The Press., 1920-07-01
THE SILVER YATAGHAN
By LILY WANDEL
Go. 1920 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate

Alcina thoughtfully chewed the end of her pencil in Mrs. Mawson's great library. She was off in a corner with her typewriter and letters, but she was not thinking of work. Tomorrow was a holiday and in the evening there was to be fancy dress ball. Phil, her brother, in a rare burst of brotherly interest had promised to take her to the festivity. "You're get ting to be a regular little mouse and I'm going to take you out among peo- ple," he had said patronizingly. "Now, don't worry and be bashful; I'll scare ul, a few fellows to dance with you, but of course you can't expect to be the belle of the evening and all that sort of thing. Get yourself a costume something that suits you; be Quakeress or a schOOlmarm."
 She had nodded and thanked him, but inwardly resolved to throw of her little mouse cloak and be sOne- body else just for one evening. I'm sick and tired of being the sedate private secretary; Pm just as fun loving and jolly as any other gill if I'd have half chance. And Phi gO- ing to have it, too.- A masquerade ball is just the thing!" And then and there she decided to go as a Turkish vamp!
 At home in locked bureau drawer lay the costume quite handy-yelow silk trousers, crimson bOlerO jacket and white batiSte chemise, red turban and floating, filmy veil, even turned up Turkish slippers and wonderful black and red sash. It was perfect outfit; she really would look like d Turkish woman,/ but she wanted to be vamp! Something was needed, little tOuch-LShe did not know what. So she continued to bite the unOffend- ing pencil and stare with wrfnkled forehead at the high bookcases, antique shields and swords that dec 0rated the sOmber walls Right above her little typewriter table hung queer looking thing, a dagger or knife, thought Alcina idly. Very black and furnished, an odd handle, too, the usual crossbar missing and the blade more than d foot long. feXed in graceful double curve. On the handle something was. engraved curious char acterS-She rose to see it better-Why --that must be a Turkish inscription. Oh now she knew. the dagger was Turkish yataghan! Suppose it were polished and gleaming. stuck in her sash: then she would lsOk like vamp-a real Turkish vamp!
 That was the touch that her cos tune needed. The only trouble was: Would Mrs MawSOn lend it to her for the ball? She doubted it. for the old lady had recently refused to lend her book from the well-stOcked library. There was another way. Mrs. M"W- son never entered the gloomy room. Alcina always went to her employers parlOr or dressing room for dictation or instructions. If she took the yata- ghan home with her tonight and re turned it the day after tomorrow no one would know the difference.
 When five o'clock came, Alcina. bit conscience stricken, took down the dagger, and wrapping it quickly in piece of newspaper. stuck it in Her llull, dllu WllllOul lOohlIlS iiSlit or left hurried from the house.
 At home, in the privacy of her room, she rubbed and polished 1t, and be- hold, the black melted away and beautiful. gleaming silver came to view! Her eyes sparkled with delight as she saw herself in her pretty Turk ish suit with a silver yataghan stuc& in her sash. It was bound to attract the attention of everybody.
 When they left the dance a long cloak covered her up completely so that not even Phil had an inkling of her costume. He was not even curious. for he thought he would know her in any kind of dress.
 She fingered in the dressing room and then conscious that she looked very pretty and attractive, took the plunge into the ballroom just in time to see Phil benevolently tuck the hand of d demure little shepherdesS under his arm and batter off with her under the impression he was doing his duty to Alcina.
 AIcina was surrounded at once. Everybody was sure they knew her. Knights and clowns, sailors and | Roman soldiers, all were highly in | terested in the Turkish vamp with | the glittering silver yataghan. AL cina had not known that any one could have such glorious time. By and by she realized that she had danced three times in succession with a certain fascinating toreador, and decided it was time to change, but he persuaded her to sit out a dance. Laughing they found little nook for | a tetea-tete.
 "That silver yataghan, it attracted me at once when you entered the room; where on earth did you find anything so wonderful?" he asked.
 Alcina flushed under her veil at loss for an answer, when rather merry Pilgrim strutted up and pulled her off for a fox trot. She gave a little sigh of relief; the toreador was lovely, but the questioning about the yataghan was embarrassing. She mo- ticed with delight that 1t was near twelve, almost time to unmask. She quite lo1ged to see the >Spaniards face. And then the joy of Phils 1 amaZement when he saw who the Turkish vamp was!
 The fox trOt over, Alcina put her i hand to her sash-it felt trifle loose The yataghan must have slipped |: | lttle-wherp was if? It was gone
 she had lost 1t! Then began fran tic search, but it was not to be found Terror-stricken, she questioned many of the dancers, and then. as last re sort. ran to the dressing room and asked the maid. No one had seen the dagger. It had vanished. it seemed Tears of fright came to Alcina's dark eyes; she sank to chair in the cloak room, miserable, utterly unhappy. The evening was over for her. She could not return to the festivities. In q