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Show BELLE OFJILLAGE Edna Wilbur's Startling Discovery; Discov-ery; New and Fashionably Dressed Admirer a Burglar. By WALTER J. DELANEY. Edna Wilbur never looked prettier in her life than upon the day when the "Industrial Exchange" opened at Mil-ville. Mil-ville. Imagine an old-fashioned double store made over into a modern emporium em-porium of trade, permanent counters and gaily decorated booths all about It. Add an airy dancing; room overhead over-head and you have a mere idea of what the Village Young Ladies' club had done for the factory hands down the river and the families of farmers all over the county. The original Idea of this progressive move for the social and business betterment bet-terment of the district had been born In the busy little brain of the belle of the town. Edna and her girl friends had got rich old Jabez Hull to fix up the ancient building. Her club had set everybody at fancy work. The village vil-lage merchants had donated some of their goods liberally, even the farmers had subscribed handsomely. The place was to hold a sort of permanent fair every Saturday. Admission was free; all the articles carried were for sale or exchange. It was hoped to encourage encour-age the poor mill girls in needlework, and give to; all cheap household knicknacks at cost price. Then there was to be a band, a supper, sup-per, a clean, instructive picture show, and dancing. The social and economic features of the enterprise appealed to everybody, and now, just before dusk, a great throng crowded the busy street in front of the Exchange. It was a pretty sight. The doors of the place were crossed and re-crossed re-crossed with white ribbon. In the center of these, just over the knob of the door, was a great vari-colored rosette. All life, animation and beauty, Edna stood at the threshold. The mayor of the town, in evening dress, lifted his glossy silk hat, first to her and then to the crowd. In a neat little speech he welcomed his MM i l ' l The Edge of the Sash Imprisoned His Neck. townsmen to the Exchange. Then he drew a pair of silver scissors from his coat pocket. Edna took them, placed them across the ribbons, and snipped them in twain. They floated like streamers in the gay breeze, and, pressing in the doors, the mayor proclaimed pro-claimed loudly: "The Exchange is open welcome." A fashionable dressed young man pressed his way through the throng, about the first of those to enter the Exchange. He was at Edna's side as she passed into the cashier's boot . "The sweetest of all flowers for the belle of the occasion," he said impressively. im-pressively. Edna received the bouquet of redolent redo-lent lilies of the valley with a happy Bmile and secured them at her corsage. cor-sage. "A handsome couple look as if they were mated for one another," said an observant visitor to his companion. com-panion. "Who is he? Stranger, I Bee." "Yes," was the reply. "Been here only a few days. Chicago stock broker, they say, taking a little vacation. vaca-tion. Calls himself Eugene Allen." "Rich, I suppose?" "Pretends to be. Acts a pretty ictive figure automobiles and all that. Taken quite a shine to Miss Wilbur." Edna was very busy, as were all tier assistants, for the next hour. There was a great throng, and the iffair was certainly a wonderful success. suc-cess. More than once E,dna stole a hurried, disappointed look about the room. "Why did Robert not come? she isked herself, and her rosebud lips pouted slightly. She had been flattered flat-tered at the graceful attentions of Allen, but why had tioi Robert I'eaii been on hand, as she had anticipated, as she had a right to expect? They were lovers, almost engaged. They were neighbors, their homes near together. Mary Dean was Edna's closest friend. And then as Edna at last saw Robert enter the room, a handsome brunette, a stranger to her, on his arm, her face drew down and she turned her back deliberately upon up-on Robert as he smiled at her. Purposely Bhe evaded him after that When the band struck up and the dancing began upstairs, she allowed al-lowed the handsome stranger, Mr. Allen, to take most of the dances on her card. "I want to introduce somebody to you, Edna," Robert managed to say to her in a crush at the Bupper. "Some other time," retorted Edna pettishly, and when the dance was over she again evaded Robert, seeking for her with a hurt, mystified look on his face. Edna allowed Mr. Allen to see her home and to carry the handbag containing con-taining the proceeds of the sales. She listened to his handsome compliments, com-pliments, and spitefully compared his elegant ways with those of the plain but honest Robert. When she got home, however, and reached her room, she sat down with a sigh and a dull pain at her heart. Her parents were away visiting a relative in another town. Only deaf old Aunt Jane was In the house. The place seemed dreadfully silent and lonesome. It was the more so, because be-cause of the Bentiment that she and Robert had become estranged. Before Be-fore she knew it, seated in a comfortable comfort-able arm chair, Edna was asleep. She woke to the echoes of something some-thing falling, a human groan. The light was still burning in the room. With a low cry Edna sprang to her feet. A startling picture was revealed to her. The window overlooking the porch roof was partly open, and held so by a masked man. The edge of the sash imprisoned his neck. One arm was reached through, striving to reach a pistol that had fallen from his hand and rolled over near the dresser. In a flash Edna realized that the Intruder In-truder was a burglar, who had opened the window to have it fall upon and Imprison him. Upon a table lay the handbag and her diamond sunburst pin. There, too, were the Lilver scissors. scis-sors. The man was struggling to force up the Bash. ' Edna summoned, up all her courage. She darted to the table, seized the scissors and ran - at the intruder. "If you move," she cried in a tremulous tremu-lous but brave voice, "I will stick you w'ith the scissors!" What should she do? She dared not leave the room the burglar might release himself. Her eyes fell upon a toy telephone apparatus near another window and an electric button but-ton near it It ran over the trees to the Dean home. Robert had rigged it up to enable his sister and his love to hail each other when they liked. The button operated a wire electrically electrical-ly charged, and ringing bells at either end of the line. Soon there was a response. The bell rang in the room. "Mary' Mary!" gasped Edna, "rouse somebody, send over at once. There is a burglar here!" Inside of five minutes Robert Dean, his sister, their brunette visitor and a hired man hailed Edna from the garden. gar-den. She called to them, to force a way into the house. The burglar was unmasked behold Mr. Eugene Allen! "Oh, Robert! Robert!" sobbed the repentant Edna, when the elegant stranger was safe in the town jail and her lover had explained that the dark brunette was his cousin. "Can you ever forgive me?" "I can always love you," replied Robert staunchly, "and that should answer every question." (Copyright, 1913, by W. G. Chapman.) |