Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-02-11


nerves. Lord, If they should find out!
See here, what were they talking
about while they were in here wait
ing? D'you known"
She looked up ingenuously, and re-
piled, "Oh, I was in the stockroom,
printing proofs. They were all alone
here in the Office"
well, l wish to goodness you had
listened. I'd hate to lose four mil
lions of dollars on account of them.
See here, Flo, l can't stand this. ]
feel as If I we're smoking a pipe on
top of a barrel of gunpowder. There
may be an explosion any minute. You
can't tell what may touch it off-why,
a single word, perhaps. I'm not going
to leave until they're out of here. ]
don't care how long they stay! ]
don't dare to, till l see what happens.
I'll go into my DON now, and you call
me when they're gone, will your" He
waited on the threshold of the studio
Flodie nodded assent. "All right"
and" he continued, "if anything
breaks, you give me the tip and I'll get
out the back way!" He left, grinning
~sardonically.
AS soon as he had gone Flod1e rose
and tiptoed to the half-open door,. She
watched and listened, now, with far
more interest than she had displayed
before Hall. Inside, the voices ose
and fell in animated conversation:
Mrs. Royalton's always sentimental
and reproachful, Carolyn's high and
merry, Rosamund's a surly contraltc
note. Flodie's face changed from
hope to fear, from hatred to mirth.
She was so absorbed in the scene that
she did not notice when the hall door
opened, and Mr.. Smallish entered
bearing a newspaper.
He stared at her, then coughed
Flodie whirled round and faced him
"Oh!" she stammered. How you
frightened me, Alfred!"
81, beg your pardon, Miss Fisher
But say, did you know what they got
in the paper about Mr.. Bonistelle?'
He displayed an afternoon edition.
Impatiently, F1odie snatched the
sheet from his hands. "Oh, dear!
What was it about?"
At this minute the three ladies en-.
tered the room, all talking at once
At sight of Flodie and Alfred they
grew silent.
"Why it said how Mr.. Bonistelle
had Inherited"
"Oh, never mind" Flodie exclaimed
excitedly. That's a lie, anyway" She
tried to carry the paper to her desk
glancing terrified at the ladies.
what is it?" Carolyn demanded
SIS there something about Mr.. Boni
STEELE in the paper?"
Alfred bowed. Yes, miss, he's CONF
into a lot of money, it seems"
Alfred" cried Flodie, you &c
downstairs and see if those ice-crean
~freezers have come yet"
"Yes'm!" Then he turned again to
Carolyn. at was on condition he"
Flodie in her excitement had
dropped the paper. Quick as a hawk
Carolyn picked it up. She scanned il
swiftly. Here it isl" she cried in
triumph: Eccentric M~illionaire's
Queer Bequest-Nephew Will Get -Four
Millions If Married in Haste-A Good
Chance for Some Nice Girl Well, isn't
that disgusting!"
go on!" cried Rosamund and Mrs
Royalton angrily.~
Hall Bonistelle, the well-knowr
photographer at No. 565 Fifth ave
nue."
Goodness! 1t is Hall, isn't it?'
Mrs. Royaltonl exclaimed.
.'Oh, for heavens sake, shut up!'
from Rosamund.
1855 Fifth avenue, will have to do
his wooing in a hurry if he wishes to
capture the legacy left him by a rich
and eccentric uncle, the late John
Beasley Bonistelle of Central Park
West. AS the residuary legatee, the
four million dollars, on condition of
his being married on or before his
twenty-eighth birthday. AS this oc-
ours tomorrow, Mr.. Bonistelle has a
scant forty-eight hours in which to
make good, and unless he has already
picked his BRIDE"
Let me see i'll" Rosamund whipped
the paper out of Carolyn's hand, and
devoured the notice with her own
eyes.
What did it say, by his twenty
eighth birthday" Mrs. Royalton
asked in great anxiety.
"'On or before said Carolyn, frown-
ing. She looked over Rosamund's
shoulder.
F1odie looked up with a quick fling
of her head. Her eyes snapped.
-Four millions!" Rosamund put
down the paper.
For a moment the three women
looked at one another in silence. A
wave of bitterest enmity seemed to
sweep around the circle. Each face