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Ing you the address of my sister," he
explained. "She is a widow, young,
lonely. I am sure she would find you
a brighter home than this wretched
place.-"
Then Madam Jacobs came in. The
young man stated his business. He
was Arlo Willis, his sister was Mrs.
Ivan Neal. The latter had removed
from a formerhome. A great part of
its old furniture, the varied contents
of a lumber room, had been sold.
Among some papers, old papers that
had been thrown out from the old
furniture, was a certain document the
caller wished to recover.
The second-hand dealer who had
bought the stuff had informed him
that all the old carpets, rags and pa
per had been sold to Jacobs. Could
madam recall the transaction, Mr.
Willis inquired quite anxiously.
"Scarcely, she told Mm, but tne
t watchful Floribel noted a quick eager
gleam in her basilisk eyes. "I will
search, though," she promised, "and
let you know. The document, sir "
"Is a number of folded blue sheets'",
tied with a faded white ribbon. It
is marked "W."
"I will report to you," pledged ma
dam, and took his card, and he left
the gruesome place,-but not until he
had bestowed kindly, parting glance
at Floribel.
Then she dreamed. AH life seemed
radiant. It was as if, some royal
prince had entered a squalid Cinder
ella hut, leaving behind him a rare
memory of bewildering sensations.
Poor child! Love budded in her ten
der heart, in her very humility she
worshiped at its shrine.
Floribel treasured the card. She
memorized the names upon it Could
the vision indicated by "her courteous
visitor ever come true? To have such
friends, to be cared for amid cleanli
ness and comfort she thought not
of opulence or luxury just to be
near such sweet natures, to toil for
them, to love them this, simply, was
the aspiration of her cTiildlike, loyal
natureJ 1
All that afternoon the madamf
poked and ferreted about the place.
When her husband came home she
held a spirited, low-toned conversa
tion with him. Then both of them
proceeded to ransack pile after pile
of hitherto unassorted wreckage. jc
A quick token of interest came intgS
the mind of Floribel, as she saw thenar
hastening to the wretched room digjf
nified as the office of the old toppling
warehouse. The names of "Willis
"Neal" floated to her hearing, cauJ
tiously spoken. She gained a court,
where she could overhear what was J
said. j
"It's the paper," she heard the m
dam Say, "and it is worth a fortune,'(a
"How do you know?" spoke thep
rasping tones of old Jacobs.
'I have read it. A family secret
man an old scandal that these richj
people would surely give a fortune tc
suppress, aq, we are ncn, ncn, ncn
at last!" j
Guileless as to the ways of thgj
world as Floribel was, she realized
from what followed that her avarln
cious guardians were bent on a vast
blackmailing scheme. Her mind wokej
up to the immensity of the occasion.
To celebrate their discovering gj
fortune the old man and woman senj
out for liquor. It was long after darlj,
when they sank into a sodden sleeps
Floribel approached the recumben'
madam. ;
She had noticed where she had S6j
creted the blue colored document
with a white ribbon encircling it, just
as Mr. Willis had described. Here
eyes grew brilliant as two stars a
she secured the precious paper. SheJ
thrust it into her bosom.
Over and over again she repeated,
the name and address that Arlo Willisj
had written on the card.
Floribel rarely went out of ther
wretched building where she had
toiled so hard. It was a bitter coldj
night and her ragged shoes and thin
covering poorly-kept at bay the fiercej
biting frost Twice as she hurried
along she ielt as if she would sink tov
tMM
