Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

- Seal ——. * . 4 ’ =~ are treating me—accused of a crime and then ‘convicted unheard and without so much as a word of evidence against me?” There was a breathless silence, and the de- tective removed her hand from the young girl’s shoulder. The conviction had come to | her instantly that her prisoner was innocent. |} No voice could ring like that if there was treachery behind it. “Some person,,a woman, pushed that under my arm,” went on Marion, quietly. “I was so surprised that it fell, and the woman van- ished. While you have been keeping guard over me, the guilty person has escaped. Now, I insist that you take me at once to the office.” “Tt will be necessary, miss, I am sorry to say,” said the detective, quickly. “But, tell me, did this woman wear a long gray cape, and was she about eighteen years old and rather pretty, but haggard?” Marion turned toward her calmly, her beautiful lips compressed and stern. “Excuse me, please,” she said, very quietly. “T shall not describe her until you take me to the office.” “Then come,” said the detective, as she led tl e way. * 7? _ With only a scornful glance at the crowd of curious women, the brave girl turned pt omptly and followed the detective. CHAPTER AX. GIVING A DETECTIVE THE SLIP. = But the detective was not destined to take _ Marion to the office, for as they passed side by side through the wide aisles the young _ girl was doing a lot of fast thinking. — It would ruin her usefulness in the store to be known. Even Mr. Merton had warned _ her that he would not even bow. to her if he “saw her. She must conceal her identity at all hazards for his sake, and at just that mo- Ment she saw her opportunity. __ the detective was so sure that she was go- _ ing to the office voluntarily that she did not — even look around when Marion fell a step be- _ hind her. a Not twenty feet away was the side door of _ the building. Just as Marion glanced at it - eagerly two women came down the aisle, and MY QUEEN. 17 by stopping for a second she let them pass between her and the detective. The next second, without a word, she turned and followed them, walking no faster than she would under ordinary circumstances. As she reached the sidewalk she burst out laughing, but the danger was not over yet. She must get away as soon as possible. A car was passing, and she swung herself on to it cleverly, not so much as saying “Dy your leave” to either gripman or conductor. “That was a pretty risky thing to do, miss,” said the conductor, sharply. Marion smiled and handed him her nickel without speaking. She was too amused at her own action to bother with the conductor. “T gave her the slip that time,” she thought as she rode along. ‘‘Won’t she be surprised when she turns around! Still, I’m satisfied that she knew I wasn’t guilty.” She had reached her hotel before she thought of Danny, but as she was tired and excited she took time to rest a minute. She must see Miss” Merton, if not her brother. It would relieve her a little to tell what had happened. : “Out again,” she said, disappointedly, as she knocked at the door and got no response. “That means I must keep my horrid secrets a while longer.” She walked slowly up one flight of stairs to the third floor of the building and opened her own door, feeling sad and dispirited. “T may as well eat my luncheon, now I am here,” she thought, as she was bathing her face. “After that nothing shall deter me from calling on the cripple.” Madame Leopold knocked on the door just as Marion finished her toilet. Marion knew why she had come. She had not heard her practicing. “Oh, madame! I can’t sing to-day !”’ she be~ ean the moment the door was opened. “Please don’t scold.-me! I am feeling abomi- nably! I am sure I should flat awfully.” “But why?” asked the teacher, giving her pupil a sharp look. “IT guess [am a bit blue,”” was Marion’s sad answer. “It isn’t very often that I feel that way—but, oh, dear! there’s so much misery in the world that it depresses me awfully. CORNICLIOO® (Cc <S) (©)