The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-07-28

a married man. For sin was old
fashioned, too. There was nothing
on the face of the earth older than
sinl
Ever since the days of the Gar
den Of Eden, when Eve came run
ming to show Adam the apple, wom-
en- had held out the fruit Of desire
to e And Flossie Middleton, with
her uncorseted body. her rolled stock
ings and her tempting, pointed
mouth, was only another daughter
of Eve!
"Mr. Dexter wrote it, Mary Rose
said, tapping the letter with her fore
finger. He's been crazy about
Flossie for perfect ages. l should
have told you"
Her mothers face whitened and
grew stern, as Mary Rose never had
seen 1t before in all her life.
"You mean Mr.. Hilary Dexter2
The man you work for?" she asked,
shaking her head with its coils Of
gray hair. as If she couldn't believe
it.
Mary Rose nodded. Her lips framed
the word, YES" She began to feel
guilty and ashamed as she often
had when she was a little girl, and
her mother had scolded her for some
baby naughtiness or other.
"How long have you known about
this?" Mrs. Middleton asked, v
ly. She was no longer the meek little
mother whose daughters took charge
J Of her bank account and ordered her
to bed when she wanted to sit up
and snooze in her chair. She hal
become in the twinkling of an eye,
the Head OF her Family. once more.
I've know it for a long time"
Mary Rose admitted. I've wanted
to tell you about it time and time
again. But 1 knew that IL you
scolded Flossle about it, she'd leave
home"
"Nonsense!" her mother said shardp-
ly. "She never had any money to
leave home on. You know, yourself.
that she hardly ever paid her board!
After she'd bought all the clothes
she needed, she had barely enough
for her lunches"
What she said was true. Flossie
never saved more than two or three
dollars out of her weekly twenty. In
the jargon of the day she put
everything she made on her back"
II neve stopped to think of that"
Mary Rose murmured family.
Whats probably happened is
that she's run off with the min
compoop Of a Sam Jessup!" Mrs.
Middleton went on shrewdly. She
came. down the stairs and took
Dexter's letter away from Mary
Rose. you can see from this letter
that she's quarreled with this man,
and she's probably getting even with
him by clipping with Sam! Biting
off her nose to spite her face, in other
words"
She moved toward the telephone
table as she spoke.
I'VE did phone Sam, mother" Tom
told her. And his landlady said he
was out for the evening. So, it's
not likely that he's run off with
Flossie."
And this Dexter You called
him, too, 1 suppose?" asked Mrs.
Middleton, and he nodded.
Then. there's just one place where
she could have gone-and that's to
Alice James, ">she decided. TIL call
up and find out"
Wouldn't 1t be better to go around
and see If she's there?" asked Mary
Rose. "If she's decided to leave
home it must be because she's peeveI
at me. We had a little spat this
morning. I'll go with Tom, and II
she's there, I'll bring her home"
When she and Tom reached the
little "four-family" apartment where
Alice James had her tiny fiat, he ran
up the, steps of the porch and rang
the bell, while Mary Rose waited
for him in the car.
Hello, you big pill-and-plaster
MANI" she heard Alice greet him. IT
thought you'd be dropping around to
see me n Of these days. If 1 waited
long enough"
I'm oPNNAH llCA 81 ullly
came to see If F1ossie Middleton's
herel' he said. and Alice laughed
shrilly.
well, I should say she isn't! She
knows better than to show her face
around here!' she declared in her
thin little voice. Got me fired down
at Dexter's because 1 knew too much
about her an the boss! She's dumb,
but not SO dumb that she'd ever
come around here! You better ask
Dexter wheer she Is"
And she slammed the door IN
Toms face.
II wonder If she could be with
Dexter" Mary Rose wondered, as
they turned toward home.
At IL o'clock when she telephoned
Dexter's house he was still out. But
rang UP again at 1, the man servant
informed her that he had come in
and gone to bed
Mrs. Middleton broke down then.
There's nothing to do but let the
police know nj ask them to find
her." she cried into her handker-
chief. II know my girls been muir
dered-" She rocked to and fro in
her little old rocking chair, the
tears rolling down her small, wrin-
killed. face.
Don't be foolish, Mother!". Tom
sootbed her. patting her shoulders as
he spoke. who'd murder Flossie?"
How do we known" Mrs. Middle
ton asked him wildly. Here's, she's
been leading this double life of hers
with Sam Jessup on one side and
this Dexter on the other! How do
we know whom she knows, or what
she does? We don't know anything
about her! To think that a child