Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-05
MARY Roberts Rinehart' !
Thrilling Mystery of
rThe Curve of the Catenary"'

We're built that way. So 1t didn't
help matters any for the mater to
turn to father and say:
"I don't know where he gets it
FROM"
"Gets what from?" This was faith
er, and trifle sharp.
His liking for low company"
"Mater!"
you see nice girls, your own sort,
all the time, Oliver. And. d.yet, on the
slightest pretext you are off with some
designing young mink who"
"She's a nice girl, mater, and you
have no right to attack her"
Have you asked her to marry
you?"
Can you beat that?
Good heavens, no. 1 hardly know
her."
"I don't believe she tainted. It's
easy enough to pretend to faint
Why couldn't Howard Martin take
her homer"
saw poor Sis color. I give you
my word, I'd never thought of her
and Martin before. I knew how much
chance Martin had with the mater
about as much as n ripe apple in
school yard at recess.
We had a family row then and
there. The mater got it out Of me
that Miss Hazeltine had not tainted
at the office. I'm not clever at dodg-
| ing, and before knew 1t she had the
damning fact. Things went from bad
to worse. The governor put in a few
choice words, and because we were all
tangled and upset there was the deuce
to pay.
At the end of ten minutes heard
myself saying:
you my word. I had no idea of saying
it. If 1t was bombshell to the rest
you can guess what it was to me!
Miss Hazeltine is a lady, as far as
that goes. / don't think she'll have
me. She's seen too much of the Gray
temper" this was a shot for father,
and a bulls -eye-"but IL she'll over
look the family weakness, I'm going
to marry her" And I slammed out
I'd been a fool and 1 knew it. She'd
never get back to the office. I knew
the mater. The more I thought of
things the worse they looked. 1t
came over me the way things hit
fellow sometimes, that the reason 1
hadn't kicked over the traces long
ago and got out of the office was be-
cause she was there.
There was another thing. I've never
had to worry about money. Mothers
father left me some, and 1 had an
allowance. But I didn't suppose for
a minute that Miss Hazeltine took
fathers dictation and his peeyish
spells because she liked it. She work.
ed for salary and now that was
gone.
Lots of chance I had to carry out
my threat II you can call it that. to
marry her. She'd hate the ground
L walked on, and no wonder.
Her going away would peeve Mar
tin, too. He liked her All at once
it struck me that he liked her pretty
We'll He'd asked me what she was
crying about, d'you remember? And
when I thought about It, I recalled
seeing them together now and then
at odd times. talking very earnestly.
Perhaps they were engaged. Hang
1t all, anyhow.
took a chance and sent her some
flowers. Then I went to NV bank
ana oVerdreW my account to get some
money for the office cleaners famiIv
They let me overdraw now and then
ana charge it to the governor. He's
the president of the bank. It's queer.
looking back, to think how that of,
flee cleaner haunted me, as if nv sub-
conscious self. or whatever you like
to call 1t, had somehow happened on
the truth and was irresistibly showing
me along.
It's not so darned queer either. I'm
gong to be frank in this or stop
writing it. ! was afraid somebody
Miss Hazeltine was interested in was
directly or indirectly responsible for
the thing, and it pleased me to think
was doing my bit to help. Form of
vanity maybe. -
l put the money in an envelope and
graph office.
BE careful of it, son." said. ITS
money"
He eyed the address.
More sympathy" he said in a dis
gusted tone. "Betcher she did it her