The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-09-04

chanically upon the arm that was Of
fered me and followed the old officer
and my friend. Luckily at that mo-
| ment the crowd was cheering the
huge, black. portly coachman OF the
Maharajah of Travancore, under the
| impression that he was that potentater
| himself and SO attention was distract
ed from the little drama in which we
played our roles.
Your presence makes this event
| seem like my own coronation, my
bright-haired sun-goddess," whispered
my escort. as we passed between two
lanes Of policemen.
was SO angry / could have struck
him. My hair is my most sensitive
feature. / have been called Carrots"
In my childhood, and made miserable
for days thereby, and Mary Jenner IN
| sists that 1t is emphatically not what
the poets call auburn" That horrid
| little Mr.. Spratt, too. who was so smit
ten with me. had reused my ire one
evening by an untactful allusion which,
| was meant to be complimentary. But
had never before been Knocked by a.
| stranger, by q man whose name l did
not even know. whom had met once.
| only, and then as Competitor No. 6"
In an aviation contest. Did he sup
pose American girls to be so shallow
and foolish as to accept these half
baked compliments for genuine? I
loathed and hated him then more than
I had ever hated anybody before.
However. being Frenchman, he
had the perspicacity to read my emo
tions in my face.
Forgive me II / offended. Made
| moiselle," he said, humbly. "If you
delay we shall not be able to gain
admittance. See, that policeman sus-
poets us. Let us go in"
let him draw my arm through his
| own. A fatal indecision possessed
me. I>own / did want to see the cor
| onation, and l wanted Estelle to do
SO, too, If only to save her reputation,
in her native city Of Cedar Plank.
| Then, too / was faint from the long
standing in the sun, and hardly in full
possession of my faculties. AS I
moved onward toward the Abbey
doors. pace behind the elder man and
| Estelle. suddenly the cry "Pickpock-
cts" was raised again. clutched my
purse tighter. And then, while T
moved on, half conscious, eager only
| for the cool seclusion of the interior
Of the building, as in a dream | saw
the evil face of the Greek Zeuxis.
| swim before my eyes. The man
brushed against my companion. I
thought l saw his hand go to his:
breast pocket, as though to search 1t.
1t was the act Of moment; / could
not be sure that he had really robbed
him, and then the recollection of Il
was driven from my mind by the most
humiliating catastrophe.
Zeuxis swept past me; there was a
! little rush of spectators; somebody
struck my hand, and my purse flew
from It and disappeared right in the
hollow top of one of the old gentle
mans buff boots. And he walked on
serenely unconscious of the disaster.
carrying my $500 and the key to the
vault which held my Panama bonds!
Suddenly the murmur of a thousand
subdued voices broke upon my ears.
and q grateful GOODNESS relieved my
tired eyes. We were within the ABB
hey. marching up one of the aisles as
though by right equivalent with that
of the five hundred peers and peer
esses In brilliant robes, who sat dan
ding their coronets upon their knees
and looking uncommonly common
place and unimportant In that va>t
Gothic building.
ITO pr C0N-rrNr-ErDN