The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-22
The Evening Story
Katharine's Discovery.
(By Louise Oliver.)

stolen at the Ierr1cOtt Q1nner-the one
they gave for Don Pedro SaVelli. The
! thief, it seems, got into the house some
way when everyone was in the dining
room and hid in the music room until
| the women came in. They were alone,
having left all the men at the table
with their cigars. So the bandit step
! ped from behind a curtain, flourished
two automaticS, and the ladies laid
! their jewels, even their wedding rings,
in a neat little pile on a table. The
| bandit masked, of course-put them
| into his pocket, stepped out of a
French window on to a balcony, and
! that was the last seen of him. When
| the men came in, the women, jewellesS
were in various stages of collapse. The
thief made clean getaway. No clue
| at all for the police"
Mrs. Kendall looked impressed. 'I'Ve
always said, Kitty, that it is an i'll
| wind that blows no one any good.
| Wasn't it a mercy that our machine
broke down on the way home from
were too late to go? OF course, your
father was dreadfully disappointed.
He's so anxious for you not to miss
opportunity to
Katharine interrupted her hastily
Yes, L know, mother, please don't say
1t. Don Pedro likes my looks and be-
! cause he's rich father has set his heart
upon me marrying him.
You must acknowledge that he is
good looking and a gentleman. Any
other girl in your place would be
crazy about him.
Hes all right, mother, in every way
but I don't want him for a husband;
that's all. Let father keep him for a
best friend and wise counselor if he
wishes. He doesn't need him for a
son-in-law, too
We'll, he has been a good friend to
your father, Kitty, getting him such
large holdings in the Mexican mines
that promise so well. Few men would
go out of their way to do such a thing
think it's because he's fond of you
and is trying to get your fathers ap-
prevail of his suit You're a lucky
girl. if you would only realize it,
Katharine got up rebelliously
fDon't let us talk any more about it.
mother. I'm going out for walk on
1.-THE beach" Down by the water, with
hair and the roar of the breakers in
her ears, Katharine forgot all about
the Spaniard and her mothers words
For the first time that day she was
alone, and now she dared to think of
a young man srecently arrived at the
hotel whose name she did not even
know But his table was next to hers
and more than once their chances had
n1et-his eyes full of ill-concealed adj
miration for her Since the first time
he had come into the dining-room her
heart had fluttered strangely.
The sky grew cloudy and the wind
blew cold and strong. Around a curve
of the beach a sudden blast almost
carried her off her feet. She would |
have turned to go back, but just ahead |
of her was man reading in spite of |
the threatened storm. The silhouette |
looked familiar. In fact, she was |
certain it was the very man of whom |
she was thinking She changed her |
mind about going back and kept on, |
but before she reached him, before he |
had seen her, at all, he dropped the /
book and started away in the opposite |
direction, disappearing between some |
rocks along the shore.
L-of I3o1 iaIya +Ioa II
was a geographical guide and as the |
wind whipped over the leaves she saw |
the name James Sinclair on a vacant |
page.
familiar; she had heard it recently |
Where could it have been? She had |
seen it in print-that was it, And then |
1t flashed over her memory that the |
lasz paragraph of the article she had |
read her mother about the Terricott !
robbery had closed with: THE police |
suspect James Sinclair, known as
Featherfoot Jim, of having something
in his methods and DISCUSSES that he
is known as the Arsene Lupin of
America"
Katharine was almost sick over her
discovery. She had, of course, no
reason to connect her interesting new
conner with the recent robbery further
than the suspicion of the police-but
the very fact that he was James Sin
clair put him out of her sphere for
ever. The chances We're that he was
going by another name. If so, he
could rest assured of her silence AS
for the book-she looked around eau
tiously, then stopped and dug hole in
the sand, d1 opped the book into it and
covered it up.
At dinner the young man was in his
usual place and Katharine had way
of knowing that he was handsomer
that evening than any man she had
ever Seen-an without bestOwing
single glance to his direction
Her father had asked Don Pedro to
dine with them and she devoted her
self to the Spaniard with more than
her usual animation But it was all
she could do to keep her eyes from
sending a silent message to the soil
tary figure near them. She wanted
to say: II know your real name and I
know you are thief-but no one here
shall know the truth from me, and
lf you are disguised-why, you cannot
disguise your eyes and they are Won
derfuII Oh. why can't you be honest?
I'm sure I could love a. man like
youi"
The Spaniard was saying in his slow,
hating English: Yes, Donna Katha-
rine. 1 am glad you were not at the
dinner last night. You would have {
lost those lovely pearls that look SO {
wonderful on your neck. And all
hose pretty rings!''
you're right it's a good thingi' !
greed her father. with most of my
money tied up in that new scheme I
Of yours. it might have been some
time before Kitty and her mother
could get new jewels {
Later. when the two men had gone '
- l. l.