The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-23
CHAPTER XII
L Make a Discoveryq.

rather out of it, but she was i'm
portant as a cause, not as result;
at least at first. She came out
strong later. l believe she was a
very nice old woman, with strong
likes and prejudices, which she
was perfectly willing to pay for.
At least, l only presume she had
likes; | know she had prejudices.
Nobody ever understood why
Bella consented to take Betty's
place with Aunt Selma. AS for
me, l was too much engrossed
with my own affairs to pay the in
valid much attention. Once or
twice during the day / had stopped
in to see her, and had been re-
ceived frigidly and with marked
disappFoval. l was in disgrace,
of course, after the scene in the
ldining-room the night before.
had stood like naughty child,
just inside the door, and replied
meekly when she said the pillows
were overstuffed, and why didn't
l have the linen slips rinsed in
starch water? She laid the blame
of her illness on me, as l have
said before, and she made Jim
read to her in the afternoon from
a book she carried with her,
Goals of Fire on the Domestic
Hearth" marking places for me to
read.
She sent for me that night,
just as l had taken off my gown;
so / threw on dressing-gown
and went in. To my horror, Jim
was already there. At a gesture
from Aunt Selma, he closed the
door into the hall and tiptoed
back beside the bed, where he
sat staring at the figures on the
silk comfort.
Aunt Selina's first words were:
where's that flibberty-gib-
bet?"
Jim looked at me.
"She must mean Betty" I ex-
planned. "She has gone to bed.
think"
Don't - let - her - in-this
lroom-again," she said, with aw-
full emphasis. "She is an infa-
nous creature"
ooh, come now, Aunt Selma"
Jim broke in; shes foolish, per-
haps, but she's a nice little thing"
Aunt Selina's face was a curious
study. Then she raised herself on
her elbow, and, taking flat
chamois-skin bag from under her
pillow, held 1t out.
"My cameo breastpin," she said
solemnly; my cuff-buttons with
gold rims and storks painted on
china in the middle; my watch,
that has put me to bed and got
me up for forty years, and my
money-five hundred and ten dol
lars and forty cents!-taken with
the doors locked under my nose"
Which was ambiguous, but forci-
BILE.
But, good gracious, Miss Car
Aunt Selina!" l exclaimed, "you
don't think Betty Mercer took
those things?"
NO." she said grimly; 81 think
l probably got up in my sleep and
lighted the fire with them, or
sent 'em out for a walk" Then
she stuffed the bag away and sat
up resolutely in bed.
Have you made up?" she de-
manded, looking from one to the
other of us. bella, don't tell me
you still persist in that nonsense"
"What nonsense?" / asked, get
ting ready to run.
"That you do not love him."
"Him?"
James," she snapped irritably.
''Do you suppose I mean the po-
|liceman?"
I looked over at Jimmy. She
had got me by the hand, and
Jimmy was making frantic ges-
lures to tell her the whole thing
and be done with it. But l had
gone too far. The mill of the gods
had crushed me already, and j
didn't propose to be drawn out
hideously mangled and held up
as an example for the next two
or three weeks, although it was
clear enough to find that no tie
save the board of health held us
together. And then Bella came
in, and you wouldn't have known
her. She had put on straight
white wooden wrapper, and she
had her hair in two long braids
down her back. She looked like
a nice, wide-eyed Mttle girl in her
teens, and she had some lob
ster salad and glass of port on
a tray. When she saw the stu
alton she put the things down and
had the nastiness to stay and
listen.
''I'm not blind" Aunt Selma
said, with one eye on the tray.
"You two silly children adore each
other; l saw some things last
night"
Bella took step forward; then
she stopped and shrugged her
shoulders. Jim was purple.
81 saw you kiss her in the din
ing-room, remember that" Aunt
Selma went on, giving the screw
another, turn.
1t was Bella's turn to be excited.
She gave me one awful stare, then
she fixed her eyes on Jim.
"Reaidas - Aunt Selma went on