The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-07-30
THE SILVER
YATACHAN
BY LILY WANDEL

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 rare burst of
brotherly interest had promised to
take her to the festivity. you're get
ting to be regular little mouse and
I'm going to take you out among peo-
ple," he had said patronizingly. Nov,
don't worry and be bashful; I'll scare
III 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 a
Quakeress or a schoolmarm."
She had nodded and thanked him,
but inwardly resolved to throw OH
her little mouse cloak and be sonie-
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 I'm 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-yellow
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. 1t was a perfect
outfit; she really would look like Il
Turkish woman, but she wanted to
be a vamp. Something was needed,
little touch-she did not know what.
SO she continued to bite the unOffend
ing pencil and stare with wrinkled
forehead at the high bookcases,
antique shields and swords that dec
Grated the somber walls. Right above
her little typewriter table hung a
queer looking thing, dagger or knife,
thought Alcina idly. Very black and
furnished, an odd handle, too, the
usual crossbar missing and the blade
more than "a foot long, fexed in a
vi uulDlC CuINc. VII tlIC
something was engraved, curious char
acters-she rose to see it better-why
that must be Turkish inscription.
Oh, now she knew, the dagger was a
Turkish yataghan! Suppose it were
polished and cleaning, stuck in her
sash; then she would look like a
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. Nav
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-
CHAN 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 1T in
her muff, and without looking right
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. cleaning silver came to
view! Her eyes sparkled with delight
as she saw herself in her pretty Turk
ish suit with silver yataghan stucs
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 a demure little shepherdess
under his arm and patter off with her
under the impression he was doing
his duty to Alcina.
Alcina was surrounded at once.
Everybody was sure they knew her.
Knights and clowns. sailors and
Roman soldiers. all were highly in
terested I'm the Turkish vamp with
the glittering silver yataghan. AL
Gina had not known that any one
could have sucfi a glorious time. BY
and by she realized that she had
danced three times in succession with
a certain fascinating toreador, and
decided II was time to change, but he
persuaded her to sit out dance.
Laughing they found little nook for
a tete-a-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