| Show sally and her pearls by ALICE DUANE 0 by mcclur newspaper Newa paper serelo would not have gone to the dance at all if she had her own way about it but jim talked her into it 1 I hare nothing to wear said sally make something out 0 that affa pillow advised jim and look a thousand times better than the average and aa a matter of fact there was not a more beautiful girl at the great ball than sally in her wisp of evening gown that she had fashioned her gray slippers and stockings to match and the whole topped as jim put it by her red riot of curls that old string of beads could be a priceless lot of pearls for all anyone here might know he told her as they and it they were real retorted sally 1 I would not be here seeking patrons for my art shop I 1 could have such a gorgeous shop that people would come in spite of themselves she toyed gracefully with the long string of beads in question oh dear I 1 that the limit right in the middle of the ballroom she exclaimed and a brilliant blush sprang swiftly to her cheeks the string had broken and the beads were rolling everywhere at once of course she was the center of attention and all the dancers stopped to help rescue what they supposed to be pearls please dont bother said sally they are only beads nevertheless they were nearly all restored to her and she put them carelessly into her small vanity bag A young man however sitting watching the affair had picked up a few of the beads and having overheard sallys remark about their value looked carefully at them hemphi I 1 think show these to barney look like the real thing to me perhaps I 1 can do the young lady a good turn rather fancy her any way he managed by much inquiry to find out who sally was and that she had a little shop where she sold lamp shrikes cushions and other such trifles and as sally and jim strolled up park avenue to the tiny place that was sallys home jim wished with all his heart that he was anything but an in dependent artist who dared not tell the only girl how much he loved her had been quite ashamed to give her the old string of beads on the occasion of her birthday some few years back but it was all he had in bis scant possessions when ally said good ight she apologized softly for having caused such a scene at the dance 1 I want to let that crowd know bow much I 1 valued all of those beads jim but I 1 think we found most of them she gave his hand an extra warm squeeze and slipped up the stairs come early sunday afternoon she called back to him sunday was the happiest day of their week for sally tired of her own cooking let jim get her tea and sup per sunday nights and on this sunday evening while sally was idly running through some music and jim was making something delicious in the kitchen some one knocked at the front door sally has bened to see who it might be and whether her nice evening with jim was to be shared with a third person that third person happened to be the young man who had picked up oliree of the beads from sallys string after telling her bis mission he was promptly invited in and when sally told him that she had a string of them that would go three times around her neck the young man gasped my dear young lady he excitedly told her if all those beads are of the value of the three I 1 picked up you have a set of pearls worth at least fifty thousand dollars jim she shouted come quickly im going to faint and when jim rushed from the kitchen with apan of steaming pigs in blankets ln his hand she stood up braced her shoulders and decided not to faint no I 1 wont she said and turned to the strange young man tell mr barncs what you have just said jim bad all he could do to keep the steaming sunday night supper from gracing the studio floor been in the barnes family tor ages I 1 dont think their value was ever suspected he calmly my pal says that Is only a rough estimate they may be worth double that amount in that case I 1 shall moat certainly faint laughed sally and invited the strange young man to stay for supper but something in the eyes of these two artists prevented him from accepting the fire and hope and love lying there were not to be intruded upon he left them to their happiness |
