"A thirty thousand dollar sable coat is missing from
the store, and no one except Oskar and I had access to the fur safe.
He made up a cock-an'-bull story about letting you wear it Saturday to
show up Mrs. Orcutt. He claims he went to the theatre to enjoy the
effect on Mrs. Orcutt, when he discovered that you were wearing, not
the Russian sable that you had worn from the store, but a baum marten
coat. He hurried to the store to find that both the sable and the
marten coats were gone----"
Old John noticed that as he talked the color receded slowly from the
girl's face, leaving it almost chalk white, and then suddenly the color
returned with a rush that flamed red to her hair roots. But he was
totally unprepared for the sudden fury with which she faced him.
"And you had him arrested! Oskar arrested like a common thief! Are
you crazy? You know as well as I do that he never stole a pin----"
"No, he never stole a pin, but there's some little difference in value
between a pin and a thirty thousand dollar coat. They say every man's
got his price."
"It's a lie!" cried the girl, stamping her foot. "But even if it were
true, his price would be so big that there isn't money enough in this
world to even tempt him! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Think
what people will say!"
"I don't care what they say. He's got that coat, an' I'm right here to
see that he gets just what's comin' to him.
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