Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-08-24

post vaults closed at five. Sh,
scrambled to her feet. stuffed the bonds
into her handbag and snatched her hat
and coat. II she could catch the next
street car at the corner, she would Jus,
| make II. The girls in the shop could
be depended on to lock up. Arvilla raT
for the corner.
IL was almost six O'Clock when she
came home again, walking sedately, tho
key to the safe deposit box in her has
in place Of the bonds. She had
| steadied now and was beginning t.
plan. 1t would not do to make any
sudden change in her way OF living
that might attract attention.
| The girls had locked up the shop and
gone home--ahcad Of time, as usual
when they were left TO themselves
Arvilla cooked and ate her solitary little
dinner. and sat down at her west win
dow to think things out.
| There is this TO be said for the
gambling instinct, it certainly stimu-
lates the Imagination. All her life Ar
rilll had dreamed dreams and seer
visions of the things she would do when
| the hidden treasure was found. Now
| she was bcwildered in the array oi
| them, hesitating to choose which should
| be the first to come true.
AT ten O'Clock she tidied up the room
laid the photograph case away in the
| bottom drawer of her dresser. closed
the trunk, piled the salvaged clothing
neatly, ready for the secondhand mar
! in the morning. and went to bed. She
| did not sleep. but her wide open eyes
saw nothing in the room.
For three days she went about her
| accustomed concerns with careful at
tention. She scoided her assistants in
| ha ha fat c
fat wife into buying a fifty-dollar hat
she wrangled with the travelling sales
! man over the quality Of her last pur-
| chase OF trimmings, and she drove a
| thrifty bargain with the second hand
man for the salvaged clothing. And
| all this time she was not really there
| at all.
For tire nights she slept little, cir
cling in the air, viewing all the king
| doms Of the earth and the glories
thereof. trying to choose between them.
She decided at last upon Rio de Janeiro.
! She had read all about Rio in a maya
| zine, and dreamed her dreams of it,
| long ago; and in the trunk had been a
steamship prospectus full of glitter!ng
allure. There she would go first and
! feast upon beauty and romance and
utter StrangeneSS.
On the fourth afternoon, when she
| put away some clean clothes. she came
| upon the photograph case and opened
it again. She set it up on her dresser,
carelessly, and finished arranging the
clothes in the drawer.
That night she slept, at first, then
| woke and lay open-eyed. And then.
quite suddenly. without any warning
whatever, Arvilla crashed. She collided
| with something as rock ribbed and an
cient as any hill--her own primitive,
| inbred, rugged honesty. She sat up in
her bed, daZed, shaken. Arvilla knew
the truth. This money was not hers.
X X =
TRICKMAY drove back to his Office.
~ feeling low in his mind. His
Stenographer had gone home, but a
woman was waiting for him, sitting
quietly. in the reception room. She
rose as he came in, a woman of
thirty, trinity turned out. her fall
suit smartly tailored, a little hat to
please the discerning eye, good shoes
Crickmay had an eye for women's
clothes.
This is Mr. Crickmay?" she asked
and as he aSsented, rather at a loss
how TO place her. She went on: "Can
you give me n few minutes. on an
important matter? My husband used
to tell me that if ever l had any
you. He had seen you in court two
or three times when he was drawn on
the jury. He always said you were
the ablest lawyer there"
Crickmay sighed. He knew what
this sort Of introduction foreshadow-
ed. some petty snarl in the affairs of
a helpless woman, which would take
a lot of valuable time and bring him
neither cash nor credit. But he invit-
cd t3,o int ic na1 ocl
ed her TO be seated. Her eyes were
clear and intelligent. and she carried
herself steadily, whatever her wor-
ries.
She wasted no more time in intro
auctions My name is Arvilla Car
ter she said. Five days ago I
bought trunk at sale Of unclaim-
ed baggage"
Crickmay snapped to attention in
his chair
The railroad agent gave me a re-
ceipt for the money I paid. AS I
understand it, I have a legal right to
the trunk and its contents?" She
waited moment. Crickmay felt
his way cautiously-rather a joke
that he should be called upon to
prove a woman's right to the bonds
he was looking for. Ordinarily.
yes" he answered slowly. go on,
please"
"Ordinarily," agreed the woman:
but this is out of the ordinary, or
I should not be taking your time. l
found some valuable papers in the
trunk, very valuable. And 1 do not
feel that 1 can keep them. 1t would
not be honest. l want you to help
me find the person to whom they be-
long, so that I can give them back
to him. I am able to pay you for
your trouble.
This was simply too good to be
true.