The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-01-15

I
the habit Of poking my nose In other
peoples business"
This latter assertion made with q
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 a great
aid. She would doubtless tell Mr..
Constable that so far as she could dis.
Germ i had stood the test. This would
incline him to infer, unless Quailed
under his searching gaze. that l had
stood It, Emboldened by my FIRST sue
cess. determined that would de-
ceive him IL It took oil the talent for
deception there was I'm me. Besides,
now that my blood was up for the
fight. 1 would teach him that he could
not play such a game on me with Inn
punity.
Nevertheless I knew that unless I
could at my next meeting with him
throw up n dust as I 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 l must go right back with IL
to Mr.. Constable. She had telephoned
for an auto and 1t would be at the
door in few minutes. II will trust
TO your high sense Of honor" she said.
las Mr.. Constable has done, leaving
my note unsealed."
Gonagle." l said. II won't feel hurt
IL you seal it,"
But she didn't, and I sealed Il my
self before her eyes. / had no use for
what It contained. The plot was to
send me right back to Constable 50
soon after my guilt-if indeed was
guilty-that he might the better detect
1t. There was no time to form or
carry out plan for his deception, GER
tainly not another breakdown. Two
such articles would be q dead give.
away. l resolved to march straight up
TO him, driving all embarrassment out
of my head. acting with absolute APP
parent indifference. / made another
resolution. ] resolved-but never mind
what resolved.
When ! was ushered into the room
where l 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.
The gray eyes were brought to bear on
me, but met them with an inquiring,
childlike wonder as to why he looked
80 hard at me. Then. as II my modesty
had been touched by such gaze, call
ed up a faint blush and turned my
eyes away. l felt that had conquered.
My pantomipe would have deceived
Satan himself. n
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 10 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
be gave me | dropped at once into my
bag without looking at it, pretending to
be at the moment hunting for either
my handkerchief or my purse.
From this time forward l felt that I
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. think this took away any
suspicion she might have had that
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 i went with
the first of these Mr.. Constable's pre-
tended secretary waxed affable and
endeavored to engage me In CONVERSE
ton. showed no indlsposition to
talk with him, though he never gave
me one OF those gazes Of his but that
i 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, ito do so much
Aoa thc pOOis
What else can he do with his mon
eyT was the response He can't
spend 1t 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. ! saw that he was bent
on wooing. and permitted him to
WOO. He took me out several times.
and one evening on our returning
from the opera on leaving roe in the
vestibule he pressed my hand. There
was light enough for me to show him
that / was very much impressed by
the performance. 1880. .t.r
Time came when be proposed to me.
laughed ut him. II don't care to
marry man." said, ''who began his
courtship with the idea that be was
match for a woman"
What do you mean" he asked,
astounded