When Marion returned to her room she found Bert and Dollie chatting merrily.
“Oh, Marion, what do you think? Poor Bert was almost arrested last night. The dress you loaned him came near being the death of him,” cried Dollie, gayly.
Marion looked at Bert with a questioning glance.
“A ‘cop’ followed me two blocks,” he said, with a grin, “but I took to my heels and he was too fat to catch me.”
“Oh, my goodness,” cried Marion, with a burst of laughter. “How you must have looked, Bert. I wish I could have seen you. I can just imagine Miss Ray’s long dress getting over the ground at the speed you would carry it.”
“And with a big, fat policeman in hot pursuit,” cried Dollie; “but he didn’t catch you, and that’s the best of it. It must, have surprised him to see a woman such a good runner.”
“He knew I was a man all right,” said Bert, “and I guess he would recommend me as a first-class ‘sprinter.’ Well, after I had eluded him, I went into a little ‘junk-shop’ on First avenue, and bought a cap and jacket; of course they were pretty cheap ones, but I was glad to get them. I was mighty sick of masquerading.”
“But didn’t they know your voice was not a woman’s where you bought the things?” broke in Dollie, excitedly.
“Oh, that Jew wouldn’t have cared if I had been a dime museum freak. All he wanted was my money. He didn’t ask any questions.”
“And what then?” asked Marion, who was very much interested.