The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-11-26
FIRST INsTALLMENT
cHAPTER,I.
Thu crNntIa Colin.


Evening Star, pulled out Of her type
writer Die last sheet Of paper and piled
\ q the little heap Of finished copy
which lay 1t her right Then she
slosOd her desk. stepped to the ward.
VObo and took her coat and hat
Taking her little collection Of copy
Iapsr from the desk. with the priVi-
1oGe Of long tenure In once she walked
70 the desk Of the city editor. who. al
though himself . married man. had all
this time without success tried to
hook at the work before him and not
ct the trim figure OF Kitty Gray max
Tag ready for her luncheon journey.
When will you deign to return?"
Aaked he with q certain lapse In jour
nalistic dignity.
When / have q better story than
this guff-in the Iernacular."
Kitty's faVorite lunohing place was
In one Of the great department stores.
where women were made welcome and
comfortable, and she bent thither her
steps; but midway in her journey she
paused, as often she did, to gaze into
the window Of the little antique shop
which occupied space in one OF the
unimportant side streets.
Kitty Gray's eyes were arrested by
something that she saw-an object
which she did not recall ever before
TO have noted In the window. 1t lay
close to the glass, just tilted back so
that 1t might be the better seen. 1t
apparently was an ola coin or part
Of one, curiously done in some dark
metal, probably silver badly oxidized.
Az Kitty bent down to examine it
more closely she saw that the coin
bore an inscription, or what appeared
TO be such-An Inscription broken
across by the fracture which had d.
Vided the coin itself.
Her curiosity excited, Kitty Gray
stepped into the little shop, whose
proprietor she knew very we'll.
Good morning, Mr.. Mainz," she said
with the customary newspaper in
version of the order of the day, "how's
business? Any new fans. idols,
coins"
Coins? Vot? Sure, i got something
new dot is olt. l choost t'ink of him.
He ISIS only part of himselluf. Should
! show him to your"
She took up the coin now from the
case, and some strange sort of thrill
came over her as she did so, she
could not tell why. What was its mes.
sage, hating, broken, incomplete?
Did 1t hold story? What was the
story?
IT'S odd, isn't IT." said she, and
laid 1t down again carelessly-with a
sarelessness well feigned, for Kitty
Gray had bought antiques before now,
and knew we'll enough when to sup
press interest.
"Odt? I should say it vas odt," re-
Joined the old dealer. Kitty had picked
up an inlaid mother of pearl fan and
was studiously examining that now.
How much?" asked she, holding up
the fan.
For the broken coin?"
mo. the fan"
Il want twelf tollar for him."
For the coin?"
mo. for the fan. For the coin-vat
you gif'ms7"
why, what earthly use would |
have fora broken piece OF metal like
that, Mr.. Mainz?"
"Glf me for the fan eleven dollar,
und make you a present of the
broken coin anyway"
Kitty Gray's heart gave sudden lit.
tie Jump. She would have given twice
eleven dollars for the coin itself, but
she made a good pretense.
Eleven dollars is a good deal OF
money" said she. 81 would have to
60 without lunch for quite a while"
you are a goot sport. Miss Cray"
said the old dealer. 81 dank you very
mooch. should wrap them up?"
THE fan-yes. Let me see the coin
again" She pushed across the counter
almost the last of the tightly folded
bills in her purse.
Read the inscription for me, and |
knock off two tollars from the FAM"
said Mainz. "Vot is 1t? 1t is not Cher.
man, 1t is not Franzoesisch. it is not
English. l am all those. But | could
not read him"
Kitty held before her the curious
object, = slight frown pickering her
brows
We'll, you see," said she. ut is
broken right across on the right hand
side-almost third Of the writing is
gone. 1t says something about look.
Ing for something under the aoor. an
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