Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-18
THE GIRL WHO
ALMOST MISSED
BY Mary Douglass.
THE RAMBLERS.

! Would the long night never end? Would
| the daylight never come? had thought
and thought of what might have happened
| 10 Peggy-of where ! might get clue Of
| her-but my thoughts always ended in
nightmare wanderngs ] stirred myself
| from heavy sort Of stupor only to see
the room still hidden in darkness
At last ! could stand it no longer.
! rose. Five O'Clock, the watch on my
bureau told me. | slipped into a kimnoa
and put my feet into bedroom slippers.
Each step on the stairs seemed to give
n hideous creakIng. But | did not hear
Aunt Martha stir, so | kept ON my way
About the sitting room | felt my way.
was glad of the sharp pain that numbed
me Tor moment when my feet struck
against chair. pulled on the light under
the yellow lamp. Here nj lcast | was not
caught IN the close tightness of my bed.
Softly | paced the length of the small
room
Which way should ! turn next?
rackcd my mind with vain quest ions
u 1t came TO the worst would go TO Jack
Madden's home, and ask bluntly there.
Ills friends did know any Of them2
Then ! family remembered something
Jack had sad to me one evening when
we were out to dinner.
Il have my mail sent to the Ramblefs,
The Ramblcrsi Ills club would go
thercl They might know The sudden re-
lict made inc realize how tired vas how my
body ached with the awful tension of my
mlnd. ! pulled out the electric light he
meath the lamp In the corner Of Aunt
Martha old old fashioned sofa clfled my
self up 10 rest until the day came
There she found me three hours later,
fast asleep
Must have been pretty we'll worried
out, 7 she exclaimed, y OH 60 lp and take
bath, and Il have a nice breakfast ready
for YOU No, my dear, It s your turn to be
waited on ! think You'll find Peggy not
half SO badly of MS you thlnk now. She
knows what she's about
oh AuntMartha, cried. She seems
worldly enough, Tut when It comes 10
real knowledge she IS somehow seriously
lacking DO you know hesitated,
III isn't that reggys lmmoral shes
ulst immoral she doesn't see any dit-
ference tonventlons have never meant
very much to her she's Just natural
Just naturally selfish Aunt Martha
fared Almost driving YOU cut Of your
mind and Just for Whin
Please, Aunt Martin. | begged
After | had hathcd ! fell little more
ftiIt%fftl anu iihf IfiA%Ala4 te4fA NfitAi )
glanced INTO the white mnrror IN the
bathroom my face looked buck n me with
deep blue rings about the eiaTkcned eyes
and coIorlcss checks Us though | had
b on i'll q week, sand 70 myself
AUNT Martha urged me 10 stay Il
while with her and not ~ hurry of
III s too late now to dnanything size SAID
Perhaps IT was too late. But ! could not
stop until | had done everything II my
power ndcr AUNT Martha persuasion.
| saw that she dld not believe Peggy had
come to any harm She thought II ono of
Peggy "actrcssv WAYS But ! knew
il vas not - that note OF Peggy was
written from the depths of her sincerity
& all on me. II you need any money
Aunt Martha sand !. | ran down the
steps ol her brown stone house.
Thank you, | may have to, | IN
swcred
had found the address of The
Ramhlcrs' III the telephone book and
reached there as quickly as the subway
could take me.
/ hositated q moment before the inn
posing structure hat bore the number Of
this club Then with added resolution,
1 climbed the steps.
In the great, wide hall, that seemed |
sombre and heavy with its leather
furniture, I felt even more at sea | tried |
10 keep the trcmble out of my voice as |
sand, Could could you glvc me the |
address oi Mr. Jack Madden
The steward for such | fancy he was
studied me silently before he answered /
4 think you will find the gentleman /
address in any city directory, he an /
swercd irIgIdlY
oh yes, know that, | answered
eagerly too eagerly but | mean his
present address
Il think, Madam. that Is outside of
our province, the man answered slls-
)iciously
Thank you, | answered
With he dimmHg OF my sudden hope,
felt the foolish tcare rising u my eyes
should not let that man Sc me weeping
It any rate, and ! tried to turn ny lace
way As ! pulled open The heavy door
cit someone at my elbow
Il beg your pardon
| turned my head 10 see a man with
ray hair standing there beside me His
ace was KEEN kind, thoughtful, and
rusted him on the instant forgot the
ears still vet on my checks.
Il think overheard you say YOU wanted
lack Madden address
! nodded dumbly
lie, too, studied my face but with
more gentle scrunitv. Then nc spoke
lie is at his lodge in the
,dirondacks near Lake Pleasant Piae
.odge The nearest stop Is Wells
/ do not know whether or not | thanked
ma, ] only know he held the door open
or ne rs | went down Che step-
Monday Someone Ilse.s story