toss
ner head at him to make him think
that she was pleased with him, to make
him forget that she was what she was
and believe that, because he was Will
ing to stoop, she was willing to CLIMB.
And he had betrayed himself so merci-
lessly, How she must have laughed ia
her sleeve all the time, while he
pranced and bridled and preened him
self under her eyes, blinded to his own
Idiocy by the flame of a sudden IN
fatuation-how she must have laughed!
Undoubtedly she had laughed; ana,
measuring his depth-or his shallowness
had determined to use him TO her enos'
Nrhv not2 II had been her business, her
professional duty, to make use of him In
order to accomplish her plundering. ana
because she had not dared to ask MN
for the Jewels when he left her in the
morning, she had naturally returned IN
the evening to regain them, very contl-
dent. doubtless. that even If surprised
second time. she would get off scot-free
Unfortunately for her, this fellow Axis
ty had interfered. Maitland presumed
cynically that he ought to be gratetul
TO Anisty The unaccountaole
scoundreI! Why had he returned?
How the girl had contrived to escape
was of course. more easy to understand
Maitland recalled that sudden clatter OF
hoofs in the street. and he had only to
make a trim to the window to verify his
suspicion that the cab was gone. she
had simply overheard his concluding re-
marks to the cabby, and taken pardona-
bic advantage of them. Maitland had
footed the hill She was welcome
to that. however He, Maitland was
well rid of the whole damnable business.
Yes, jewels and ALL
What were the jewels to him!
Beyond their sentimental associations.
he did not hold them greatly in prize.
of course. since they had been worn oy
his mother, he would spare no expense
or effort to trace and re-collect them.
for that dim sainted memory's sake.
But i'm this case, at least the traditional
usage of the Maitlands would never be
carried out. 1t had been faithfully oo-
served when. after his mothers oeath.
the stones had been removed from theh
settings and stored away; but now they
would never be reset. even should he con
trive to reassemble them. to adorn the
bride of the Maitland heir. For he would
never marry. OF course not
Maitland was young enough 10 De-
ueve and to extract a melancholy satis-
faction from this.
Puzzled and saddened, his mind harked
hack forever to that carldng question:
Why had she returned? what haa
brought her back 10 the rat
To she and Anisty were confederates, as
one was inclined at times to believe
II such were the case, Anisty had the
Jewels. and there was nothing else OK
anv particular value so persistently TO
entice such expert and accomplished bur-
glars back TO his fat. what else had
they required of him? His peace o.
mind was nothing that they could turn
into cash; and they seemed to have
reaved him of nothing else.
But they had that; unquestionably they
had taken that.
And sin the riddle haunted him: Why
had she come back that night? And,
whatever her reason, had she come In
Anisty's company, or alone? One minute
II seemed patent beyond dispute that the
girl and the great plunderer were hand
in-glove; the next minute Maitland was
pcgitfvely assured that their recent meet
ine- had been altogether an accident
From what he had heard over the tele-
phone he had believed them to be quar-
rEling, although at the llLhe ne hau aS-
signed to O'Hagan the masculine side to
the dispute But certainly there must
have arisen some difference OF opinion be-
tween Anisty and the girl, to have drawn
from her that frantic negative Maitland
had heard, TO have been responsible for
the overturning of the chair-an accident
that seemed to argue something in the
nature OF a physical struggle; the chair
itself still lay upon its side, mute wit
ness to a hasty and careless movernen.
on somebody's part.
But it was all inexplicable. Eventually
Maitland shook his head, to signify that
he gave it up. There was but one thing to
dc-to put IL out of mind. He would
read a bit, compose hiInseir, go 20 bed.
Preliminary to doing so, he would take
steps to insure the fat against further
burglarizing, for that night at least. The
draught moving through the haH stirred
the portiere and reminded him that the
window in the trunk-room was still open,
an invitation to any enterprising
SNEAK thief or second-story man. Sc
Maitland went to close and make 1t fast
AS he shut down the window-sash
and clamped the catch he trod
on something soft and yielding.
Wondering, he stopped and picked it up,
and carried it back to the light. 1t proved
to be the girls handbag.