Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

only the names of Terence O'Connell and crippled Danny. 1 Miss Merton held up her hands in horror at the recital. It did not seem possible to her that people could be so wicked, and she was particularly grieved over the shop-lifting epi- ‘sode, for she knew just how deeply it must have hurt the brave girl before her. - Before her brother could speak, she turned O. Marion. ~ “Now, do you know what I wanted to tell you the other day about Miss Ross! You see, she has been suspected before of being dishonest—in fact, my brother has had her wa itched i in the store; haven’t you, Tom? and once therr detective was almost sure that he aw her stealing.” “Why didn’t they arrest her and put an end to it at once?” asked Marion, quickly. | Tom Merton shook his head. '“They wanted to,” he said, simply; “but somehow she looked so miserable that I wouldn’t let them do it.” “That’s just like Tom, you know,” said his sister, looking at him proudly. “He would cut his hand off before he would take the chance of misjudging a woman.” _ “A fine fault to have, if it is a fault,” cried Marion, promptly. Then she looked smiling- ly at Mr. Merton, only to find his gaze fixed mn her admiringly. Tom Merton was a man of forty, but he was splendidly formed, and his face was as ree from wrinkles as a boy of twenty. Ss was a man of exemplary sentiments and habits, and the nobility of his soul shone i in his jovial countenance. | “I guess I have a weakness for women, as they call it,” he said, laughingly. “Anyway, ! would rather suffer most anything than to € Unjust to one of them; but this matter of the clerks has astounded me, Miss Marlowe.” A serious look had followed his recent laughter. He was confronted by a problem 4 lat was “distressing. “Palmer, our superintendent, has had his suspicions for some time,” he went on, “but BAe has so much faith in our system that he did not think it was possible to beat it, un- ness—as seems to be exactly the case—there WS a regular organized method among the cle lerks for getting the best of it.’ + . a: = MY QUEEN. 19 “Well, it does look like that,” said his sis- ter, quickly. “But who can that woman be whom Miss Marlowe speaks of—the one with the shabby clothes, who drives in her car- riage?” Tom Merton was thoughtful, but he could not answer the question, but, with the aid of the check which Marion showed him, he had been able to identify one, at least, of the of- fenders. “That girl is a Miss Day,” elanced at it. “Her number is 419. member her distinctly.” “Do you know anything against her?” asked his sister, quickly. “Only that the head of stock has been half he said, as he I re- crazy for a month. She has not only been missing silks, but her stock is badly jumbled, and our detectives, so far, have not been able to help her.” “I guess it was just luck that I saw it,” said Marion, “If I didn’t have such sharp eyes, | could never have seen those figures.” Once more Tom Merton bent upon her an admiring glance. She was so beautiful, so in- nocent, and yet so clever. “What will vou do about it, Tom?’ ” asked his sister, anxivusly. Tom Merton had beeft thinking of that very thing, and was ready to answer her question promptly. “T shall tell our detectives to speak to Miss Ross the first time they see her, and warn her that if she is ever seen in the store again she will be arrested, and then I shall find out also who that shabby woman is, and just how many of our clerks are standing in with her. I have no doubt that I shall find that she is a regular crook, and she may be carrying on this game in every store in the city. “Oh, you have stirred up a hornet’s nest with your sharp eyes, I can assure you, Miss Marlowe! But tell me, are you disgusted with your work, or will you continue to help me?” His voice grew tender as he asked the question, and as he looked eagerly at Marion there was no mistaking the admiration in his expression. A soft flush covered the girl’s cheeks, but her eyes sparkled with eagerness as she re- plied: Go DOO) AUUC S) (CO)