Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-12-25

neighborhood had opened, owing to the fine weather; and thither they went.
 He did something which had not occur red to him in years-he slipped green mint with his charming vis-a.vis, and, under it's spell, talked as he had never talked before. He told Mrs. Seville, whose sympathetic attitude appealed so much to him, of his quiet evenings and busily prosperous days; of his ambitions and secret dreams. And he told her, too, of Martha and Thomas, and of the old and enduring friendship between them. Before he left the roof garden he had asked the widow to go with him to one of the musical comedies on the following evening. 1t was still running at the Casino and she had never heard | it.
 In the morning it came over him with shame that the engagement he had made would again preclude his game of chek- CTS with Thomas, and between the acts that evening he made a confdante of the widow
 "When I'm not there all he Fl do will be to play with his wife s diamond necklace. He's a regular baby, you know. Of course, l ought not to tell you this; but maybe you guessed it after what l said last night; he s slightly out of his mind, is poor Thomas, and I m foolishly fond of him and he of me. !" Mrs. Seville smiled at Oliver careless handling of phrases. ''But it's queer that l haven t missed the checkers these two evenings"
 He rambled on, only pausing when hn rfsa1n E.ls that he had not lost his little knack of turning a pretty compliment now and then.
 They went to supper after the per. formance. How beautiful she was and how fascinating! Many people turned and looked at her as they entered the restaurant. Women had played such a small part in his life; he realized now what a lot he had missed
 On the third day Oliver came uptown to luncheon, but ostensibly ''to get some important papers in my desk" I" he glib ly lied to Mrs. Allenby Carter, who en- countered him in the hall at the unusual hour of one o'clock in the afternoon. He wanted to see Mrs. Seville, if only for a few moments, and dinner time was such tremendously long way off.
 That night on his way home he bought some roses and had them sent to her. It would be so wonderful to see her wear few of them at dinner-his flow CTS. An! the years were falling from him. He even bought white carnation for himself. 1t would look we'll in his buttonhole.
 He descended the stairs feeling re- markedly well satisfied with his appear anee. His step was buoyant, his eyes alight.
 Mrs Allenby Carter, very white, came out of her room as he passed it. She drew him within and partly closed the door.
 "oliver, she whispered, something awful has happened!' v
 "What do you mean2 Not Thomas2'
 No, no! But Mrs. Seville has gone without paying her bill, and--oh, I hate to ten YOU, Oliver, l do indeed, for I saw how interested you were in her everybody dId, and"
 "What is it? Go on," said Oliver.
 "Why, she's stolen-the necklace that dear old string of diamonds that I'd counted on for an emergency; and now my last hope of sending Thomas away has gone! !"
 ''You must be mad!' Oliver cried. fWhy, Mrs. Seville was a lady-anyone could see that. There is some terrible mistake. You must not jump at conclrl- sions.n
 "I m not. It's only too true. She did it this afternoon while I was away, and Thomas was sleeping Other things are missing, too. She was a plain thief, that s all. What fool I was to be deceived She seemed so well bred that took her in unhesitatingly. Oh. Oli- yer, ism t it awful9'
 Hawkins stood speeches. before her. He could not believe what he had heard
 Martha's $ voice came to him. "And now poor Thomas must stay in town, and-'
 "And you must take that loan from me, and send him away; and you need n't ever pay me back, Martha-ever, do you hearG Why, it was all my fault, every bit of it. I got so beastly chum- my with her, fool that I was"
 On his way down to the dining room