Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-06-09

never snOulu nave tnOughC OF lt--yOu
} know just how shrewdly you laid the
, v,siit, counting on my necessities to hep
you-ah, you are clever. All, so ccia:ef!
but please don't remind me Of it too often
reckon you've made good enough thing
out of til do. Now l want that key.
I'm not going to be shut out of any room
in this house; I'll have dozen keys
made to the lock, if there's no other
way" A9I ~
II will go up with you." Devries said,
rising. -
Il am not going now. want the key
so can go when please" was the dog
ged answer, "and sotll have it."
II know very well whose work this
is" fsen I'D a
"Alf DeVries," interrupted Montford,
a passionate fire lighting his dull blue
eyes, ~ tell you that / want that key
Give it to me, or in less than an hour l
will have man here to take off the locks
from both doors--mind We, from BOTH"
With muttered oath DeVries drew the
key from an inner breast pocket and
tossed it toward him As he did SO some
thing fell to the floor with dull ring.
He stopped hastily to recover it, but not
until Montford saw what it was, and ex-
claimed: qs s....-,
"My lost key! And you tried to make
me believe she had it, you hypocrite, you
you sneak, you"
| A sudden hand was placed over his
mouth. .....>
"Silence, you fool, if you don't want me
to throttle you" DeVries said, in low,
intense voice. HI.
There was something in his glittering
yellow brown eyes and bloodless face that
l - II 4 Is l. o~k
MOntford in one instant, and left him weak
and trembling. He slipped out from un-
der his hand and skunk out of the room.
ell wonder if he looked like that
when-when"- stopped abruptly, and
looked about him with faint shudder.
, But nonsense! what makes me imagine
such stuff" he added, quickly. F" He fell
overheard, of course he did, didn't De-
Vries always say so? wish l didn't
!, have such silly fancles-I don't know but
am q fool" with which comforting doubt
he proceeded to the library.
: Stella Blake rose eagerly when he
opened the door, but she took no step
, toward him, neither did she speak, but
{ her whole face and at / ade were instinct
, with eager, tremulous, passionate hope.
| How beautiful she was with the rich
blood wavering in her clear cheek, her
eyes glowing like yelled stars, her bosom
i. rising and falling with wild, fierce emo
, ton. He came toward her, his dull, ford
/ face lighted with sudden eager, pas.
sion ate admiration.
She shrank back with an instructive
chiver of disgust but he did not notice it.
He saw only the rich, bright beauty OF the
girl.
"Stclla," he said, putting his arm about
her-still not noticing the instructive re-
coil-I have had u hard fight to get it for
you, and now you must pay me for it, or
won't let you have it, swear won't!"
"Pay you? What-what do you
| mean ?" She faltered, growing pale.
~ don't mean anything 80 very dread
!, full, little Stella, nothing but kiss from
those pretty lips" he said with another
admiring look.
Stella's forehead was like flame, as after
, an instant of hesitation, she touched her
lips lightly to his cheek, and tried to slip
away from him, but he held her fast.
"No, no." he cried that is not enough
and STOPPING over her kissed her half q
!, dozen times on lip and cheek.
IA The girl was white as death now, and
"a trembled SO she could hardly stand.
! "Give it to me = she cried, with fever
ish vehemence.
He put the key in her hand and she
darted to the door like a bird, and an in
slant afterward was speeding down the
long, dark passage, with thrObbing heart
, and dizzy brain. and o, such a white face
, "At last-at last" she painted, "but 0,
, heaven, at what a cost !" and catching up
the folds of her dress she rubbed her
cheek and lips with fierce vehemence
"Alas, there was no other way, and
must know, or 60 mad !" she cried sharply
This time she did not draw up the cur
tains, but with swift step passed directly
TO the cabinet, and essayed to open it but
a moment showed that it was locked. For
moment all the wild hope that had
nerved her died out in black, dead
despair; then she got up and began q
search for the key; but drawers, desk.
cabinet-all alike were fast She wrenched
at the fastenings with her slender, tremb'
ling fingers she tried to push in the bot
tom Of the drawers; but they yielded
, never an inch to her puny effOrts What
: could che dor She dared not ask Mr..
MontfOrd for the key to them, lest his sus-
picions be aroused and, besides, she re.
coiled from the thought Of asking another
favor Of him, with the remembrance
of the last few minutes experience still
, burning her face With shame and anger
Suddenly thought came TO her. She
glanced again at the lock, thrust her hand
hastily into her pocket, and drew out
. three keys. The first was her trunk key,
it was too large. The next was her valise
key, and that would turn round and round
in the lock without moving it, That
faint ray of hope began to die out. 1t did
not seem likely that the other would fit |;
, it was small, halfrus key, which she
had kept for many years, more as
souvenir than any use it could ever be.
She tried it mechanically. 1t went in
snugly, but she could not turn 1t. She
tried with all her strength, she tore the
skin from her fingers SO that they bled, but
still she did not give up. Suddenly, with
dull click, 1t turned, and the door came
open! wa
Ten minutes afterward Alfred De Vries
came up the stairs in the east wing, un-
locked the door, and came into the little
office room. He looked up at the cur
tains, at the piles of books and newspa.
| v,oro he cha1vao and fhon rrOocpd and