Marion Marlowe's Skill, or, A Week as a Private Detective — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

MY “Sure her name is Simpson or Sampson, or the loikes o’ that. She’s a rale swell cus- - toomer av ther store in spoite av her owld clothes that do be’s just fit fer ther scare- crows.” | Marion thanked him and went on. a did not dare question further. Her next nove was to go to a drug-store and study a . Reicectory. . ‘There was not a Simpson in the book with “th ie initials” “p, D.,” but almost at the first ¥ "glance she found a Wise: A. D. Sampson. A memorandum of the address speedily Pioflowed this find and Marion was well on her road to an important discovery. An hour later Mrs. Sampson received an unexpected caller. It was a young lady who asked to see her on urgent business. _ The home of Mrs. Sampson was almost a ~pe palace, and the lady herself appeared in the parlor so handsomely gowned that her caller hardly knew her. “LT have taken the liberty of calling, madam, to see if I can interest you in this excellent book, the ‘Life of Abraham Lincoln,’ with full-page illustrations,” began Marion, ‘ee taae : The next moment the woman’s acer ae the words on her lips, and she began _ to wonder what form of punishment’ was about to be meted out to her. _ “How dare you enter my house on such _ an errand?” almost screamed the woman. “Urgent business, indeed! This is a most = ‘ impudent intrusion!’ ‘ “| guess it is, madam,’ muttered Marion. x as she started unceremoniously for the door, _ “but I am sorry I can’t interest you in Abraham Lincoln!’ The woman was still scolding vociferously _ When she closed the door behind the girl _ with a slam, and as Marion reached the sidewalk she burst out laughing. “Tm lucky to get out as easy as I did,” _ she whispered, merrily, “and anyway I know _ who she is now beyond a doubt, and it has _ only cost me a piles for this copy of the ‘Life of Lincoln.’ It was the cleverest bit of detective work _ that Marion had ever done, and she could not help congratulating herself a little. ~ “I just wanted to see for myself,” she Va ~ - we > QUEEN. She 21 thought, as she hurried home, “for, as Mr. Merton says, | would not be unjust to any one.’ So this woman who lived ina palace v was a veritable rogue! She was mean and wicked enough to employ poor clerks to steal for her or, what was exactly the same thing, to de- fraud their employers. No doubt she paid them well for their work, but it was a depth of infamy that Marion could not fathom. In less than an hour she was strolling through Howard & Howard’s, and as the woman detective passed she winked at Marion slyly. ; Marion knew by that that Mr. Merton must have told her who she was, and it was a relief to feel that she would not be molested. As she walked through the store she found nothing to alarm her. Some of the clerks were uncivil, but that seemed almost trivial. Once or twice she saw glances exchanged between some of the girls, and it occurred to her that perhaps they had heard that she was a shop-lifter, and for a moment she was an- noyed and confused by their glances. If she had known that they were merely commenting on her beauty it would doubt- ; ‘ . ‘ ; less have relieved her feelings considerably. But Marion was as modest as she was beautiful and brave, so these frequent glances still remained a mystery. Some of the girls attracted her by their honest faces, and she shuddered to think how closely they were associated with criminals. Just as she left the store she met Dr. Brookes. He was on his way to visit a patient. He drew her aside, up close to the show windows, and for perhaps ten minutes they chatted cordially. “I have a great deal to tell you,” said Marion, suddenly. “It is such a long story that I would not dream of telling it here, but perhaps: '—here she looked at him ee “perhaps I coutd prevail upon you to call this evening.’ “I will be there at eight, sharp,” was the doctor’s prompt answer. “But, Marion. tell me, are you in any sort of trouble? There is a look in your eyes that I don’t quite fancy.’ Marion closed her eyes quickly and COMICOOOKS. EO