Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-03-29

Stella 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.
s.No. no." he cried THAT is not
enoughI' and STOPPING over her kissed
her half a dozen times on lip and
cheek. -1A
The girl was white as death now, and
trembled so she could hardly stand.
Give it to me'' she cried, with fever
ish vehemence. - 50 St.
He put the KEY in her. hand and she
darted TO the door like bird, and an
instant afterWard was speeding down
the long, dark passage. with a throbbng
heart and dizzy brain, and o, such q
white face,
AT last-at last" she painted, "but
0, Heaven. at what 4 costn' and catch
| ing up the folds of her tlress she rubbed
her check and lips with fierce vehe-
mence. ALAS. there was no other way.
and | must know or go. mad she
cried, sharply.
This time she did not draw up the cur
tains, but with swift step passed direct
" to the cabinet and essayed TO omen it;
but a moment showed that it was
locked. Far .nlement, ally the wild
hope that had nerved her died out in
black, dead despair; then she got up
and began u search for the key; but
drawers, desk cabinetAail alike were
fast She wrenched ut the fastenings
with her slender. trembling fingers; she
tried to push in the bottom of the draw
ers, but they Welded never IN inch to
her puny efforts. What could she do?
She darednot ask Mr. Montford Tor the
key to them, lest his suspicious be
aroused; and, besides. she recoiled
from the thought Of asking another.
favor OF him, with the remembrance of
the last few minutes experience still
face with shame and ANGER /,
SuddenIysa thought came to her. She
glanced again ;st. the lock, thrust her
hand hastily into hers4pocket, and drew
out three .keys. The FIRST was her trunk
key; it. was too large. The next was
her valise key..Sand 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 a small,
lraif- rustei 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 snngly-but
she could not turn it. She tried with
ali her strength, she tore the skin from
her fingers SO that they bled but still
she did not give up. Suddenly, with a
dull click, it turned, and the door came
openi
Ten minutes afterward Alfred De
Eries came up the stails in the east
wing, unlocked the door, alIdcame;inlo
the little office room. He looked up at
the curtains. at the piles ofrbooks and
newspapers on the shelves, and then
crossed and tried the opposite door; ev-
he tried the desk and the able drawers,
and then the cabinet; they were all
locked. as of course they must DE, with
the keyin little pocket next,llis shirt.
and which he always Wore day and
night.
{ Il eft the infatuated old ninny5 keep
the KEY if he want, to, have got things
SAFE" The .murtered; ."but will keep
my eve on. natlemoiselle, never eless;
there no knowing what the little fieild
will undertake. [ wish | knew st the
game she is up to-confound hern' II
wish there was some wav''-h" 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 door
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,
papersscreased and worn. papers with
odd,I old-time writing and spell ng-in
all, 4 strange, curious collection.
She read them al with q strange,
fierce eagernesS, but when she came to
one, she paused over it, rea ling and re-
reading it. 1t was strange what there
coul be in that Old Montford record so
fascinating and passiOnately absorbing
TO q yOUng cir. who Was only servant
in the MontfQrd family. EE
, The paper was n will made by one
William Montiord, giving the, property
equally to two sons, William and John.
Afterwards a codicil was added. which.
after going on to state that William had
wasted already a third more than his
portion, had married a low, vulgar
woman, and was given up to disSipa-
ton, John, the other son, was s0lcmnly
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 win. made by the
John Montford aforementioned in
which he stipulated that at his death.
''his only and well-beloved son, barry,
to whom he willed and bequeathed all
his real and personal property, should,
if he found him worthy and deserving,
give the sum of five hundred pounds to
Gilbert, son of William Montford, de-
ceased" .Fr.
This she laid with the other, and then
began a hurried, nervous search among
the more recent looking papers. One
after another they tuttered from her
hand to the floor a confused, rustling
heap. There were bonds, ard mort
cages, 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
face was slowly giving place to a weary,
despairing, pitiful one-pitiful. especial
l.. E