Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-24
The Argus Daily Short Story
The Right of Search.-By A. s. Crockett.
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Literary PresA

scream that brought Heloise to the
door.
1T is nothing. IL thought saw a
mouse"
Heloise picked up her skirts and fed
"Ah, those vasesr' Mrs. JeffreyS re-
sumed How on earth am l ever 60
ing to get them in? The duty on them
alone would be more than 500. Let
me think. No." after a pause. Il could
not conceal them. Well. let me make
the best 1 can out of the other things.
Let's see. can put the black silk
down at, say. $50. The materials did
not cost more than $50. | am sure:
the other dresses $50, $50 and $40. not
counting the one | shall wear. That
makes $155 altogether The lingerie
well. we can change the appearance
OF most Of that by rubbing it on the
carpet, and the rest l can divide be-
tween Heloise and myself in such a
way that l can list the hats and the
stockings for $40"
Then she thought of the vases again.
Mrs. Jeffreys was still thinking of
the vases when the steamship left
Cherbourg. and she thought of little
else for the first three days. Women
homeward bound are sometimes a lit
tie talkative when II comes to discuss
ing great bargains they have picked
up. but Mrs. Jeffreys maintained a
strict silence on this topic, even when
her friend Mrs. Burroughs confessed
that she had bought lots of things. in
Guiding yards and yards of lace, and.
as for simply paying duty. she would
see congress and the president in very
hot regions before she would give up
a cent Il shall conceal the lace on
my person." she confided Il have a
dress that ! am taking home to moth
er. who. you know. is larger than l.
and on the morning we land you will
see an extremely matronIy person go
ing down the gangplank il you watch
me. my dear"
Mrs. Jeffreys sighed. All. If she had
not bought those vases.
A thought struck her. why not car
ry those vases ashore after all? She
excused herself and went to her state
room, where. after locking the door,
she took the two exquisite ornaments
from a travelling bag
She removed her skirts. Then she
took a strap from the bag and fas-
tened one end TO a vase and the other
to belt. The other she fastened SIM
ilarly, so that one hung from the front
and the other from the back Then
she put on her skirts again and walked
about the room.
"I have 1t at last" she exclaimed
joyfully. ''onIy I must be careful about
walking
That day she ate the first hearty
luncheon of her voyage, and when in
the afternoon the declarations were
passed about to be filed by the pas
sengers she made hers out in the fash
ION she had planned in Paris.
Mrs. Jeffreys did not complete her
toilet on the morning the ship ar
rived until the vessel was coming up
from quarantine. Then she went be-
low, locked her door and slipped into
the harness she had invented.
She went down the gangway so
carefully that her husband. who was
at the foot. asked in great concern:
what is the matter? Hurt yourself?
You seem lame"
at is nothing" she assured him.
Gust a touch Of rheumatism"
While they were waiting under the
letter ~ for their baggage to be as
sembled her husband solicitously urged
her to sit on a trunk and spread a
steamer rug for her.
NO" she said; ''I feel much better
At the same time she felt
as If she must sink. for the two vases.
really light. now weighed a hundred
pounds each.