The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-08

fast She wrenched at the fastening.
with her slender. trembling fingers; she
tried to push in the bottom of the draw.
ers. but they Welded never an inch &c
her puny efforts. What could she do:
She dared not ask Mr.. Montford for the
key to them, lest mis- suspicious be
aroused; and. besides. she recoiled
from the thought Of asking another
favor of him, with the remembrance oil
the last few minutes experience still
burning her face with shame and anger
Suddenly a 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 wa
her valise key, and that would turn
round and round in the lock without
moving it. That faint ray of hope be-
gan to die out. 1t did not seem likely
toat the other would fit; it was small,
half-rusted key, which she had kept for
many years. more as a souvenir than
any use it could ever be- She tried it
mechanically. 1t went in snugly but
she could not turn it 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 n
dull click, it turned. and the door came
open!
Ten minutes afterward Alfred De
Vries came up the stat in the east
wing. unlocked the door, and came into
the little Office room. He looked up al
the curtains. at the piles of books and
newspapers on the shelves, and then
crossed and tried the opposite door: ev-
erything was as he had left it. Then
he tried the desk and the table drawers.
and then the cabinet; they were all
locked. as of course they must be, with
the key in little pocket next his shirt.
and which he always wore day and
night.
s'Let the infat ated old ninny keep
the key if he wants TO, have got things
SAFE" he muttered "but l will keep
my eve on mademoiselle. nevertheless;
there's no knowing wha. the little fiend
will undertake. l wish knew jrst the
game she is up to-confo md herr II
wish there was some way''-he stopped
abruptly. but the look on his face com
pleted the sentence.
At the same moment Stella Blake was
seated on the floor in her little chamber
at the end of the long hall. the doc
carefully locked, and the curtain let
down to the floor. In her lap, in the
chairs, on the floor. all over and about
her, were papers. old. yellow papers,
papers creased and worn, papers with
odd, old-time writing and spell ng-in
all. strange. curious collection.
She read them al with a strange,
fierce eagerness, but when she came to
one, she paused over it, rea ling and re-
reading it. 1t was st ange what there
could be in that old Montford record so
and passionately absorbing
to a young girl who was only 4 servant
in the Montford family.
The paper was a will made by one
Montford, giving the property
equally to two sons, William and John.
Afterwards cslicil was added. which.
after going on to state that William had
wasted already third more than his
portion, had married n low, vulgar
woman. and was given up to dissipa-
ton. John. the other son, was solemnly
forbidden from ever allowing him an
other dollar of the Montford estates, of
which he and his heirs were the sole
legatees from this time forevermore:
Then, bearing date twenty-five years
later. was another will, made bv the
John Montford aforementioned. in
which he stipulated that at his death.
Ibis only and well-beloved son, Harry.
to whom he willed and bequeathed all
his real and personal property. should.
If he found him worthy and deserving.
give the sum of Ave hundred pounds TO |
Gilbert. son of William Montford, de-
ceised."
This she lad with the other. and then |
began hurried. nervous search among
the more recent looking papers. One !
after another they futtered from her
hand 20 the floor confused, rustling /!
heap. There were bonds, ard mort |
RACES, and certificates enough, but these !
were of a more recent date still. and |
were all payable to Gilbert Montford |
Evidently these were not. what she was |
looking for, for the hopeful look in her
lace was slowly giving place to a weary.
ieSpairing. pitiful one-pitiful. especial