Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-07-20
Her Own
Detective
A Girl Suspect Clears
Herself
By ELINOR MARSH

We were a bunch of a dozen boys
and girls, averaging in age perhaps
seventeen years. We were young
enough to get up parties on the prin-
ciple of Dutch treat and not old
enough for a boy TO feel that if he
asked one Of the girls to go to an
amusement he must hire a carriage
for the purpose of taking her. We had
informal dances in each others houses
and each boy was detailed, as they say
in the army, to escort a particular girl
to the dance. In this way all the girls
were transported without doubling up.
All went well, and we were having a
merry time when Roy Stivers, n of
the boys who had gone sweet on a girl
outside the set, insisted on introducing
her among us. We girls were not
pleased at the introduction of one we
knew nothing about, but we yielded
gracefully, and l consented to Roy
bringing her to a dance that was to
come off at my house.
1t is marvellous how a nice, well bred
boy will 60 daft on a girl entirely out
of his sphere and in every way be-
meath him. The moment we girls saw
Roy's friend, Sarah Stearns, we knew
that a irebrand had been introduced
among us. But it is easier to let a per-
son into a social clique than to get him
or her out. Roy was one of our incest
fellows, and we did not wish to offend
him. Sarah Stearns was not invited
again to any of our little dances, but
Roy asked her to go with him OF eX-
%cursions, theater parties and the like.
He was the only son of a widow who
gave him all the money he wished and,
among other luxuries, q splendid mo-
torcar. lie was accustomed to TAX US
all out in it between dances when we
were holding our informal parties, and
also took US on longer rides. OF course
we could not object to his inviting
Sarah to go on excursions in his car,
and while so engaged we endeayored
to treat her civilly.
Just before the spring opened Roy in
vited us all to go to his mothers coun-
try place for a week end. OF course
Sarah Stearns would be of the party,
Roy being at liberty to invite whom he
pleased to his own home. Two-thirds
of our bunch" accepted, and Roy took
US to our destination in his car. The
others would not go on account OF
Sarah Stearns being of the party.
l wished very much to enjoy the fun,
but Eleanor Trevor was my particular
girl chum, and she was one who In
/ tended to stay away. L persuaded her
to go, however, since my pleasure de-
pended on her doing so.
Roy's mother acted as chaperon and
did all in her power to make our stay
In her house enjoyable. One evening
we were dancing when all of a sudden
the electric lights ceased to glow, and
we were left In total darkness. My
friend Eleanor was dancing with
Charlie Hunt at the time. Charlie, like
Roy, was given everything he wanted,
and among other things he possessed
was a valuable gold watch. Soon after
the lights were extinguished there was
a tug at his watch chain and, feeling
for it, he found it broken. His watch
was gone. He was dancing with
Eleanor when the darkness came, and
of course they ceased to whirl and dis.
engaged themselves. Five minutes
later, when the lights continued to
glow, they were still standing near
each other.
Charlie, not wishing to mar our fes.
t~ivities, said nothing at the time about
the loss of the watch, but the matter
soon leaked out. An unpleasant fea.
ture of the matter was that he was
dancing with Eleanor when the lights
went out, and the logical inference was
that she had relieved him Of it. Never
theless, none OF US believed anything
of the kind.
Our host was very much troubled. 1t
was evident that there was a thief
among US. So far as circumstantial
evidence was concerned 1t pointed to
Eleanor Trevor. She knew nothing
about Charles loss or the position In
which she stood until 1 told her. She
was not a person to cringe under such
circumstances. With woman's intui-
ton she at once spotted Sarah Stearns
as being at the bottom of the trouble.
She did not believe that Sarah had
stolen the watch for the watch itself,
but that she might inculpate Eleanor.
Eleanor's theory was that Sarah had
seen her dancing with Charlie when
the lights had gone out and an oppor-
tunity had appeared to her of punish
ing the girl who she knew was In ia
vor of ostraeiZing her from u set.
But Eleanor told no n except me of
her suspicion, and / confess it seemed
to me rather farfetched, though 1 did
not say this 70 Eleanor.
1--WE got @ detective problem on my
hands," said Eleanor to me, land I'm
especially interested in working it out.
l wish you would give m the cold
shoulder and ask the other girls to do
the same"
"Why SOP 1 asked. There's not
800 - 80 that ho1iouoo Pop q momonf