Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 and then no doubt speedy discovery of the plot would follow— Unless— Here Marion caught her breath with a sud- den gasp. Unless there was a regularly organized sys- tem tor plundering the house, in which not only the clerks, but their superiors, were par- ticipants. It began to look as if the work laid out for her was too great for her strength, but it did not occur to her once to even suggest aban- doning it. As soon as she had finished prac- ticing the next morning she started out. It was a beautiful fall morning, the air clear and mild. “And to think that blackness dwells in the human heart,” she sighed, sadly. “With so much sunshine all about, how can one grope in the darkness of evil deeds or stoop to acts that will smirch their souls forever!” She had decided to spend an hour in the store, and then, after a bite of luncheon, go straight to Danny. But once more the hand of fate intervened, and in place of doing an errand of mercy the young girl was to be made the victim of a crime which might have branded her inno- cence and honor forever. As she entered the store, she felt ‘even sadder than ever. The weight of her respon- sibility was growing momentarily heavier. Again she strolled carelessly about, glanc- ing over the goods on the counters and occa- sionally asking the price of an article that pleased her fancy. But although she spent a full hour in the store, she did not see any dishonesty ; neither did she see the shabbily-dressed woman whom she had seen the day before, although she was constantly on the lookout for her. Just as she was leaving by the main en- trance several women passed her. Someone jostled her arm, and she half turned to see who had done it. 2essie Ross slipped past her, as if she were ‘n extraordinary haste, and as she did so Marion felt her thrust something under her arin. The next second it fell with a thud and Bessie had vanished. In an instant a crowd of women had sur- . Gomicbooks: com MY QUEEN. rounded Murion, who stood, white as a sheet, looking down at what had failen.. “Caught in the act!” said a voice in her ear. “Trying to carry it away under your cape, eh P” Marion did not raise her eyes for the space of a second. She was staring at the large gold-monogramed pocket-book that lay on the floor at her feet, and wondering what it was best for her to do in this emergency. “You'll have to come to the office,” said the loud voice again, and then a woman detective employed by the store placed a hand deter- minedly upon Marion’s shoulder. The crowd of women were.all staring at Marion-now, and their remarks were as cruel as though she had already been proven guilty. “She’s a slick one, I tell you! Why, I saw the lady that she stole it from! And she was a lady, too. She did not even whimper when she lost it.” ‘ ‘““No—she had more sense,” said the woman detective, dryly. ‘She knew me by sight, and she came right out and told me about it.” “She don’t look like a thief,’”” said another, staring rudely at Marion. “But you can never tell,” she added. ‘‘Folks that has the most innocent faces are sometimes the worst thieves.” Marion looked at her calmly, her face still as white as snow. The woman detective had picked up the pocket-book without once taking her hand from Marion’s shoulder. “She should be taught a lesson,’ said one of the crowd to the detective. “It’s the only way you can protect honest customers.” “Ves, don’t let her beg off,” cried another woman. ‘No doubt she will say she’s got a sick husband and seven young ones.” To save herself, Marion could not help bursting out laughing. The husband would have been bad enough without the “young ones.” . Suddenly she threw her head back and stared at the crowd coolly, and as she spoke to them all a sad smile curved her lips. She was pitying them for their cruel, merciless natures, ‘“Tadies,” she said, calmly, “vou are just a bit hasty in your judgments. If you stood in my place, would you care to be treated as you . _ anal