The Taney County republican., 1919-12-11

among some clothes In my own suit
case and shut the lid and away we
went. Wasn't 1t, under the circum-
stances, a perfectly natural thing to
do? Wei, the moral is "don't'-don't
every carry Off an Old slipper unless
you're sure it's yours. THAT cid slip
per nearly cost me my sanity and my
! llfel
Now, when I unpacked found the
slipper, but even then 1t didn't occur
To me that It wasn't mine--I merely
wondered how I'd lost the mate, and it
was a couple OF days before got TO
the bottom Of the other suitcase and
found my own pair neatly done up In
tissue paper. OF course l knew in.
stantly that.the old slipper was Mrs.
Delnrlo's, and remembered then how
I'd carried II off; but I didn't have a
box suitable for sending 1t through the
mall TO her, so ] set 1t on a chest
where I'd be sure to see II and not let
| IL ktl lulAtl Win uliuts lhtdlillk "
take II down TO the house as soon as
could find time for It, And thus
several more days went by, and l
forgot the slipper and that Mrs, Jimm.
son was coming TO clean. some
how assumed that Mrs. Jimmson had
sense enough to see 1t was an odd
/ slipper and leave II on the chest
where she found 1t, but you never
can tell what anybody will do-per-
haps she'd have done just the same If
I'd told her not to: for she mixed
those slippers UP and set them In q
row beside my he'd along with oxford
ties ard bath slippers.
II was on the day that Mrs. Jimm-
son cleaned that Claire came tripping
up to see me and tell me that her fa
ther had arrived.
It was the first time I'd seen her
since we'd parted at the cable Office
and of course / had TO spare her 8
few minutes and hear what she had tc
say. She was staying with her father
at a hotel-mamma hadn't yet come
because grandpapa was dying every
day and She didn't dare TO leave him
And then she suddenly wished to know
II all Americans lived the way Mrs
Delario did, and did American ladies
work?
had TO ask her what she meant
and she explained that everything al
Mrs. Delario's was $50 unlike the way
they lived abroad;' that Mrs DelariC
never left her bedroom unlocked fol
single minute; that all the upstair:
rooms were locked; that she made
her--Claire--keep her door locked
"because," she said, "you never car
tell" that people, most Of whom were
strangers, were coming to the hous'
all day from nine till five. Mrs. Della
rio called them "sltters" and CAV,
them readings" IN an nwfully queeI
room where the shutters weren't eve
opened; and she - Clnire--belleve(
that Mrs. DelarlO took money fO
these readings. though she never woult
say what she read; and II she tool
money how could she be a lady
Though she was very nice and llnt
and papa wanted her to keep her
Cialre--till her mother arrived, ant
Mrs. Delnrio wouldn't ON account o
her work, and What sort Of work coult
II possibly be7
saw by that that Mrs. Delari'
hadn't taken Claire much into her con
fidenee--Clalre said even her fathe
Couldn't guess what Mrs. Delario did
exactly, though he thought he knew
little. only he didn't know that Ia
dies did It IN America.
While l was considering what I,
better say the clock struck and
bounced out Of my chair 10 hurry
1t was the hour of an appointment
and here l was. Eve miles away go:
sIplng.