Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-29
Evening Star S
Daily Story
THE PLOTTERS
BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.
1914. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.

was her twenty-first anniversary.
It's a mere trife for an old maid to
knock eight years off her life at
single blow. Miss Blake went about
among her guests with shippers and
giggles and "girl-girr shrugs ana
said:
: Mother contends that 1 am only
twenty years old, but I am letting 1t
90 at twenty-one, so as to have no
dispute about It,"
Did any of the guests believe her?
No. Not one. There were three
women there who had held her In
their arms when she was a baby:
There were dozen girls who could
remember that she was In long
dresses years ahead of them.
There were two guests who were
particularly interested in that ques-
ton of age. Stephen Nash had been
shining up to Miss Blake for year.
He was twenty-eight years old, and
though somewhat smitten, he wor-
ried considerably about her age. He
:, put It at twenty-eight or twenty-nine,
and he about decided to withdraw
from the race. He had read and
heard that after the age of twenty
five a woman's habits are formed
and she cannot be moved from them.
II Miss Blake was really as old as
himself, she would be an old woman
in ten years more.
Mr.. Nash heard some of the whis-
pered doubts and next day, when he
happened to meet Miss Louise Win
chester In the street, he said: do
you think Miss Blake is over twenty
one years old?"
why don't you ask me IL l don't
think she is over thirty?"
If a woman will never tell her age
II she can possibly help 1t, 80 other
women-even girls--take a malicious
satisfaction in adding to their years.
And, In addition to that sentiment in
this case, the girl owed the old maid
one. On a certain occasion the old
maid had spoken Of the girl as a
MINK When this title is applied to
girl is means that she is flirty and
shy, and that she will say yes with
her eyes and no with her tongue.
Miss Louise didn't deserve the title.
II she had careless laugh it was be-
cause she was care-free. If she an
swered young Burt Reddick that she
didn't know whether she loved him or
not, she was only fibbing a little, as
most girls do. He had seemed so very
sure of a different answer that she
wanted to take him down peg or
two.
"Can you find out her true age for
Sne?" asked Mr.. Nash.
at must be recorded in the family
Bible.
every likely"
And when I used to call there the
Bible was kept on stand in the par
lor'
but it isn't now. At her party
last night she claimed to be twenty
one."
"WelI?'
"How many chocolates can you eat
in a week?'
"A pound a day!"
you copy the record Of her birth
from the Bible and the chocolates
are yours"
''Ill do my best to earn them"
Miss Fanny Blake had brother
fifteen years old. He was head over
reels in love with the girl OF nine
teen. 1t was his first love. 1t was
4 calf-love, but calf-love SINNERS and
! seethes and bubbles. 1t is all the
world to the calf. He loses his ap-
petite; he grows thin; he signs when
he is awake, and he groans as he
sleeps.
Miss Louise took occasion to meet
the calf-lover at an early date and
to say: FRANKIE, Is it true that
your folks have no Bible in the
house?"
''Who has been telling such story
as that?" he demanded.
'But person who calls there has
looked all around without being able
TO see Bible.
"And why not? Because sister
Fanny gave me a nickel to carry it
up in the garnet and say nothing
about it!'
..oh, she aid, eh? frankie would
you like to go fishing with me tomor-
row."
"You beti''
ibid you ever read the story of
Lazarus in the Bible?'
81 never did"
''If I had Bible l would read the
story while you f1shed.''
THAT will be bully! can bring
ours along"
f"But If Fanny or your mother"
"But can sneak it out tonight and
hide 1t somewhere.
And that sacred book was sneaked
out and taken along on fishing
trip, and while frankie f1shed for
builheads and suckers Miss Louise
read him the story Of the beggar. She
also turned to the family record and
copied 1t.
Josiah Blake was born on such a
date.
Hannah Blake, his wife, was born
on such date.
Fanny Blake, eldest child, was born
on such date.
frankie Blake was born on such a
date.
AS soon as the record was copied
Miss Louise remembered an import
ant engagement that must take hei
home at once
"But I haven't even a nibble yet"
protested the boy.
att isn't good day FOR fishing"
''But read that over again about
Lazarus. I wasn't paying much at
tention."
"oh, he win keep to some other
time"
And of the girl went to place the
record In the hands of Mr.. Nash, and
receive her chocolates-seven pounds,
full weight.
And then Mr.. Nash did mean
thing. He gave the old maid the nit
ten. OF course, he tried to ease his
conscience on the ground that she
had prevaricated about her age, but
suppose she had?
Isn't an old maid as good as an old
bachelor any day In the week? And
couldn't she make the best pumpkin
ME of any old maid in the county,
and didn't she have a way of grating
nutmeg into her apple sauce tnaI
made Il taste simply heavenly?
In due time Miss Blake learned OF
the conspiracy, and no matter what
she vowed to do to get even with the
mink she kept 1t to herself and bided
her time. When a man wants to get
even he goes out and punches the
other mans head and has 1t over
NTH XVhap a woman seeks revenge