Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-03-27

Lizzie, eaten Up wssh curiosity. WHICH
was her mortal weakness
Agatha paused, struck with the
form of the maids question; but,
knowing her liking for items Of news.
she answered cautiously:
"Not relatives exactly. The Thay-
ers were old friends OF my mother"
Lizzie shook out skirt and hung it
in the wardrobe in the far corner of
the room. She was bursting to know
everything about Miss Redmond's sud
den journey, but knew better than to
appear anxious.
THE message at the hotel was so
indefinite that ! didn't know at all
what | should do After the excite
ment quoted down little, I went out
to visit my cousin Hattie, in the
Bronx"
What sort of excitement"
ooh. newspaper men, and the man
ager, and Herr Weimar, of the orches-
ira, and a lot of other people who
came. wanting to see you immediate
ly. They seemed to think l was MD
ing you somewhere"
Agatha smiled. She could imagine
Lizzie In her new-hedged importance,
talking to all those people.
You spoke of message" ven
tured Agatha
YES; the one yau sent the day you
left, Miss Rednacas. The hotel clerk
said you had suddesay LEFT town on
visit tn sick relative
ooh. yes"
| Lizzie's quick scent was alf1ssy on
| the trail of mystery, but Agatha was
in no mood just then to give her eny
| version of the events of that Monday
| afternoon.
WAS there any other message, Miss
Redmond? Some word for me, which
the clerk forgot to deliver?"
mo, nothing else"
! "Mr. Straker came Tuesday moris-
ing with some contracts for you to
sign. He said that you had an APP
| pointment with him, and he was near
ly crazy when he found you had gone
away without leaving your address,
Agatha smiled more and more bread
| ly. to Lizzie's disgust, but she could
not help it. Il don't doubt he was dis
turbed. Did he come again."
| Come again, Miss Redmond! LIZ
zie hung a blue silk coat over its
hanger. held 1t carefully up to the
light. and turned toward her mistress
with the mien of person who isn't to
be bamboozled "He came twice every
| day to see If / had any word from
you: and when l went to Cousin Hat
ties he called me UP on the phone
! every morning and evening. Most un.
reasonable, Mr.. Straker was. He said
there wasn't a singer In town he could
get to fill your engagements, and ne
| was losing a hundred dollars day
| He's very much put out, Miss Red
mond."
well, was. too" said Agatha. but
| somehow her tone failed to satisfy the
maid. TO Agatha the thought OF the
dictatorial manager fluttering about
New York In quest of vanished
| singer-well, the picture had its hn'
nlorous side. It had Its serious side,
| too, for Agatha. of course, but for the
moment she put off thinking about
that. Lizzie, however. had borne the
brunt of Mr.. Straker's vexation, and
in that lumber-box she called her
| mind, she regarded the matter solely
as her personal cue to come more
prominently upon the stage.
Then your accompanist came every
| morning, as you had directed. Miss
Redmond; and Madame Fiorio sent
word dozen times about those new
gowns" Lizzie, with the memory OF
her sudden Importance, almost took
I'D the role of baffled innocence. y
declare, Miss Redmond,I didn't know
what to do or say to those people
| The whole thing seemed SO irregular
with you not leaving any word of ex
PLANTATION with me-"
ITO BE CONTINUED.)