Our Mutual Girl, No. 38 (1914)

Margaret spent an idyllic day shopping with Aunt Abbie. All the wonderful gowns, negligees and luxurious wraps that her niece bought for her were chosen with such perfect taste, and were made in such beautiful, soft, becoming colors and materials, that she felt like an elderly Cinderella. When they reached home in Westchester, Margaret ran to find Baby Lily and told the cherub that she will have a party. She persuaded Lily to sit on the sofa while she dashed off a score of notes to children in the neighborhood. Then she ran to the telephone and ordered goodies and toys and treasures enough for a whole Christmas. The party was the very next day. Baby Lily proved herself a perfect hostess and Margaret was proud of her. It was the day after that, that Our Mutual Girl went to a tea at the Hamiltons'. Just as she started she was reminded of the jewel Lily's mother brought. It was too valuable to risk leaving in the house, and she decided to slip it in her lace dansant bag; and then go round to the bank with it after the tea. She had scarcely reached the scene of the festivities, when somebody noticed an antique pin which their hostess was wearing. Miss Hamilton took it off, and it traveled from hand to hand among the admiring guests. When it came to Margaret, she was startled to find that it was an exact replica of the one she had in her bag. She stepped aside a moment to compare the two. Why should Miss Hamilton have a jewel the counterpart of Lily's mother's? In the course of its passage among the score or more of guests, the pin was lost for a moment, and in the excitement of locating it, one of the girls turned her handbag wrong-side-out and suggested that everybody else do the same, in case some absent-minded member might have tucked it away unconsciously. Our Mutual Girl was in a quandary. But her quick wits came to her rescue. Drawing herself up haughtily, she said, "I think this is all utterly absurd! I, for one refuse to open my bag. I scorn the imputation, and I bid you good afternoon." Of course they ran after her and brought her back with a thousand apologies, and in the general commotion, the mislaid pin was discovered. Then Miss Hamilton told its story, which was decidedly romantic, it being the companion stone to one possessed by a cousin who had eloped with a chauffeur, and had never since been heard from. Margaret, painfully excited, though hiding her emotions, could not fail to recognize the clue to the family of Baby Lily. The following evening Our Mutual Girl might have been seen in Miss Hamilton's boudoir, searching her bureau, dresser and chiffonier before she brought to light the companion stone. The day before, while comparing them, she had exchanged the two pins. She knew she had by the different initials marked on the back. She could not have gone openly to her friend about it, as this would have been to expose the identity of Baby Lily. Hardly had she made the matter right when, opening the door, she found herself looking into the muzzle of a double barreled shotgun. "Hands up!" commanded a very determined looking young man, nowise daunted to find his "burglar" a beautiful young girl. Our Mutual Girl had no choice but to obey.