The Taney County republican., 1919-12-11

HOuNt uuu put II III Nbul ShlltaN''
"rm the thief" / laughed, slipping
on my coat.
Claire took couple of steps toward
the slippers and said, 'I'll take 1t back
to her."
''NO, my dear--just leave it, I don't
know which is hers--I see Mrs. Jhnm-
son has mixed them all up-and ]
haven't time to find out now"
"Oh can soon tell" and Claire was
about TO pounce on them, but headed
her of.
"rhats a matter for me TO attend
to, Claire, and entirely between Mrs
Delario and myself"
by this time | had On my veil and
gloves, and hearing the elevator stop
ping at the floor, shooed Claire anj
bolted for it.
Now I'd looked at the slippers rs
Claire spoke, and they were standng
HEEL TO THE WALL, between
paid Of oxford ties and a pair OF
bath slippers that were foe to the
wall, as were all the rest but these
three slippers; ana noticed this par
ticularly and remembered it later com
ing home In the cars when the incident
recurred TO me, and / wondered why
since Claire was no longer with Mrs.
Delario--She had been so anxious Ia
take the slipper back, and If she need
ed an eXcuSe--poSsibiy--to her father
for going to the house to see her
friend, and how If ii hadn't been for
Mrs Jimms0n / could have let her
take the slipper and been glad to have
her do 1t; end how Mrs. Jimmson must
have pleased herself in placing the
slippers just that way, backs TO the
wall, so they'd show Off to best advan.
tage as works of art and decorate the
room at large with their beauty; and
how 1t must have puzzled her TO fnd
three slippers all alike in my room
not two, not four, but three; and why
three? And what would the good
creature say If I told her I'd stolen the
odd one?
These thoughts may seem TOO trivial
to mention. but the point is that
thought them and they were so obvi.
ously suggested by the way Jimmson
placed the slippers, heel to the wall
But here's the uncauny thing that hap.
pened! When / got home one hour
after seeing them that way and turned
on the light my eyes fell upon the
slippers--TITEY WERE ALL ToElr,G
TIE WALL.
II gave me such shock that l sat
flop down on the bed So far as
knew not a human soul had entered
during my absence of one hour and
seine minutes, nor was there any evil
Gence that anything else in the place
had been tOuched--the other shoes
stood toe to the wall just as I'd seen
them when went out with Claire.
| suppose I'll be set down as per.
feet fool, but l actually turned sick all
over, and 1t required positive courage
on my part to pick up the slippers and
examine them. Which taught me moth.
ing, Of course, and--I may as well
confess all my folly---I set them back
heel to the wall and actually sat there
and watched TO see II they'd turn
about Of their own accord, But moth.
Ing happened, and there they stayed,
heel to the wall, till morning.
That same evening, however, an
other thing happened that annoyed
though 1t didn't alarm me. was
awakened about half past two by the
sound Of a key in the front door
someone was trying to get in. ]
bounced out of bed and looked to see
that the chain bolt was on--that was
all that worried me- for I had a neigh.
Dor on a floor below who came home
frequently at that hour Of the night
IN s0 elated a condition that he never
stopped ascending stairs until he
reached the top, and as my fiat directly
correspOnded with his on the lower
floor he tried to get In with his key,
and sometimes threatened to smash
the door In II minnie" didn't open 1t.
SO hearing the familiar key now
fumbllng, / looked at the chaln.bolt,
aud then merely "hollered" through
the door my usual, you're trying to
get IN the wrong fat--yours is down.
stairs"
The key slid out of the lock and
there wasn't another sound. ] stood
there shivering IN my nightie, waiting
for the usual cclloquy that would con
vince Mr.. Man ! wasn't his Mlrnie, but
ns he didn't favor me with 50 much as
an oath of recognition, went back tC
bed after few moments and fel
asleep. 1t never entered my head that
the person at the other end Of the
iatchkey wasn't the high.spirlted Mr
Man that ] knew and was prepared
for, but another Mr.. Man l dldn''
know anything about.
I went TO sleep dreaming about slip
pers; I walked up to wonder abou
slippers. They were just as I'd lef
them--which gave me real dlsappolnt
irent. I was out nearly all day, arr
when came home my first look wa
to see IL the slippers had been makini
any more manifestations"
! ALL THREE SLIPPERS WERE