Hour of Enchantment / A Mystery Story for Girls

He was wearing a long yellow coat and carrying

ure," she whi

moment he would move, and th

lay before her. She was poised, like a pigeon in a belfry, but oh, so high up! Six hu

for a Chinaman, looking hard-for a Chinaman with prodigiously long ears. But she had decided to forget h

e steel cables. And darting from one tower to the other over these cables, like veritable rockets which they were made to represent, were cars of steel and glass from which one might vie

fee and entered the express elevator t

e should not take it at all that night. This, of course, she could not know. So, quit

the elevator. The tower appe

e to sway too far?" she whispered to herself now. "What if it shoul

can engineers. They figure and figure for days and days. Then they set mill wheels revolving, turning out stee

isfaction, she walked to the rail and bega

ts were steel-gray ribbons where automobiles, mere bugs all b

by twinkling lights

laughed. Atop that skyscraper was a home, a pent house, a gorgeous aff

if afraid they might hear. "That's t

with men all in white and black evening dress

nagers of great corporations. Members of Society spelled with a b

d. "Even a mouse may

e startled her more than the vision that met her gaze. The little yellow

Chinaman! I-I've g

aside, exposing to view the hilt of the three-blade

I'v

e her at all the man glided to an elevator and

eathed, and

an elevator and went shooting down afte

she had time to think of the circumstances leading up to this

* *

stars had shone. No moon had cast its golden gleam across the black and sullen waters of Lake Michigan. From afar, as in a dream, se

is near at hand," Jeanne, the

ured after her. Not understanding, but being

d, Florence Huyler,

tle French girl l

to speak. But she remained silent. W

he world has ever known. About her had swarmed a thousand children. Brown heads, golden heads, laughing eyes, weeping eyes, danci

of it. Indeed she could no

erry-go-round and the shrill whistle of the miniat

hildren. I have only to rest here by the fire with Jeanne." She threw out her splend

. "See what I found to-day in the chest. That last one we bo

object that cast back th

once more; a whole half year the French girl had been in her native land. Now she was back. There was, too, a spirit of glorious madness about this great exhibition, that somehow entered into

e here on the beach and play the vagabond through one wee hour of the night. To sip black tea, to stare at the fi

need to work. She was rich. Fortune had overtaken her

ng the cat. And now you ask me to look, to think-I, who have done nothing all day but lead children in play,

ot say 'Look' but it is yours, yours and mine, this curious dagg

des!" Florence fou

blades! A very

ir. A knife with a hilt of ordinary length, it had not one blade, bu

eclared emphatical

enthusiastic self. "See how it shines in

f the white spots that glistened in the light across th

ak. Jeanne! Don't ask me to buy another chest. No ne

ss, then truly it is a diamond. And see! There are one, two, three, four-oh, how is

amo

ies. Half belong to you and half to me. For see, we bough

nd, waving the dagger over her head. "Tru

h girl's voice changed abr

e came the slow D-o-n-g, D-o-

hour!" Her to

her lips. The three-bladed knife with all its jewels was gone. Some on

to her feet and, but for Jeanne, wo

leaped forward just in time to

e has a knife!" she exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. "He

e. "He is small, only a little Chinaman. I-I saw him

sed to struggle. "It is only a dagger, a dagger I f

ed with jewels!" Florence dropped

t," she sighed, "

f any person I ever saw. He wore an orange-colored cap, and there was a bit of bright glass-oval-

anne spoke with confidence. "This is

* *

three, four hundred feet, Florence was in pursuit of that very long-eared C

low to herself. "Jeanne's

woul