New Britain herald., 1918-01-19
What Madge Read Into Li1lian's
 Praise of Her.

Praise of Her.
 When Lillian returned to Katherine and me in the library after her hur- ried expedition to the house next door her face was troubled, and I saw the fine little lines around her mouth that always betray to my eyes her mental suffering.
 She sank into a chair opposite us, and it was characteristic that with no immediate task confronting her, she put herself and her worries into the background and began to fuss over me.
 Are you sure Madge is all right, Katherine?" she demanded, and with out waiting for an answer turned to me. You plucky thing!" she said warmly.
 I flushed with happiness at her ap- proval. Katherine glanced at me mischievously as she answered:
 If you heard her doing a sher- lockian deducing stunt just now you'd be sure she's all right"
 Lillian glanced at me sharply, then at Katherine.
 Let's hear it, she said.
 I forestalled Katherine's reply.
 Don't mind her nonsense, Lillian" I begged. She's exaggerating all idle remark
 Did I ask you to speak?' Lillian returned with mock severity. "Now, Katherine"
 There was an almost imperceptible note of command in the last two words which told us that the personal note was dropped from our converse ton for the moment, that our su- perior officer wanted information, and that it behooved us to give it to her.
 Katherine, whose munitions are wonderfully quick, changed her man. her instantly
 "Madge believes that the disturb ance downstairs was a ruse to draw our attention from this effort to get into the library through the closet door," she said quietly.
 'Of course it was" Lillian returned promptly, and then with a resumption of the playful personal note:
 Good little Sherlocka! Do it again.
 l read more into the words, per haps, than Katherine did, and my reading comforted me. That Lillian, although she loved me dearly, had been secretly a bit doubtful as to my fitness for the secret service in which she had enlisted me as her aid, I was sure. Her manner now, together with her exclamation of pleasure at dis covering the way in which l had thwarted the man who was trying to effect an entrance into the library re- assured me, took away a tiny gnaw- ing at the cords of my self-esteen.
 The First Attack.
 Lillian didn't speak again for two or three minutes. With her chin cupped in her hands-her accustomed atti- tude when thinking deeply-she stared straight before her, and Katherine and I sat quietly awaiting her word.
 The affection and admiration with which I watched her was tinged with something akin to fear. Katherine had told me that when the men pos ing as officials sent to take out her electric light meter had disregarded her warnings not to batter down her kitchen door. Lillian, standing on the inside of it. had not hesitated to shoot through the door with her silencer pistol. She had purpose1y shot low so as not to hit any vital part, but that her aim was good the groans of two of the men testified. The others made a nasty exit, supporting their wounded comrades. Lillian had count ed on the fact that the men would be anxious to avoid any meeting with the police, and that their bluff having failed they would lose no time in get ting away from the vicinity of her home.
 What Happened Next Door.
 The old obsession of mine which the thought of LilIians silenccr pistol al-