Putnam patriot., 1910-07-22

| Helen's heart beat rapidly. She was
 prepared to welcome Mir Bryce and to
 forgive him for ignoring her condi- | eyes as she entered rhe room. for it
 was the singer who bowed tow before her.
 T am more than blessed be said.
 -to be able to restore your lost proper ty~
 She looked skePticaL There must De some miStake~- she was beginning
 Mir. Malcolm smiled ~Nni you &iud- l ty examine the lceketg" he asked ~it
 is, indeed. The very eae that you lost. and the mystery waS easily solved Inserted an advert tsement in The pa- pers and also had card placed ia me 1 public library. A young giri nad found ! your tockel emong The books, where il had evidently fallen. and was glad To ! return it this morning
 Then this k not the one you wore.~ Helen asked
 -ft is not" the singer responded
 eoldly aud vouehsafed no further h.
 formation
 1 For few moments she exerted her self to be entertaining and thanked | him gratefully for his trouble when | be left. but in her heart was great I disappointment He can never come
 now" she sighed. and her thoughts were of the blond young man. She WIS playing sad little tune l that evening when the maid ushered ! Mr. Bryce into the room. Eagerly she 1 advanced Ia meet him Il am 50 glad" , she said that you did not wait to hriug ih. iocket.
 He s-enssi puzzled at her change of manner -Kat l have drought it. be 1 ann"un~d triunphsnIiy and placed small t,ax i't n.t hand
 Helen sal,k lnto the nearest chair and regarded him with suspicion. Then sue laughed The city must be full
 of them" she sad. placing the two Iockets with their duplicate inserip- tions before him The man looked dazed "Nr Malcolm recovered this one by advertising Now l would ike your explanation"
 For moment they looked at each other. then joined i'll laughter. Pres entity he came and stood before her '.l did not intend to make comics sion." he said. You will have some thing to forgive. When your friend Lolita left the country she also left two iockets. The counterpart Of yours was given to my cousin. Olivia Treut
 You may remember her at the acad- emy. though she says she has uot seeu you for years Olivia is a little bunch Of superstition and relies implicitly upon her locket to carry her through
 many difficulties. l bad dined at her home the evening before that memo- rable day ill the park and was ieiling Olivia's father of an important Ia wsuit
 which hoped to wiu the following day. when 0livia elasped the little charm upon my fob. assuring me that 1t would bring success in my under taking The verdict had. indeed. be-u satisfactory. and l stopped on my way home that afternoon To tell Olivia and return the iocket. You may imagine my ehagrin upon receiving your note and upon the events which followed. Yesterday told Olivia all about It. and she unraveled the mystery which has troubled us both
 "lt seems that she had accompanied Maurice Malcolm to the reception that evening and had urged him to wear the charm to insure The success of his song also told her"-he looked Lown into Helen's eyes-"of my great desire to see you and of the condition imposed IL was then that she agreed to sacrifice her loeket and insisted that
 1 return 1t To you as your own
 The man smiled. Dear little Oiiy- ia" he said Her days Of flirting and superstition are over. for she is soon to marry the rector of Trinity church. would have brought The loeket yesterday" he added. but she wished the rector 10 wear il when he went 10 gain her fathers consent.
 "Ohr' cried Helen. and her eyes were dancing
 His face was very grave as he low cred his voice. "I am about to enter upon a suit" he said. which will mean all the world 10 me. May l wear the lecket eharm:
 He slipped his watch into an upper coat pocket. and Helen stood to clasp the locket. the dark head very near the fair one As she finished her task his arms closed about her. Once more