The Washington herald., 1914-02-22
THE WASHINGTON HERALD SUNDAY FEBRUARY p 1914

! carefully. The idea that he was going to
E get young girl into his hands at the mo-
r ment she was coming out Of the jail to
which she had been sent for what proba-
I bly, was her first offepse-this was an idea
which found it vsr.- nard to digest The
result was that at an early hour the next
!, morning set forth on q quixotic Grand
Before o'clock I was outside the gates
Of Holloway jail
II The prison clock had struck some min
utes when the great gate which fronted
J US swung back-and procession came
; out Such a procession!
!, kept my eye or the gate. No one at
: all resembling the person sought had so
far appeared. Then, at the tail Of the
, procession. she came; I knew her In
; moment. Just then there appeared-1
, could hardly have said from where-the
man in the fawn-colored overcoat. He
was dressed precisely as he had been the
; previous afternoon. He lifted his hat to
: the girl. took her hand. and kissed her be-
: fore US all. and all at once she was In his
arms, crying as IL her heart was break
ing.
It was a delicate situation-by me who'll
ly unexpected. I could hardly interfere
In such q tender meeting. On what
grounds? Because OF something had not
, heard. but seen the man say the previous
afternoon? How she cried! How tenderiy
he soothed her! He led her to taxicab
> which was standing by the curb at little
distance. As they entered and the cab
drove OF recognized what q wild-goose
GRAND had come upon.
; The procession ceased; the gates re-
closed; prisoners and their friends went
their several ways I moved OF, with the
y feeling strong upon me that I might Just
as well have stayed away. 1 went so
slowly that the others, who went with
lance, were out Of sight Just as the last
Of them had vanished round the corner
there came a woman running-a matronly
woman, in a state OF what, to me. seemed
frenzied agitation. When she got to me
she stopped, her breath failing her.
Have they-haye they come out?" she
gasped-
Some minutes ago. They've all OF
them gone their different ways"
''Then-my daughter-has she come
out?"
In her voice there was note Of anguish
and of terror. Her agitation increased.
An idea occurred to me.
"was your daughter a slight, dark
haired young woman, with big brown
eyes?''
That's my Mary, miss. Did you see
her. miss? II she's out where il she? She
knew I was coming. She might have
guessed my train was late. Where has
! she gone?''
'If she's the young woman I suppose,
she was met by a siightly-built man with
very light blue eyes, who took her away
in Q taxicab."
The woman shrieked-positively shrieked
I-out there in the open street I have SOL
dom been more startled
you don't mean to say she's gone with
him7 She can't-she can't! Not when she
knew her mother was coming to meet her
and take her home! I'm her mother. and
tell you she's my GIRL
Before we parted had heard her story,
and the story OF her daughters downfall.
A painful one It was, though am afraid
it is one which is only too common. The
poor old lady was nearly brokenhesrted. I
saw her to the railway station. into the
train which was to take her home-alone.
/ promised that would make all the in
quiries that could be made. and. though
I was occupied with very many matters, I
did my best.
But more than three months passed. and
1 learned nothing of the whereabouts of
her erring daughter until that afternoon
when was at Arnold's and that parlor
maid came into the room with the tea on
| tray
She was the young woman had seen
that morning emerge from the gates OF
| the prison whom her mother had been too |
late to meet 1t was not surprising that |
I nearly dropped the pastel was holding. |
Mrs. Arnold's drawing room is q charm |
| ing room; in the best sense OF the word, a |
feminine room-delicate, refined, delight |
| full. Amy Arnold had had her portrait |
done by a fashionable pastelist. 1t had
just come home: 1 had been looking at It |
when tea appeared. That parlor maid /
struck such a Earring note; as it were,
projected me into another world Those
doubtful characters on the Greenwich
tram, the pair OF rascals at Waterloo, the
scene at the Holloway Prison gate, that
dreadful procession with the girl at the
tail, the despairing mother who had lost
her child-all these things came back to
me in a series of discordant notes as the
parlor maid put down the tea tray
1t was undoubtedly the girl; her uni
form made a difference. but there was
no mistaking her.
When she had left the room I hardly
knew what to say. They continued to
speak Of the pastel; my thoughts were
with the maid. As 1 thanked Amy Tor
the cup Of tea she gave me asked II the
servant who had brought it in was a fresh
one.
II suppose she has been with us about
six weeks"
Nearly two months" chimed in her
mother, land very nice girl she is, and
a good servant She is quite refined for
servant, yet not a bit above her place d,