Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-12-29

was entirely unnecessary. I'm not IN
the habit Of poking my nose in other
peoples business"
This latter assertion l made with a
toss of the head and left my employ
er to read the note by herself
So far so good. | had got over the
danger of showing consciousness to
Mrs. Gonagle. and this was great
aid She would doubtless tell Mr..
Constable that so far as she could dis
Germ l had stood the test. This would
incline him to infer. unless | quailed
under his searching gaze. that | had
stood it. Emboldened by my first sue
ress. | determined that l would de-
ceive him if it took all the talent for
deception there was in me. Besides.
now that my blood was up for the
tight. | would teach him that he could
not play such a game on me with i'm
punity.
Nevertheless ! knew that unless l
could at my next meeting with him
throw up a dust as ! had done with
Mrs Gonagle would be beaten. What
was my CONSERVATION when Mrs. Con
agile came into the room where ] was
writing, not ten minutes after my ar
rival, with note in her hand and told
me that | must go right back with ii
to Mr.. Constable. She had telephoned
for an auto and it would be at the
door in few minutes. Il will trust
to your high sense of honor" she said.
"as Mr.. Constable has done, leaving
my note unsealed."
1t doesn't matter about that, Mrs
Gonagle," l said. Il won't feel hurt
if you seal it,
But she didn't. and | sealed it my
self before her eyes. ! had no use for
what it contained. The plot was to
send me right back to Constable so
soon after my guilt-if indeed | was
guilty--that h. might the better detect
it. There WAS no time to form or
carry out plan for his deception, GER
tainly not another breakdown. Two
such articles would be dead give
away. l resolved to march straight up
to. him. driving all embara ssment out
of my head. acting with absolute APP
parent Indifference. made another
/ EeSuIutlOu eu-Dul never
what resolved.
When | was ushered into the room
where | again found him sitting be-
| hind his rosewood desk think could
have enacted any part-I could have
announced to him that he was to be
decapitated in ten minutes without
showing the slightest trace of emotion.
! I,u l,t t0
ME, but ! met them with an inQuiring,
childlike wonder as to why he looked
so hard at me. Then. as il my modesty
had been touched by such gaze, l call
ed up a faint blush and turned my
eyes away. | felt that had conquered.
My pantomine would have deceived
Satan himself.
Still pretending that Mr.. Constable
was another person than himself, the
secretary took the note out of the room
and returned with another. which he
handed me unsealed. He did not open
his lips to me during my brief stay,
but | knew that he was watching me.
l acted as though there was no one
present except myself. looking most of
the time out of the window. The note
/ he gave ME | dropped at once into my
bag without looking at it. pretending to
be Mt the moment hunting for either
my handkerchief or my purse.
From this time forward | felt that
was mistress of the situation. The
only mention l made Of Mr.. Consta-
BILE was as the old gentleman who
did so much for the poor" and this
was not to Mrs. Gonagle. but in her
hearing. l think this took away any
suspicion she might have had that l
knew of her plot. She did not send
me with any more notes to Mr.. Con
| stable, but did send me to him with
verbal messages. When | went with
the first Of these Mr.. Constable's pre-
tended secretary waxed affable and
endeavOred to engage me in cOnverSa-
| ton. l showed no indispositiOn to
talk with him. though he never gave
ME one OF those gaZes of his but that
l lowered my eyes. In one Of our
chats asked him if he were Mr.. Con
stables secretary. and he replied that
he was more than that-he was his
business manager.
Mr.. Constable must be a splendid
old gentleman" said. 'to do so much
for the poor
What else can he do with his mon
ey? was the response. HE can't
spend it all on himself
Then the secretary began to come to
Mrs Gonagle's on various pretexts,
and every time he came she would
manage to leave us in her office room
together while she pretended to be at
tending to the matter about which he
had called. l saw that he was bent
on wooing. and l permitted him to
woo. He took me out several times,
and one evening on our returning
from the opera on leaving me in the
vestihule he pressed my hand. There
was light enough for me to show him
that l was very much impressed by
the performance.
Time came when he proposed to me.
laughed at him. II don't care to
marry man." ! said, "who began his
courtship with the idea that he was
Il match for a woman"
What do you mean" he asked
astOunded