The Children

red at the entrance to the long dark passage-way? A young woman's face, a face of beauty and refinement, surrounded by a perfect circle of white. In the almost complete dar

tes of a great clock telling off the hour of ten. Two hours before midnight! And she, Lu

was on the level with the top of the wrap

e dark garment that blends completely with t

into the shadows. "If she's a real person and not a spectre, wh

es person would come to work in such a superb garment as this person wore. Although Lucile had been employed in the book department for but

elf. "A-thief-a shoplifter. Perhaps she stole tha

The next instant she saw a second face appear in the narrow

ymour," sh

irls' books for only three days, yet Lucile liked him, liked him tremendously. H

ed, "perhaps here's t

a second, drew from his pocket a slip of paper and handing it to her, quickly vanished into the shadows. The next instant th

ss and utterly deserted. These were the days of the great rush of sales that comes before Christmas. That evening eight thousand books had been trucked into the department to be stowed away on or under tables and sh

ay down a marble stairway to the ground floor and the street. Lucile had been sent by "Rennie," the head sales-lady of juveniles, t

to herself. "With that she can leav

s, she contemplated following the m

nly four feet wide; then it turns sharply and goes two hundred feet farther. She may carry a

ffices. She must leave the passage there if she does not come back this way. I might call the

Truth was, she had none at all. She was a sales person, not a detective. Her job was that of putting books on shelves and tables and selling them; her immediate task t

she reasoned. "If I go blundering into thi

udden thought, "if he gave her his pas

tings are on display, it is necessary to maintain a constant vigil against thieves. "Pass-outs" are given to all employees who enter or leave the store after closing hours. It was tru

rmured, starting up, "R

become interested in writing down lists of books that were to be ordered in

ere. We can take care of them before the rush begins in the morning. Run along now an

s,

fraid to go for her coat. And indeed she was, for was it not hanging on the w

tell," she thought, "

with much fear

all this trembling, for there

ld it mean?-on that hook hung not her own too frankly thin and threadbare coat, but a magnificent th

ox skin she knew it was far mo

" she breathed. "I'

n left in its stead and, as if to further perplex and alarm her, the m

trembling fingers dropped to h

, with a thread of gray in her black hair, who had been in the department for no one knew how long-Rennie would

to herself. Then suddenly she realized tha

e seen it. I want time to think. I'll tell Rennie only what I am suppos

aring the story. "Someone has proba

ible!" Lucile laughe

hy

and she dashed

ishment; then began to murmur something about fairy princesse

Lucile. "They say there's a regular blizzard

er shoulders with a touch that was half caress. Then, having

e, you look

? No one will believe that a mere sales girl owns a

aimed Rennie.

the throat are worn a little smooth and there's the least bit of a soil at the bottom. You wait te

ving a good general look at the room, Lucile sauntered away to the left where s

wealth of learning that no one could hope to appropriate in a lifetime. To the right of her was poetry, thousands of volumes; to the left, book

e would be going back to the University. Since she was dependent upon her own resources for her support-and since for one who specialized in English there was quite as much to be learned

in two more weeks. But in two weeks much may h

. Before her loomed the dim outlines of the elevator cages. Distorted by the uncertain light, these seemed the cells of some gloomy prison. Far off to the right was a great rotunda. From the rail that

his place gets spookier eve

her right. Impelled by sheer curiosity,

had flashed on for a second and in that second she h

er. She saw his face clearly. On his finely cut features there

square opening in the wall. Lucile knew in a vague sort of way where that opening led. Books that had been wrapped were dropped in there. A circular sp

pening. Then, just as the light flashed out, she again saw that amused grin

e chute!" she gaspe

not have told. It could not have been many seconds but it seemed an h

nd feet flying at almost superhuman speed, the girl raced

t. Perhaps he is killed!" s

down two; three

of this vast shipping ro

ave been alone in the catacomb

is way," sh

ing herself confronted by a dark bulk, she started walking round it. Having paused to think, she found fear gripping a

lding at night!" Even as she thought this there came to her, fain

s a watchman! And here I am dressed in this magnificent garment which does not bel