United States or Honduras ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"'Stay! that will do, she whispered; 'come to my house and I will give you the thousand dollars. You must pretend you are my cousin. "'I will pretend anything, Mrs. Bater, I murmured, helping her into a taxi, 'anything so long as I can be with you." "You got the money?" Hamar queried. "Yes," Kelson said with a smile, "I got the money in fact, everything I asked for."
Bater, I replied, 'you have a pin, a hair brush, a scent bottle and a jar, and I described them each minutely, 'whilst in your house you have on your dressing-table a silver-backed clothes brush, a silver manicure set you kleptomaniad if you prefer to call it so from Deacon's in Sacramento Street; a tortoiseshell manicure set, and an ivory card case you obtained in the same manner from Varter's in Market Street; a set of silver buttons, a glove stretcher, and a mauve pin-cushion you likewise helped yourself to from Selter's in Kearney Street; but I might go on detailing them to you till further orders, for your house is literally crammed with them.
"'Well, madam! I replied, 'some things are rather delicate er for single men like me to mention, but I do know that er a lady very like remarkably like you, has in her pocket at this moment a rattle which she bought and paid for in Oakland's late last night. And as, madam, Mr. Bater has been dead over two years let me see yes, two years yesterday one can !
"I stepped up to her, and politely raising my hat said, 'Good morning, Mrs. Bater. I've a message for you. "'I don't know you, she said eyeing me very doubtfully, 'who are you? "'Forgotten! I said tragically, 'and I had flattered myself it would be otherwise. Still I must try and survive. I wanted to ask you a favour, Mrs. Bater. "'A favour! she exclaimed nervously, 'what is it?
"'Beast! she hissed, 'so you are a blackmailer! "'A black beetle if you like, I responded, 'but I assure you, Mrs. Bater, I am letting you off cheap. I have only to call for a policeman and your reputation would be gone at once. Besides, I know other things about you. "'What other things? she stuttered.
A tow head was suddenly thrust from behind the partly open door, and a hand halted him by catching appealingly at his sleeve. "She bane bater?" asked a low, timid voice. The cattleman turned, half startled, and shook his head as he replied, "I reckon she's a lot worse," he said. He walked on, but paused again at the smoke-house.
You have done very well, Mrs. Bater, with the San Francisco storekeepers. "'Good God, man, what are you? she gasped. 'You seem to read into the innermost recesses of my soul, and to know everything. "'You are right, madam, I said, trying to appear very stern and almost failing, she was so pretty.
Divination at once told me she was the popular widow of J.K. Bater, the Biscuit King of Nob Hill, and that she was carrying in her big seal-skin muff a gold hatpin mounted with an emerald butterfly, a silver-backed hair brush, a blue enamelled scent bottle, and a porcelain jar, all of which she had slyly 'nicked, when no one was looking.
Probably most readers have heard of the famous contract with the gardener Philip Bater, who had a weakness for the output of stills such as those mentioned above.
Word Of The Day