Mexico Missouri message., 1917-11-15

yes Sic bulu, I've got u ulu0e. l.
1 hid 1t. I've got dime all right"
"It's nearly tlme," said Fairy rest
lessly. Number nine has been on time
for two mornings now-so she'll prob
ably be here in time for dinner. It's
only ten o'clock now"
"Where'd you get that dime, Con-
nie2"
"Oh, I've had 1t some time," Connie
admitted reluctantly.
"But where have you had it?" in
quired Lark. 81 thought you acted
suspicious some way, so went around
and looked for myself"
"Where did you look?"
The twins laughed gleefully. "Oh,
on top Of the windows and DOORS" said
Carol.
"How did you know" began Con-
! ME.
"You aren't slick enough for us,
| Connie. We knew you had some funny
| place to hide your money, so 1 gave
you that penny and then I went up
stairs very noisily so you could hear
me, and Lark sneaked around and
watched, and saw where you put it.
We've been able to keep pretty good
track of your finances lately"
Carol rose and looked at herself in
the glass. 'Tm going upstairs" she
said.
"What for?" inquired Lark, rising
also.
II need a little more powder. My
nose is shiny"
So the twins went upstairs, and
Fairy, after calling out to them to be
very careful and not get disheveled,
went out into the yard and wandered
dolefully about by herself.
Connie meantime decided to get her
well-hidden dime and figure out what
ten cents could buy for her fastidious
and wealthy aunt. Connie was in
many ways unique. Her system of
money-hiding was born of nothing less
than genius, prompted by necessity,
for the twins were clever as we'll as
grasping.
The cookstove sat In the darkest
and most remote corner of the kitchen,
and where the chimney fitted into the
wan ~ wa pAOlCNlCu ny q LlllS
plate. This zinc plate prOtruded bare
ly an inch, but that inch was quite
sufficient for coins the size of Comics,
and there, high and secure in the
shadowy corner, lay Comics dime.
She went into the kitchen cautiously,
careful of her white canvas shoes, and
put a chair beside the stove. She
had discovered that the dishpan turned
upside down on the chair, gave her
sufficient height to reach her novel
banking place.
But alas for Comics calculations
Carol was born for higher things than
dishwashlng, and she had splashed
soapsuds on the table. The pan had
been set among them--and then, neatly
wiped on the inside, 1t had been hung
up behind the table-with the suds on
the bottom. And 1t was upon this
same dishpan that Connie climbed so
carefully in search Of her darling dime.
The result was certain. AS she slow
ly and breathlessly raised herself on
tlptoe, steadying herself with the tips
of her fingers lightly touching the
stovepipe, her foot moved treacher-
Dusty Into the soapy area and slipped.
Connie screamed, caught desperately
at the pipe, and fell to the floor in a
sickening tumble of stovepipe. dish
pan and SCOT beyond her widest fan
cies Her cries brought her sisters
flying, and the sight of the blackened
kitchen, and the unfortunate child in
the midst of disaster, banlshed from
their minds all memory of the coming
chaperon, of Prudence's warning words
Connie was in trouble. With sis
terly affection they rescued her, and
did not hear the ringing of the bell.
And when Prudence and her father,
with Aunt Grace In tow, despaired of
gaining entrance at the hands of the
girls, came In unannounced, it was q
sorry scene that greeted them. Fairy
and the twins were only less sOoty than
Connie and the kitchen. And Connie
wept loudly, her tears making hideous
trails upon her blackened face.
II might have known It," Prudence
thought, with sorrow. But her mother
ly pride vanished before her motherly
solicitude, and Connie was soon quiz
eted by her tender ministrations.
1--WE love you, Aunt Grace" cried
Carol earnestly, ''but we can't kiss
you"
Mr.. Starr anxiously scanned the sur
face of the kitchen table with an eye
to future spots on the new suit, and
then sat down on the edge of 1t and
laughed as only the young heart and
old experience can taught
"Dlsgraced again." he said. "Grace,
think well before you take the plunge
Do you dare cast in your fortunes with
parsonage bunch that revels In mis-
fortunef Can you take the responsl-