Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

am sorry for her.” her. om Pa “or. MY QUEEN. ~” tered, “and just as like as not she won't buy a yard.” Marion heard her distinctly, but she did not reply. She was beginning to wonder if all the clerks were like this one, and, if so, -how Howard & Howard managed to do such a business. As the girl threw the silks eer on the ' counter, Marion examined them carefully. She had to keep up the appearance of being an outsider while she was secretly studying this insolent clerk’s manner. tah SB! should report her, she would lose her place,” Marion thought as she fingered the silks. position, when she is so cross and rude; still, Poor thing! I “But she doesn’t deserve to have a she looks so thin and pale. _ Another customer had come up to the coun- # ter, and the girl went forward to wait upon ier. As Marion glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, she was surprised to ob- serve the change in her manner. ° While she was not overpleasant, she was _ polite and courteous, and after a minute - - Marion noticed that they had exchanged meaning glances. The woman, who was middle-aged and shabbily dressed, counter, and as the girl showed her some silks she seemed to be studying the prices atten- tively. | leaned heavily upon the Suddenly she ordered a few yards of a piece that Marion had been examining, and the girl made out a check and took the | money. Marion’s quick eyes were watching the whole transaction, and as the girl wrote her check she caught sight of the figures. A moment more and the check and the money had gone down through the tube to the cashier, while the silk was tossed care- lessly up to the busy packer. As the girl’s back was turned, Marion 13 pulled the piece of silk toward her. It was marked two dollars a yard, but the check had been made out for only a dollar. This bit of dishonesty startled Marion ter- ribly. She almost gasped, but recovered her- self in an instant. Then, as the girl turned back, she laid her hand on the same silk that the woman had bought, and, acting on Mr. Merton’s tions, ordered that four yards be cut for her. direc- “Two dollars a yard—eight dollars,” said the girl, as she made out the check. Marion paid her out of the money that Mr. Merton What she handwriting had given her for the purpose. wanted was to get the clerk’s and number. As she walked on slowly through the store, She had just been initiated into a form of dishonesty which her brain was in a whirl. made her blood run cold with horror. “It is dreadful,” thought of the girl’s coolness. she whispered, as she “There is no impulse about that—it is cold, deliberate thieving.” Then she began to wonder who the woman was, and in a moment her keen eyes were searching the store over for her. | She discovered her at the men’s neckwear | department, and walked slowly up beside her. As she paused, apparently to examine some goods, she overheard the woman talking to one of the male clerks, who had sprung for- ward with great alacrity to wait upon her. “That tie is a dollar and a half,” said the young man, in an unnecessarily loud voice, as he took one from the-case and handed it to the woman. He threw several others down on the coun- ter a moment later, and then, as the woman said something very softly, he nodded and said: “All right, madam.” Marion asked one of the clerks for a tie of a certain shade, and while he went to look for it she watched what was going on before her without in any way appearing to do so. COMICHOOKS. EO