The Elbert County tribune., 1920-01-09


can tell what anybody viii do-per-
haps she'd have done just the same IL
I'd told her not to: for she mixed
those slippers up and set tirem in
row beside my bed along with oxford
ties and bath slippers.
1t 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.
II was the first time I'd seen her
since we'd parted Mt the cable Office.
and of course l had to spare her
few minutes and hear what she had to
say. She was staying with her father
at 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 Indies
work?
l had to ask her what she meant,
and she explained that everything at
Mrs. Delario's was $50 unlike the way
they lived abroad" that Mrs. Delario
never left her bedroom unlocked for
n single minute; that all the upstairs
rooms were locked; that she made
her-Claire-keep her door locked.
because" she said, "you never can
tell: :" that people. most of whom were
strangers, were coming to the house
all day from nine till five. Mrs. Della
rio called them "sitters" and gave
them readings" in an awfully queer
room where the shutters weren't ever
opened; and she - Claire-believed
that Mrs. Delnrio took money for
these readings, though she never would
say what she read; and If she took
money how could she be a lady7
Though she was very nice and kind
and papa wanted her to keep her
Clnlre-till her mother arrived, and
Mrs. Delario wouldn't on account OF
her work, and what sort of work could
1t possibly be?
/ saw by that that Mrs. Delnrio
hadn't taken Claire much into her con-
fidence-Claire said even her father
couldn't guess what Mrs. Delario did.
exactly. though he thought he knew
little, only he didn't know that la
dies did 1t in America.
While / was considering what I'd
better say the clock struck and ]
bounced out of my chair In hurry
it was the hour of an appointment.
and here l was five miles away, gos-
slping.
told Claire ] had to run, and she
followed me to my bedroom while I
got my coat, and 1t was she who ex-
claimed, "Why, there's Mrs. Delario's
slipperl She's hunted everywhere for
1t. You picked 1t up at the customs
house and put 1t In your suitcase"
I'm the thief" I laughed. slipping
on my coat.
Claire took a couple of steps toward
the slippers and said, 'I'll take 1t back
to her."
mo, my dear-just leave It, don't
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.
That's a matter for me to attend
to. Claire. and entirely between Mrs.
Delario and myself"
By this time I had on my veil and
gloves. and hearing the elevator stop
ping at the floor. shooed Claire and
bolted for it.
Now I'd looked at the slippers as
Claire spoke. and they were standing
HEEL TO THE WALL, between a
paid of oxford ties and pair Of
bath slippers that were toe to the
wall as were all the rest but these
three slippers; and I noticed this par
ticularly and remembered 1t later COM
ing home In the cars when the incident
recurred to me. and l wondered why
since Claire was no longer with Mrs.
Delario--she had been so anxious to
take the slipper back. and If she need
ed an excuse-possibly- her father
for going to the house to see her
friend. and how II 1t hadn't been for
Mrs. Jimmson I could have let her
take the slipper and been glad to have
her do 1t; and how Mrs. Jimmson must
have pleased herself in placing the
slippers just tlDt way, backs to the
wall so they'd snow of 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 find
three slippers all alike In my room
not two, not four. but three; and why
three? And what would the good
creature say IL 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 uncanny thing that hap
pened: When I got home one hour
after seeing them that way and turned
on the light my eyes fell upon the