The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1913-04-12
light slowed around the bend below

Listen, l know the sound OF his en-
CINE"
"Oh, it can't be-" exclaimed Laura
coming out TOR breath-the figure
was over. He wouldn't come here to-
night because he had to work-a
squirt Tor the finish. he said"
But it is, dear l insisted If you
listen you can tell. Hear it,"
''Oh, | don't know the sound Of one
engine IRON another. Louie" She
laughed. "Wintlrops working, or |
shall tell him tomorrow what think
of him"
Sounds like his boat. Laura" Hap
said. Hate 10 hand Winthrop one,
but | think he's just taking a little
trip on the quiet"
His Grace and Natalie joined us,
and We listened again, but they frank
ly could not tell. | always thought
that it shocked His Grace to think
we could
Sure thing" insisted Hap, He's
| going some, too
Laura went back into the house
with her head in the air and flirted
outrageously with Benny Bliss all eve
ming. | would have given anything
not to have mentioned the silly boat
The next morning the first thing
that fairly jumped at us from the
| morning papers was this:
NORTH SHORE HOUSES ROBBED
Fashionable Folk in Panic-Money
and Jewels Taken-Police Think
Thieves Worked From Motor
Boat.
1t meant nothing to US, particularly.
except that the places robbed were
near us. Some of the victims we
knew-the Dykemans and Mrs. Loring
some We didn't. The story caused
a mild stir at Lone Oak for a moment;
then was swallowed up by more i'm
portant things. On the spur of the
moment everybody, except Natalie, de-
cided to send in their jewels the next
day to safety deposit in town. but
by afternoon the scare was over and
everybody had decided differently.
What's the use Of having them to
be locked up?" Mrs. Higginson de-
manded cheerfully. 1--WE are always
at the mercy of our maids. I've had
my jewels twenty years. and they
haven't been stolen yet. l think l
can still take care of them"
After all, the cotillions would lose
their zip If We couldn't shine little"
Lydia Abercrombie declared. only
Laura and Louie Goldman look we'll
without jewels. l don't believe it
amounts to anything, anyhow. I've
heard that Mrs. Henry Dykeman has
a press agent. Have you?"
tried to put 1t from my mind, but
it would come back. was so very
sure of the sound of that motor boat;
would have been sure even If Hap
hadn't agreed with me. And some
thing else: l had heard it again in
the early morning, returning. l had
jumped up and looked out. could
see the rays of the headlight turned
in the other direction. l even looked
at my clock to see the time-three
o'clock. For no particular reason, too,
recalled something Winthrop had
said: 81 can outrun anything on this
shore"
1 was angry at myself for connect
ing that in any way with the silly
robbery, or even allowing my thoughts
to slip back to that lost bracelet of
Natalie's on the night of the reception
in town, and what Laura had told me
of those other losses.
Winthrop appeared Sunday after
noon. looking somewhat tagged, with
pieces of crumpled copy paper stick
ing from the pockets of khaki suit
Laura abruptly left Benny Bliss. who
was really too giddy from her prefer
ence the night before. and frankly
went to meet him She turned him over
to me while she sent for Hap and
John Crowninshield to join him in
Scotch and soda. Poor fellow, he
looked as If he needed a bracer.
How is your heroine?" she asked.
choosing to forget that he had disap-
pointed her the night before. "Just
as naughty as ever?"
Worse" he replied. smiling and
rubbing the back of his head "She
simply won't behave as she should. |
had terrible time with her last night
haven't been to bed; sat up all
night with her"
"Winthrop! Really! You'll ruin
your health. No book is worth it,"
"Oh, yes it is. And this is a best
seller. You see. all the ingredients
are there-villains, trusting heroine,
hero with the awful curse of drink in
his system; but sometimes it won't
go right"
laughed and Laura gave him a