The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-09-16
Della's Wedding
Day
By SMITH PETERS
ASSOCIATED Newspapers.)
WNU Service.

parted little as she spoke.
Eyes, and the skirt :" Noel
Morgan's mother went on eagerly.
'Now, look here" interrupted
Noel, ''the dress is stolen along with
heaven alone knows how many other
dresses and coats and wraps, so
what's the use of talking about it?"
''That's right, of course" said
Mrs. Morgan slowly. ''You and
Della had better go for little walk
and I'll iron out my collar and hand
kerchiefs for tomorrow"
"But l want to hear the rest about
the DRESS" Della insisted.
She heard Mrs. Morgan's descrip-
ton of the dress to the last minute
detail with but one ear. Her other
ear seemed to hear over and over
the words: "You can't be married
now! You can't be married now!"
Noel Morgan was making only a
fair-sized income, an income which
would serve the purposes of two
people, but not three His mother
had for years been the capable head
of the department of suits and coats
in the leading shop of the city. En-
tirely Independent financially, Mrs.
Morgan led a most delightful life.
Then of a sudden between So, 1000 and
$4,000 worth of dresses, coats and
ensembles had been stolen one night.
''It has all the earmarks of an in
side job" the police detective re-
ported to the owners.
Then another robbery occurred
and another-and another.
''Inside jobs, all of them!" the de-
tective said.
! 'And if mother loses her position
we just can't be married, Della"
said Noel miserably.
''We can't issue any more insur-
ance against theft until you've
cleaned up the department." stated
the insurance company. either
you will have to dismiss every one
, in the department or you will have
to check up the last five years in
every ones life, and then you may
locate your difficulty"
'Foolish talk to speak of checking
up the last five years of every en-
ployee. Why, except for Mrs. Nor
gan they've all come to us within
the year Labor turnover :"
said the owners.
They'll clean out the department,
I suppose" Mrs. Morgan told Della.
But within Della's pretty little
head grew a plan. Her keen mem
DRY could picture the stolen dresses,
one by one. She went to the busiest
| corner of town. There she stood
watching girls and women go by,
hoping that sooner or later some of
the stolen clothes would appear on
some one.
After two hours of weary waiting,
however, she had seen none of the
clothes. She took a street car,
more to rest her aching feet than
because she wanted to ride. She
glued her eyes to every shop she
passed. Suddenly she sprang to her
feet and ran down the aisle of the
street car.
At the next corner she could hard
ly move because of the beating of
her heart. A dingy sign with the
word MODESTO swung in the mid
die of the block behind her. And in
the window had been displayed a
dress with butterfly on the Shout
der. And on the skirt butter
flies!
Now that she had actually found
one of the looked-for garments she
hardly knew what step to take. She
decided to telephone both Mrs. Nor
gan and Noel.
"But, child! l can't leave the
store!" gasped Mrs. Morgan when
Della asked her to hurry to No.
14OO Smith street. Fright now, you
know-unless something is wrong?"
she added.
"Oh, everything is right, not
wrong" Della laughed Historically.
ooh, hurry, hurry! Take a cab and
don't lose minutel"
And such was the efficiency of the
police that before night the little
modiste had gone back to her shop,
having convinced every one that she
was blameless, having bought
frocks from man who represented
himself as a wholesaler clearing out
his stock. The criminal himself
peered out from behind bars, telling
any and all who would listen that it
was the red-haired Sadie, the new
est girl in Mrs. Morgan's depart
ment, who had led him astray.
eyes" said Sadie bitterly. st
once served time and he knew if
they found it out at the store they'd
fire me. So he threatened to tell
them unless I left open the fire.
escape door so that the burglar
alarms couldn't sound when he
came inl Oh, might have known
how it would end! And I'm straight
now, tool"
But now that the store owners
knew, Sadie found that they were