The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-18
BY Mary Roberts Rinehart
tCopyright. 1909. The Bobbs-NIerrin Company

Takahiro. Ell. Kit?" he asked deli
cately. "She didn't say anything
about me?"
Nothing good. She said the
house was in a disgraceful condi-
tion," / said heartlessly. and
her diamond bracelet was stolen
while she took nap on the kitch-
en- table"-he and
oh. Jim, you are such a goose,
If / could only manage my own
affairs the way / could my
friends! She's too sure of you,
Jimmy. She knows you adore her,
and-how brutal could you be,
Jim?"
Fair" he said. 81 may have
undiscovered depths of brutality
that l have never had occasion to
use. However. might try.
Why?"
Listen, Jim," urged. at was
always Bella who did things here:
she managed the house, she tyr
annized over her friends. and she
bullied you. Yes, she did. Now
she's here, without your invita-
ton, and she has to stay. It's
your turn to bully, to dictate
terms, to be coldly civil or polite
ly rude. Make her furious at you.
If she is jealous, so much the bet
ter"
"How far would you sacrifice
yourself on the altar of friend
ship?" he asked.
"You may pay me all the at
tention you like, in public" 1 re-
piled, and after we shook hands
we went together to Bella.
There was an ominous pause
when we went into the den. Bella
was sitting by the register, with
her furs on, and after one glance
over her shoulder at us, she
looked away again without speak
ing.
Bella" Jim said appealingly.
And then l pinched his arm, and
he drew himself up and looked
properly outraged.
Bella" he said, coldly this
time, 81 can't imagine why you
have put yourself in this ridiculous
position, but since you have"
She turned on him in a fury.
put myself in this position!
She was frantic. tits a plot, a
wretched trick of yours, this quar-
antine, to keep me here"
Jim gasped, but 1 gave him @
warning glance, and he swallowed
hard.
"On the contrary" he said with
maddening quiet, II would be the
last person in the world to wish to
perpetuate an indiscretion of
yours. For 1t was hardly discreet,
was it, to visit bachelor estab-
lishment alone at ten o'clock at
night? AS far as my plotting to
keep you here is concerned, as
sure you that nothing could be
further from my mind. Our paths
were to be two parallel lines that
never touch" He looked at me
for approval, and Bella was
choking.
You are worse than / ever
thought you," she stormed. 81
thought you were only "a fool.
Now ] know you-for a brute!"
Well, it ended by Jim's gracious
ly permitting Bella to remain
there being nothing else to do
and by his magnanimously agree
ing to keep her real identity from
Aunt Selma and Mr.. HARRISON,
and to break the news of her
presence to Anne and the rest. 1t
created a sensation beside which
Anne's pearls faded away, al
though they came to the front
again soon enough.
Jim broke the news at once,
gathering everybody but HARRISON
and Aunt Selma in the upper hall.
He was palpitatingly nervous, but
he tried to carry it off with a
high hand.
Its unfortunate" he said,
looking around the circle of faces,
each one frozen with amazement.
and just suspicion, perhaps, of
incredulity. tits particularly un-
fortunate for her. You all know
how high-strung she is, and If the
papers should get hold of it-well,
Wen all have to make it as easy
as we can for her."
With Jim's eye on them, they all
swallowed the butler story with
out a gulp. But Anne was indig-
nant.
ITS like Bella" she snapped
We'll, she has made her bed and
she can lie on it. I'm sure l shan't
make 1t for her. But IL you want
to know my opinion, Mr.. HARRISON
may be a fool, but you can't ram
two Bellas, both nee Knowles.
down Miss Caruthers' throat with
a stick"
We had not thought of that be-
fore and everyone looked blank.
Finally, however, Jim said Bella's
middle name was Constantine ana
we decided to call her that. But
1t turned out afterward that no.