Evening star., 1928-11-18

: to the writing desk In the cubby-holes
were letters she virtuously refrained
from reading, though she would have
liked to nightly. But when she found a
| frayed clipping from a weekly mac
azine devoted to the doings of the
socially elect she saw no reason why
she shouldn't look that over. And so:
| "One of the most exclusive and in
| flexible upholders of the ancient regime,
whose august presence only the ultra
| elect may enter without fear and
trembling, is due to suffer severe shock
ere long, we fear. The parsonage In
question, rich in years but far from
| her dotage. has charming If willful,
granddaughter to whom she looks to
carry on the family glory. The grand
daughter, whose parents died some
years ago. is now being prepared for
her debut In school outside Phila-
delphia.
so far so good. But bark Almost
daily the damsel. keen devotee OF
riding. canters forth to the most
romantic of trysts. These are quite
sub rosa. naturally. for her Romeo-elect
is but groom on rleighboring estate.
'Tis said that he was gallant in war rs
we'll as in love. and is the possessor of
D. S. o. An Englisnman. we gather,
and @ personable one. Older than our
little sub-deh in years and experience.
and having come to our shores to seek
his fortune. hopeful. perhaps. that he
has found It..
But elias. in America as we'll as In
England, rank is the guinea's stamp,
and though a man may be man. for
all he's a groom. he cannot either here
or there be considered a desirable parti.
This being so, we predict that some
day soon the grandmother. who holds
the purse strings, will awake to what
Is happening and will descend like o
blight upon this budding romance"
Did the clipping refer to the missing,
mysterious sally? Eileen wondered.
II so. had she elcped with the groom?
"Ill bet she did-or is going to-" she
decided. That's why her grandmother
had detectives on her trail. But why
did she stop searching and bring me
back instead?" This puzzled her for a
second. And then she caught her
breath. She wouldn't-couldn't dream
away with anything like that"
Yet here was she, Eileen. being used
deliberately to ipnpersonate the missing
Sally. That's why she's keeping me
locked up" her thoughts raced on. ut
another tangent. And why I'm not to
speak to anybody BIT she can't
keen me locked up forever"
Then she remembered what she had
read about Europe. For an extended
stay there" the newspaper had said
1t all fitted together, anyway. Her
own identity had been stripped from her
as completely as her clothes. The paper
had announced Sally Thsxter had re-
turned from Chicago. Besides which.
n1aA Cn11 IaaA BAsl ...lx,
vicariously. on her grandmother
friends that afternoon.
Gosh. how that woman must be
able to hate!" unused Eileen. Then.
swiftly, her thoughts took further
leap. The real Sally would probably
be disinherited. If so-gosh! Il may
be going crazy myself" she assured
herself, but. if this is my chance at
million-lead me to It'll"
The more she thought of it-and it
was after two when she finally fell
asleep-the more possible it seemed
somehow.
BREAKFAST, served at eight, broke
- her slumberS. The visions of the
| night before began to lack credibility
and the morning dragged interminably
At luncheon, however she was informed
that madam was taking her to the
symphony rehearsal that afternoon
She quickened at that Music! That
was another of the gifts Eileen craved
from life. But would she really hear
1t?
1T would be Just like her to have
the chauffeur leave the tickets at the
door and come home" she reminded
herself
Nothing like that happened, how
ever. Eileen sat surrounded by music
lovers.
OF many curicS gIances cast toward