Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-26

befOrel
What if the mayor had been looking
from a window and seen the man
snatch the box from under her arm!
Wouldn't 1t be splendid to have him
come to her rescue and tell Madame
Wanda and the policemen that the
story she had told them was true!
The slight prospect Of such an unlikely
thing comforted her. At every new
arrival in the corridor she looked UP to
see if 1t were he. When evening came
and he had not appeared, her spirits
still kept up. She was just doing OIL
to sleep when she heard Madame
Wanda's voice. There was a mans
voice, too. AS they drew near her cell
her heart beat rapidly. Had the mayor
come? But 1t was not the mayor. 1t
was just the night sergeant, who I'M
locked the door and told her she was
free.
ut is in the paper" Madame Wanda.
started to explain. 1.-THE man who
snatched your parcel was none other
than the mayor, trying to hide his face
from the eager camera men. Here IS
the picture Of It."
Marcia grabbed the paper from her
hands and looked at the picture on the
front page. Mayor Eludes Camera
Men" was the heading. There he was
just getting into the automobile with
the box hiding his face, and there she
was standing on the sidewalk with a
look on her face that reminded her OF
the way she felt when it occurred.
81 knew the mayor would save me"
Marcia cried joyfully. Madame Wanda
looked at her wonderingly, and the SER
geant chuckled.
That evening found Mayor Charles
Mason in his own apartment for the
first evening in weeks. The paper be-
fore him was causing him a great deal
of unrest.
81 never saw such a frightened look
or a girls face in my life" he said to
himself. "What a cad l was to think
only of myself and my desire to keep
my picture out of the paper, for one
edition at least. 1 wonder what was In
the box?" He secured the box and x
amined the contents. That troubled
him more than ever. "What If this
girl has beer accused of theft, lost her
position or been arrested?" he went on,
as he walked up and down the room.
His servant interrupted him by an
nouncing a caller.
Marcia entered the room, her cheeks
glowing. 81 have come for the dress"
she began, land l want to thank you
for getting me out of Jail"
He recognized her at once. "You
weren't arrested?" he calculated.
Eyes, l was; but l didn't mind a Bit"
she answered. at was just a little adj
venture, end an adventure is a rare
thing in the life of a seamstress."
After he had offered a score of apol-
ogies and explained the reason for his
unseemly action, he handed Marcia the
box.
"You have opened it," she said.
'1sn't this a delightful gown"
81 haven't seen much of it," he con-
fessed.
She took it out and held it up for his
inspection. "My, I adore it," she said,
"and I'd love to be the woman who
owns it. 1 was pretending that I was
when you took it yesterday. Maybe 1
will be able to afford one some day, for
1 finish my night course at the business
college this month. Stenographers
make good wages, don't they?"
After she had gone, Charles Mason
sat back in his chair and laughed soft
ly. What a trusting, sweet little girl
she was, he thought. His life had been
such a busy one, he had spent so much
time making a success and reaching
the place that he had attained that he
had never thought Of marrying before,
but now, as he sat there a desire grew
in his heart for some one to share his
honors with him. Wouldn't the girl
that had just left him make just the
kind Of wife a busy man like him
needed-some one with a sweet smile
and a trusting heart?
A week later an oficial-looking let
ter came to Marcia. She opened IL
Eagerly.
i've got a position as secretary in
the mayors Office" she announced ex-
!citedly to the other girls. mo more
hard times for me-"
; When she was leaving at the end OF
the week Madame Wanda presented
her with a beautiful gown.
. SIT is a present from the mayor to
repay you for the inconvenience he
put you to-" madame explained.
. "It is just like the n I liked SO
much" she explained. isn't it o
iderful to have a mayor for a friend.
even though I had to be arrested to
find him? My dreams all seem to be
true at once"