The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-05-24
CHAPTER 56s 1920, King Features Syn dicafe Inc

DUO
 Copyright, 1920, King Features Syn
 dicate. Inc.
 "The minute Miss Harrison left us" continued Mabel Storrs, ''Dick began to f1dget. He muttered some thing about it being his duty to go over and stand treat for the girls since it wasn't fair for me to have 1 twice my quota of men while they were alone. Of course he put 1t l 1aughingIy. But is aroused all the | widest demons of my jealousy just | the same.''
 Little Phoebe" I gasped. 'To 1 think that you came along just at the | time that man was''-
 Pursuing her." she continued | equally. "Yes-it is queer. But, as you suggested, 1t proves that prob | ably never was 'drif'ing,' even in the been a design in it all. A design to l outwit Dick West. At the time, however, it didn't look as if there were any design except to drive me l mad. Dick saw how wild I was with feelings that were too much for me, | and-he played on theml
 t'Whenever he took me out. he'd | make little tests of me by asking faVors-Such as for me to work after hours III h1S once, strengthening out his books. And if I'd refuse, he'd say that. he had originally intended | taking Miss Harrison out that eve | ming, but that if I'd work at the of flee, he'd come there and call for me. To keep him from her, I was | ready to do anything. aanything-do you understand, Ann?"
 I'm afraid I do,'' I replied, adding without any realization that I was talking to the dignif1ed Goddess of Liberty girl. "You poor, lonely, mis- eraIoIe little thing. It wasn't fair for you to be hurt like that. so hard pressed. It just wasn't fair"
 "Oh yes. it was fair enough. You see, I did 1t myself by letting jea1- ousy get the better of me. I worked in the office night after night--some- times until I was so tired I ached. And kept it up even after I real ized that Dick was sneering at me for being an easy mark. He told me frankly that attracted him but that, of course, no man who had a chance to affiliate himself by marriage as well as through business with a fam fly like the Harrisons, could throw all that away. And couldn't say a word. Pride stopped me. But I kept on working for him nights just to be near him. Can you see how I tortured nyself?"
 '"Yes,'' I replied breathless1y. won dering what her work had been-if she'd had any part in the strange transactions which terminated in Jin's putting Dick out of the firm for trying to cheat Terry, for carry ing Phoebe's account without enter ing it on the books, and so for play ing false to the firm itself 'I won der if he used you ro-falsify the books? ?" I said aloud.
 But Mabel went on without heed ing.
 "At last one night I became sus- picious of the work for which I was being used. I felt that I was being made party ro-cheating. T faced Dick and demanded the truth. He bIazed out. crying that I was jeal- ous of his feeling for Phoebe liar rison, but that 1t didn't amount to anything. He'd marry the little gose and we'd be just as good friends as ever-better perhaps. I cried out at the insult implied in his words. He 1aughed-and told me to think it over.
 "The next evening I reached the office early and went over things care fully. I saw clearly then what I should have had sensee nough to see long before. Dick had been steal ing for the firm-from MT. Harrison. Something in me curled up and died then. I'd managed to go on calling in spite of all Dick had done to me, but when I saw .he'd been using me to cheat his partner, to do crooked business, I resented it more bitterly