The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-12-11

sci, she would run no least risk of de-
truction by the satyr.
General Hastings met Aggie in the
most casual way. He was captivatcd
by her freshness and beauty, her de-
mureness. her ignorance of all things
vicious. Straightway he set snares
He shOwered every gallant attention
on the naive, bread and butter miss
and succeeded gratifyingly soon in
winning her heart-to all appearance
But he gained nothing more, for the
coy creature abruptly developed most
effective powers Of resistance to every
Establishment that went beyond strict
est propriety. His ardor cooled sud
denly when Harris served u summons
in suit for $4,000 damages for
breach Of promise.
Even while this affair was sill in
the course Of execution Mary found her
self engaged in 4 direction that offered
at least the hope Of attaining her great
disadvantages against Edward Gil
der This opportunity came in the
~
contriving. she got an Introduction to
that young man. Forthwith she show
ed herself so delicjously wolnanly, so
intelligent, so daintly feminine, 50
sngularly beautiful that the young
man was enHmOrcd almost at once.
The fact thrilled Mary to the depths
of her heart. for in this son Of the man
ment of vengeance for which she had
so longcd. Yet this one thing was 50
vital to her that she said nothing of
her purposes, not even to Aggle,
though that obselvan mt person may
have possessed suspicious more or less
near the truth.
1t was some such suspicion that lay
behind her speech as, in negligee, she
sat smoking a cigarette. while watch
ing Mary, who was adjusting her hat
before the mirror of her dressing table
one pleasant spring morning.
"Dolin' up a whole lot, amt YOU"
Aggie remarked atfably, with that lax
ity of language which characterized
her natural moods
II have very important engage
ment with Dick Glider" Mary replied
TRANQUILITY.
mice boy, amt he?' Aggie ventur-
ed insinuatingly.
"Oh. | suppose so,' came the indif-
ferent answer from Mary as she tilted
the picture hat to an angle a triile
more jaunty.
Il don't get you, Mary. You never
used to look at the men. The way you
acted when you first run round with
me. l thought you sure was suf-
fragette. And then you met this
Young Gilder-and-good night, nurse
"Well:'
His Old man sends you up for a
stretch for something you didn't do.
and you take mp with his son like
And yet you don't understand"
There was scorn for such gross stupid
ity in the musical voice.
Aggie choked a little from the cigar
cite smoke as she gave gasp when
suspicion Of the truth suddenly dawn
ed on her slow intelligence.
"Hully gee." Her voice came in a
treble shrek Of apprehension. ''Tm
wiser
But you must understand this"
Mary went on. with an authoritative
note in her voice ''Whatever may be
between young Glider and me is to be
strictly my own affair 1t has abso-
lutely nothing to do with the rest Of
you or with our schemes for money
making And. what is more. Agnes, l
want to know what you meant By
talking in the public street yesterday
with a common pickpocket."
Aggie's childlike face changed swift
ly it's expression from sly eagerness
to sullenness.
You know perfectly Vel, Mary Tur.
ner'' she cried indignantly, that !
only said few words in passin' TO
my brother Jim. And he amt no COM
mon pickpocket Hully gee! He's the
best dip in the business.
But you must not be seen speaking
with him." Mary directed. with GER
ia in air of command now become ha-
bitua to her among the members OF
her clique My cousin. Miss Agnes
Lynch. must be very careful as to her
associates"
He just stopped me to say it's been
the best year he ever had she ex-
planned. With ostentatious vanity.
How can that be when the dead
line now is John street!
The dead linev' Aggie scoffed.
why, Jim takes lunch every day in
the Wall street DeImonico's. And only
yesterday he went down to police
headquarters just for little excite
ment, cause Jim does sure hate dull
life. Say, he told me they've got
mat at the door with Welcome on it
in letters three feet high. Now. what
do you think of that! And. oh. yes!''
she continued happily, Jim. he lifted
q leather from a bull who was stand-
ing in the hallway there at headquar-
tiers! Jim sure does love excitement"