The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-07-07
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THE LOST 5

town in the morning. Don't get-one
that will be sick half the time, as
Hilda was"
"You forget, my DEAR" said Pen
Ratchet, mildly, as he drew on his
gloves, that, although Htlda was
sick half the time, we had her valu-
able services at the gas range the
other half of the time. That beats
Nobody at all, doesn't it,"
"And be certain to have her out
here by II o'clock. I may see some
thing in the advertisements that l
will want to go downtown for, and l
can't sit around here all day waiting
tor a girl to come"
Having accomplished his mission
at the intelligence Office and directed
the chosen maid to depart Immediate
ly for the Penhatchet fat, even ad-
vancing carfare with the laudable In
tention of speeding her on her unfa-
miliar way, Penhatchet was indulging
In roseate dreams of the dinner b
had assured him she was able to pre-
pare, when the telephone rang and
be found his wife on the other end Of
The line.
where on earth is that girl you
were going to send out to me?" she
demanded. Here it is nearly half
past 10 and I haven't seen a sign of
her,"
"She ought to have been there
long ago." said Penhatchet, "but you
know you told me to have her there
oy II. 1 believe I mentioned that
hour to her. She'll be there all
right" he added consolingly.
Yes, but 1 won't" said his wife,
sharply. 81 got a telephone message
at half-past 9 that mother was down
sick with a cold and wanted me to
come " here. So of course I came
over"
Penhatchet grew cold as visions of
the perfect dinner faded away:
Where are you now?" he demand
ed. Aren't you at the fat?"
Certainly not" said Mrs. Pen
Ratchet. "I'm over at mothers. I
waited until 10 o'clock and then I
locked up the house and put the key
under the doormat. The girl can
get in if she has any sense"
Her husband groaned. "How on
earth is she going to know the key
is under the matt" he demanded.
she may be out there now, sitting
on the steps. Don't you realize that
we may lose her? She won't sit
around there all day. She looked to
me like just the sort of girl we have
been hunting for"
"Well, what are you going to do
about it," asked his wife, sweetly.
You surely don't expect me to leave
mother with nobody but Brother Jack
and the girls and the servants to look
after her, do you?"
Penhatchet breathed hard.
"You stay where you are" he
shouted into the phone. "Ill jump
into a taxicab and get right out to the
fat and let that girl in. I wouldn't
lOSS u6I uOW lOl duy IuluSs
whatever you think best, dear"
said his wife, submissively, "but don't
blame me if she telephones for a NOV
ing van during the day and has all
our furniture carted away to some
warehouse"
Penhatchet hung up the receiver
with a bang and dashed into the
street to summon a taxicab, DOMINIC
his hat and overcoat as he went.
There was a cab in sight when he
reached the street, and in another
moment he was tearing toward his
distant home, clicking off dimes and
quarters on the fare register with
startling rapidity.
He had his head out of the window
when the cab turned his corner, but
no welcome sight of a waiting maid
servant greeted his eyes when the
steps leading to his fiat came into
view.
"She's gone!" he muttered, as he
jumped from the cab and hurried into
the hallway.
The key was under the mat, but as
he inserted it in the lock he hesitated.
The girl could not be in the house
with the key outside, and if she were
not there what object would he have
in going in? 1t would be simply a
waste of time, he decided. Tucking
the key into his pocket he slowly
climbed into the cab again, and
bowled back to the Office, plunged in
bitter thoughts.
That's the way with a woman" he
snarled, as he slammed into his office
Just when you get everything fixed
right they break in with some I'M
looked-for proposition and spoil ev'
e%rything."
He got Mrs. Penhatchet on the
telephone an hour or two later wher
his temper had cooled sufficiently tt
permit of his %conversing with the
light of his life in his usual manner
She was still on guard at her mother:
bedside.