Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-12-25

General Hastings met Aggie in the
most casual way. He was captivated
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 a summons
in a suit for $4,000 damages for
breach Of promise.
Even while this affair was still in
the course of execution Mary found her.
self engaged in a direction that offered
at least the hope of attaining her great
desire-revenge against Edward Gill
der. This opportunity came in the
person of his son. Dick. After much
contriving, she got an introduction to
that young man. Forthwith she show
ed herself so deliciously womanly, so
intelligent. so daintily feminine. so
singularly beautiful that the young
man was enamored almost at once.
The fact thrilled Mary to the depths
of her heart. for in this son Of the mar
whom she hated she saw the instru-
ment Of vengeance for which she had
SO longed. Yet this one thing was so
vital to her that she said nothing Of
her purposes. not even to Aggie,
though that observant person may
have possessed suspicious more, or less
nea 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.
"Dollin' up a whole lot. amt your"
Aggie remarked affably, with that lax
ity of language which characterized
her natural moods.
II have a very important engage
ment with Dick Glider" Mary replied
TRANQUILITY.
"Nice boy, amt he?" Aggie ventur-
ed insinuatingly.
ooh. suppose So" came the indif-
ferent answer from Mary as she tilted
the picture hat to an angle a trife
more %jaunty.
II don't get you. Mary. You never
used to look at the men. The way you
acted when you first run round with
me, | thought you sure was a 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 up with his son like
"And yet you don't understands
There was scorn for such gross stupid
ity in the musical voice.
Aggie choked a little from the cigar
cite smoke as she gave a gasp when
suspicion of the truth suddenly dawn
ed on her slow intelligence.
"Hully gee!" Her voice came in a
treble shrek of apprehension. "T'm
wise!"
But you must understand this
Mary went IN. 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, /
want to know what you meant by
talking in the public street yesterday
with a common p~ickpocket."
Aggie's childlike face changed swift
ly it's expression from a sly eagerness
to sullennass.
"You know perfectly we'll, Mary Tur-
ner," she cried Indignantly. that I
only said a 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 a GER
tain air Of command O become ha-
bitual 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 eve had" she ex-
planned, with ostentatious vanity,
'How can that be when the dead
line now Is John street,"
'The dead line" Aggie scoffed.
"Whv Tim takes lunch every dav IN
the Wall street DelmonicO's, And only
Yesterday he went down ~ notice