Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-22


| l searched all the drawers and cubby'hoes OF
the old secretary but found nothing answering
Johns description. Then l got the high stool
| from the kitchen and climbed up on it to reach
the high shelf where the old account-books we're
packed. One by one / removed them, blew the
dust from their upper edges, and piled them on
little table beside me, thinking that if should
| not find the paper behind them would look
through them I had removed more than half
of the row of books when something fell out of
the last one took hold of and futtered off to
the side of the room. It was an important-look-
ing document, and / Immediately got down sto
examine it. Yes, it was the very thing, intact
and properly attested.. John had sent me
large official envelope, directed to himself, in
| which to forward the paper if | should find it,
and / Immediately inclosed it and sent it to the
postoffice by Tom.
This done, climbed upon the stool again,
hesitating in the Incidence of the moment as to
whether / should remove and dust the remainder
of the old books put back those that had
taken down. A twinge of my housewifely con-
science prompted me to take them all down and
put them back in good order. Such little things
make hinges for fate to swing on.
! l took bunch Of the thinner books In one
hand and large, one in the other, and there lay
revealed before me mysterious package
gazed at it moment as / stood fulhanded, real
izing in an instant that it was package with
which I was wholly unfamiliar. Then I laid
down the books and took hold of it-earefuy,
to be sure, and shrinkingly / must confess bus
not reverently. 1t was bundle of old letters,
tied with many turns Of a strong linen thread
that had almost cut into the edges of the en-
veopes The faces of the two outer letters had
been thoughtfully turned inward, so that there
was no hint Of the name of the person to whom
they were addressed. But on the back of one
of them was an inscription in my husbands hand.
writing. 1t read thus
''If this package is found after my death; it is
to be burned unopened"
! read it over and over. standing on the high
| stool and holding the package in my hands.
Then I got down suddenly, still holding it, for
began to feel sort of uncertainty creeping over
me, and was afraid that might fall. sat
down in chair near the window and held back
a corner of the short dimity curtain so that
might be sure that my eyes had not deceived
me- No. there was no mstaking Johns hand.
The word death made the inscription an awe
some thing and | laid the letters on the win.
dow-sill and brushed the dust off my hands on
my white apron. We had no secrets from each
other, John and T. At least. had none from
him. and had never dreamed that he had any
from me. Now here was the positive proof that
he had secret. The letters had been securely
tied up with the superscriptons concealed from
sight and hidden behind these old, unused
books, out of my reach, on the top shelf Of This
old secretary. There was method in it, but,
after all, how like man it was! Why did he
not destroy them and have done with it? He
should have known that sooner or later I would
find them. And had found them.
"If this package is found after my death
"Can John be dead now?" shuddered. ''Why
should I find them if he is not" my mind went
on.
No.. there lay. his letter received hour ago
He was not dead three days ago, for he wrote
it not longer ago than that ! wondered vaguely
il could feel any worse il knew he We're dead
And then the tears came, binding my eyes and
shifting my heart. ] caught up his letter and
read it again. A plain. rather hurried one it
was an extra. written especially on the business
of the lost paper, but signed as usual, "Yoiir
own true john" Y had never before read the
words with the slightest doubt to their truth.
fulness. Now L did not know, and the letter
sounded cold What a moment ago seemed
plainly written in haste and with business urg-
ency now appeared to be written with studied
indifference But Tom would be coming pres
entity and must put the package out of his
sight. could think of no place that seemed
safe except the hidingpace in which had found