The Dermott news. (Dermott, Ark.) 1910-1977, 1916-12-21

| mankind is the first onward step along
| the road to redemption"
You must not imagine that no prog
ress is made in the work of regenera-
ton merely because you have met
| with failures on the way she urged,
laying an impulsiye hand on his arm.
Look at Bill Reilly's case! And
! Blanche Gritiin's, The man was n dar-
ing burglar. yet he resisted temptation
when his former associates could have
extracted fortune from you. And
picture what ii means to the girl to
abandon forever the glare and glitter
of the night clubs.
Come with me. Mr.. Burton. l will
submit two of my waits to severe
test. 1t may be cruel, but If they sur
vive it they will benefit. while your
cynicism will sustain n heavy shock"
John protested that he was by no
means cynical. but Grace laughingly
| held To her purpose. She unlocked n
drawer in the desk ut which she was
sitting, and took out II roll of currency
notes. She counted the money, which
| tAil'bhlNh ~ ibil' a. iti - f'uii'' ~ 49,
| halving it, she placed one-half on the
desk and pocketed the remainder.
Crookng finger at John, she led
him into the outer hall. where Bill
Reilly and Blanche happened to be
seated at the moment.
"Mr. Burton and | are going out"
she said to her proteges. I'VE shall be
away couple of hours, or longer. II
you two have nothing better To do, you
might take care of the office until
return"
Where are we going?" inquired
, John. when Grace and he were out of
earshot.
For spin in your car she an
severed gaily.
But Is ii wise to leave SO much
| money on your table? There must
have been nearly two thousand dollars
in the pile. Is ii even fair TO tempt
those people in that way?"
IF | am wrong" came the earnest
answer. Il shall suffer the loss with
resignation, and you will be strongly
| intrenched in the position of the SUI
| perior male who can say 4 told you
So. Meanwhile, let us forget these
problems for mt least forty miles"
John fell in with her mood How
might any young man do otherwise?
They enjoyed the run amazingly, and
by some miracle contrived To talk light
~ OF that great world which both had
seen through such very different spec
tacleS. They We're absent good deal
longer than the two hours stipulated
for. but, when they came back, found
Bill Reilly and Blanche Griffin seated
In the office. Each was apparently alb
sorbed in book. and the pile of bills
lay untouched on the table.
Grace chatted with her humble
friends for some time before she af-
fected To discover the money with as
constituent.
How careless of me to leave those
notes on the table, she cried. why,
If you two hadn't been here. someone
might have crept in and walked OF
with the lot !"
Ii was peculiar. almost an unfor-
tunate coincidence that the girls art
less maneuver should have succeeded
in the very hour when the forces of
mischief were gathering within n short
half-mile of the settlement building.
Mother. Flanagan and her chief
henchman We're even then perfecting n
plot which would place Burton in
greater peril than he had ever before
encountered during his adventurous
life, while George Coe was uncon-
sctously assisting in its development.
The young man had gone straight
from his fathers office To the fiat in
which he had installed Virginia Griffin,
Blanche's sister This girl was pri-
marily responsible for his financial en-
barrassment. She was somewhat pref
tier and younger than Blanche, and
her demands for money, jewelry. cloth
ing and all the varied fripperies of a
fashionable existence were quite merci-
less in their frequency and extent.
AT the instant his familiar ring was
heard on the electric bell she was de-
poor boob who has gone 10 try and
skin few more notes or his fathers
wad"
huh she cried when the two were
startled by the sound of the bell. Here
he comes now, He mustn't find you
on the mat, Jakei''
Don't care If he does" growled the
ganGster. III that sister of his keeps |
on reformin' the crowd, therell be none
of us left soon. First Bib has gone |
then Blanche. You'll be the next, sup
poser"
Sometimes you get me that mad. |
Jake, | want to shake you" muttered |
the girl, seizing him and thrusting him |
forcibly into n closet. which she locked. |
She ran To the door and opened IL.
George Coe, however. was not quite |
such "A fool as Blanche deemed him. |
He noticed instantly that there We're |
two liquor glasses on the table.