The Jasper news., 1906-12-27

/ think, Bob had told her not to tire
herself by rummasing while he was
away. Rummaging! That meant hunt.
ing IN the garnet and running the risk
Of discovering the desk.
And Bess had spoken OF Adelaide
Clifford. There had been talk of
summer engagement, she remembered.
Adelaide was older than Bob. Some
way she had always blamed her for
the romance, and had looked upon Bob
as an impressionable youngster. But
If he had cherished her letters and
keepsakes, then he must have loved
her. Adelaide was engaged to old Mr..
Thurston now-Copper Thurston, the
boys called him. Perhaps, after all,
Bob had been jealous of the copper
made millions, and had married her in
a fit of pique.
She turned from the window with
sudden determination. 1t lacked half
an hour of dinner time. A lonely din
ner for bride, she thought, as she
went upstairs, her first New Years
eve. Perhaps by the time the midnight
bells rang out she might be making a
few strange resolutions for the coming
year.
1t was dark on the garnet stairs.
She stopped at the door of Bob's dress
ing-room and took a candlestick from
the mantel. 1t was a wedding gift-a
Japanese bronze griffin, with outspread
wings and spiral, sinuous tail.
AS she held it to the gas jet to light
the candle something fell on the rug
at her feet and she picked it up. 1t
was small, old-fashioned ordinary
brass key. She looked at 1t hesitating-
ly. 1t had never been on Bob's ring,
she knew. The space between the
wings of the bronze griffin was clever
idea of concealment.
She set her lips closely and went up
the garnet stairs with candlestick in
one hand and the key in the other.
Half way there was turn at small
landing, and it was at the angle made
by this that she had found the little
low door leading to the catch all"
She opened it now and entered, half
closing the door after her.
The desk was pushed to one side
with some trunks and boxes. 1t was
q quaint, antique affair of mahogany,
severely colonial in style. The main
body was crescent-shaped, supported
on hand-carved legs. There were four
drawers, two ON each side, and a small,
low cabinet of pigeonholes on top.
Suzanne stood motionless before II
for several minutes, trying to make up
her mind to insert the key. When she
did so, in the lock of the nearest top
drawer, her hand trembled slightly
and she. held her breath. The key
turned easily and the draw was ready
for inspection, but she did not open it
Thoughts whirled like the tlutterine
snowfakes through her mind, and she
stood again irresolute.
She had told Bess that she believed
absolutely in Bob. Higher than hel
love for him had been her unfalterinl
2 belief and confidence in him. 1t wa:
I the very keystone of her marriage
. faith, and yet, at the first blow of sus
e picion, it gave way.
Bess was child, with the impulsiv'
!, judgment of child. She had beer
wrong to even tell her of the desk
d wrong to discuss Bob or his motive
t with her at all, or to listen for an in
" slant to any doubt of him, even II
O jest. She must have faith, and wait
e He had probably locked the desl
:, against the curiosity of the servant
e and had forgotten it in the hurry AM
J. excitement of the wedding. She mus
believe in him. The mere fact tina
e they were married did not give her
coroner's right to hold a post-morten
d over his dead past.
There was the sound of footstel
Y on the stairs, and she relocked tn
t drawer quickly.
u I'll be down in moment Nora,
she called. You may serve dinner"
The voice that answered was fami
lar and masculine. She nearly let tn
u candle fall in her surprised recognition
e of it.
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