The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

154 Now, Mrs. Palmenter, bemg a woman who usually had her, way when she wanted it, had by no means given up the idea of marrying her niece to her cousin, Sylvester Rarnes. In spite of the girl’s prejudice against that young man, and notwithstand- ing the fact that the latter had not called at the house in several weeks, she still clung to the belief that the couple could be brought together again. So when she saw her niece clip off one of her auburn tresses and carefully adjust it within the little gold case, Mrs. Palrnen- ter’s face grew dark. Naturally placing a wrong construction on the incident she jumped to the conclusion that the girl was preparing a keepsake for some favored suitor, and she was quite sure that suitor was not young Mr. Barnes. Nelta was called to the telephone pres- ently, and when she went out of the room she left the locket lying on her dressing table. That was Mrs. Palmenter’s oppor- tunity and she was quick to seize it. Pouncing on the locket, she stood for a moment scowling at its contents. Then her glance chanced to fall on Rover, Nella’s black and white collie, who lay asleep on the bed. A malicious gleam came to her eyes and her thin lips curved in a smile of grim humor. Picking up the shears from the dressing table she clipped a fragment from the dog’s shaggy coat. Then she removed her niece’s hair from the locket and put the dog’s glossy fur in its place. When Nella returned the locket was lying on the dressing table, apparently just as she had left it, and her aunt was not in the room. Unsuspecting, the girl picked up the trinket and went down-stairs. IV. It was just after the evening “ mess ” when Nella returned to the camp, and she found Private Howard Blandish standing cutside the picket lines, enjoying an after- dinner smoke from a much-blackened briar pipe. He stepped forward eagerly to meet her. “What luck?” he asked. “Did you find it?” “IT guess you won’t have to make any THE ARGOSY. excuses to your fiancée after all,” the girl responded, smiling. ‘ Here it is.” His face lighted up as he took the trinket from her. He insisted on reimbursing her for the expense she had been put to in re- deeming the pledge. “But that doesn’t begin to make us quits,” he declared. ‘I can’t tell you how much I am in your debt. And you have come to my rescue just m time, too. I ex- pect Irene here any mmmute. I have an appointment to take her to the theater to- night. If—ah! here she comes now. What a narrow escape!” Nella glanced at the beautiful, stun- ningly dressed woman who was advancing toward them. “Then I sappose I’d better be going,” she said with a laugh. “If she is as jealous as you say I won’t stay to be introduced.” After she had walked some distance away she could not resist the temptation to turn and watch the pair. They were walking slowly across the lawn, arm in arm, and thoroughly absorbed in each other. “Thank goodness I was in time,” said Nella to herself. ‘‘ And what a piece of luck that I happened to think about that second locket!” And then suddenly she became aware that something was wrong. The pair had halted, and the soldier, evidenfly in re- sponse to a challenge from his companion, had taken the locket from his pocket and handed it to her. Nelta saw the woman fatigh as she started ta open the trinket, but an instant later a startling change came over her manner. She began to gesticulaté wildly, and, al- though at that distance Nella coutd not hear what was said, she could see that Pri- vate Howard Blandish was being violently upbraided. The latter stood as though stunned while the woman poured out the vials of her wrath on him. Presently he laid a hand entreatingly on her arm, but she angrily shook him off, and, turning on her heels, walked swiftly away. It was not until the irate widow was out of sight that Nella plucked up courage to approach the dazed infantryman, who still stood as though rooted to the spot. oO comicbool< CO