Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-17
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81
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BY yEAMMETTE n. WAlW@RTM, s:
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Copyright, 1896, by Jeanette n. wa1worth, a
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JEAMMETTE a.. WAlw@RTM,
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II might as well do it now as at any
other time. 1t will help me through
with my lonely vigil. 1t is a simple
act of Justice to you. mother. 1 am go
ing to put that wild notion about those
papers to rest. l can't bear to have
other hands searching among your
things, though l did promise that poor
unhappy child she might. You know 1t
Is no l That am mistrusting you. moth
err, dear, and 1 think you are well
pleased to have me clear your name
from the suspicion of hiding papers
that did not belong to you"
With this apology to her dead for
what she was about to do she returned
to the sitting room The gay chintz
covered chair had been pushed back
against the wall. She advanced to.
ward it resolutely.
II believe I'd Sather have the plain
black horsehair showing anyhow. 1t is
more in keeping with a funeral" she
said and went to work.
kneeling before the old chair, she set
about untying the numerous tapes that
kept the slip cover in place. Many a
knot was rendered all the more refrac-
tory by the tears she dropped upon it.
The old armchair was very intimate
~ associated with her life. AS a child
She had watched her fathers pen trav-
cling patiently by the hour over the pa
per spread upon the little shelf attach
ed to it's right arm. She had a vague
recollection of a mysterious drawer, To-
Gated somewhere under the ample
of tumbling out Of it's socket at the
most unexpected moments, scattering
its contents in the most unseemly fash
ion. Many a time had it compelled her
to go down on her knees to recoyer the
disjecta membra of the next Sundays
sermon.
Later, when the Rev. Mr.. Spillman
had been transferred to a world where
there was neither writing nor preach
ing of sermons, the chairehad become
identified completely with her mother.
But the drawer, which had been voted
a family nuisance when subject to
careless masculine handling, had never
played any part in latter days. "Moth-
er" Spillman had long ago carried into
effect her threat to fix it so it should
cease from troubling-how, Malvina
had never thought to notice.
"Yes," she said, rising to her feet
after c%onquering the last knot, I'D
rather never see this old slip cover
again. Every flower in it would set
me to thinking about mother, and that
won't be good for me-"
With a skillful jerk she drew the
cover from it's loosened moorings. A
loud noise accompanied the act. 1t
startled her, coming so Unexpectedly
upon the solemn stiffness. The old
drawer had fallen out once more.
ITO think l should have forgotten
the old drawer! Mother must have
crisscrossed someof these strings about
it to keep it in place"
She stopped to repair the mischief
she had done. A package Of papers
had fallen out of the drawer. She was
sure she had eve seen them before.
With a frightened cry she gathered
them into a parcel. A long envelope,
colAeu duu uuduufeSSeu, Quu fallen OUT
with the papers. Hastily replacing the
drawer and r%everently folding the old
cover away in the closet, she carried
the package nearer to the lamp for ex-
animation. With a strange sense Of
reluctance upon her she drew a chair
up to the table and carefully manipu-
lated the lamp. She was dallying with
the moments. She was sure her moth
er had lever made any use of that
drawer. This package would prove to
be a lot of worthless old papers left
over from the days of her fathers oc-
cupancy. The first paper which her
trembling fingers unfolded settled that
point forever.
Then all that talk about papers that
concerned Thomas Broxton had not
beer the fancy of a d%isordered mind!
Her mother had been secreting papers
that belonged to the Broxton estate!
With a thought as to the ethics
of the case she spread out paper after
DaDer. MASTERING tho haroo+or of ,oob