Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-30


took out the folded black hat, shook
it into shape, and put it on. 1t was
mannish, of course, but girls often
wore such hats.
AS she surveyed herself in the long
mirror of her door, the Glow color stole
into her cheeks. Yet the costume was
not unbecoming, nor unusual. She
looked like simple school girl, or a
young business woman going to her
days work.
But she looked at the fashionable
proportions of the other hat with some
thing like alarm. How could she pro-
tect It? She did not for a moment
think Of abandoning it, for it was her
earnest desire to return it at once,
unframed, to its kind purloiner.
She supmoned the newsboy and pur.
chased three thick newspapers. From
these, with the aid of few pins, she
made a large package of the hat. She
decided to go bareheaded, and put the
white kid gloves in the suitcase, but
she took OF her beautiful rings, and
hid them safely inside her dress.
She sacrificed one OF her precious
quarters to get rid OF the attentive por-
ter, and started on with a brisk step
down the long platform to the station.
She followed a group Of people into
car, which presently brought her into
the neighborhood OF the large stores,
as she had hoped it would. 1t was
with relief that she recognized the
name on one of the stores as being of
worldwide reputation.
Well for her that she was an expert.
enced shopper She went straight to
the millinery department and arranged
to have the hat boxed and sent to the
address Durham had given her.
! It had cost less to express the hat
than she had feared, yet her stock of
money was woefully small. Some kind
| of a dress she must have, and a wrap.
that she might be disguised, but what
could she buy and yet have something
left for food? Lifting her eyes, she
saw a sign over a table-"Linene
Skirts, rs cents and $1.00"
Here was ray of hope. She turned
eagerly to examine them. Piles Of
somber skirts, blue and black and tan.
! They were stout and coarse and scant,
and not of the latest cut, but what mat
tered it? She decided on a seventy
five cent black one.
Growing wise with experience. she
discovered that she could get a black
sateen shirtwaist for fifty cents Rnh-
bers and cotton umbrella took an
other dollar and half She must save
at least dollar to send back the suit
case by express.
A bargain-table of odds and ends of
woollen jackets, golf vests, and old
fashioned blouse sweaters, selling off
at a dollar apiece, solved the prob
lem of a wrap. She selected a dark
blouse, of an ugly, purply blue, but
thick and warm. Then with her pre-
cious packages she asked pleasant
faced saleswoman il there were any
place near where she could slip on a
walking skirt she had just bought to
save her other skirt from the muddy
streets She was ushered into q lltie
flttiBg-room near by.
Rapidly she slipped on her fine, SILK.
lined cloth garments, and put on the
stih sateen waist and the coarse
black skirt. Then she surveyed her.
self, and was not Ill pleased. There
was a striking lack of collar and belt
She sought out black necktie and
pinned it about her waist, and then
with protesting frown, she DELHI
erately tore a strip from the edge OF
one of the fine hem-stitched handker
chiefs, and folded it in about her mech
IN turnover collar. The result was
quite startling and unfamiliar. The
gown, the hair, the hat, and the neat
collar gave her the look Of a younf
nuTse-girl or upper servant. On tht
, whole, the disguise could not hav,
been better. She added the blue wool
len blouse. and felt certain that ever
her most intimate friends would no
: recognize her. She folded the rain
coat, and placed it smoothly in tn,
suitcase, then with dismay remem
bered that she had nothing in whicl
TO put her own Sloth dress. save tn
few inadequate paper wrappings tina
had come about her simple purchases
She folded the dress smoothly and lai
1t in the suitcase, under the raincoat.
She sat down at a writing-desk, 4
the waiting room, and wrote: 81 ar
safe, and I thank you" Then sh
paused an instant, and with nervou
! haste wrote Mary" underneath. Sh
i opened the suitcase and pinned the pl
: per to the lapel OF the evening Goa
r Just three dollars and sixty-seven cent
} she had left In her pocketbook afte
, paying the expressage on the suiteas,
/ At her first waking, in the early era
: hours OF the morning, she had locke
her predicament calmly In the fac
1 She had gone carefully over her ow
/, accomplishments. Her musical attail
t nents, which would naturally hay
1 been the first thought. were out OF th
question. Her skill as a musician we
3 so great, and so well known by hs
= enemy, that she would probably b
r traced by 1t at once. The same arg
I ments were true il she were to q
Q tempt to take position as teacher {
4 governess, although she was thorougI
q ly competent to do &C. A servant
Z place in some ones home was the on
e thing possible that presented itself I
v her mind. She could not cook, nor (
q general homework, but she though
she could MI the place of waitress.